Silmido (2003)

I'll tell you why so serious

best movie i've ever seen.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

If you were expecting a war movie, you won't find it here. This is a film about an assassination attempt...that didn't happen. Although I realize it has a purpose, I did not enjoy the brutal training sessions. I found it rather distasteful. The film's first 44 minutes are dedicated to training. Pardon me, but me thinks that's just a tad too much!Hailed as one of the best Korean films, I found it dreadful to watch. The film is filled with scenes that doesn't move it forward - or in any direction for that matter. It was boring. I couldn't wait for this senseless film to end. I believe this is based on a true story, but the story is just so pathetic that I can't understand why a film was made about it and why anyone should care about it. Well, at least I thought the music was good.Summary (SPOILER): Convicts are trained for a mission to kill the North Korean President. Mission cancelled. The soldiers who trained the convicts are then ordered to 'terminate' them. They fail. The convicts then decide to kill the President themselves. They fail miserably. So the purpose of the film is...???? Am I missing something here???

Silmido is a South Korean film that stars Ahn Seong-Gi, Seol Gyeong-Gu, Heo Jun-Ho, Jung Jae-Young, Lim Won-Hee, Kang Sung-Jin, Kang Shin-Il and Lee Jung-Hun. It is based on the true story of Unit 684.The movie was directed by Kang Woo-suk.A rag tag bunch of misfits and death row criminals are transported to Silmi Island as part of a secret plan to assassinate North Korea's leader. After months of grueling training including physical and mental abuse and even death, the would-be assassins are ready to undertake their perilous mission. However, as politics change, so too does the mission of the SILMIDO team.The movie is based on a true story and present an accurate portrayal of history.Also,it has many elements of psychological realism. During the training, for example, the military officers look for leadership qualities in their trainees and creates 3 teams under the 3 best leaders. This is how the military still finds leaders and forms teams today. In fact, you will find many examples of great leadership in this movie.Finally,it has a great action sequences.These are reason why the viewer will truly enjoy this film.

Silmido was better acted, edited and directed than most Hollywood movies, telling the true story of a group of conscripts sent to a remote Korean Island (Silmido of the title) to train as elite troops to assassinate the leader of North Korea. The men form strong bonds with each other and their guards (read: captors) Their bonds are not based on friendship as in most Hollywood movies, but on loyalty, which is also the salute mantra of all the soldiers on the island. It is the theme of loyalty that pervades the movie....loyalty to each other, to your country, and what you get in return for that loyalty. There are some truly incredible moments in this film , including an extended action sequence that instead of going for gymnastic pyrotechnics, focuses on the human interaction between the characters, who have been forced to act in certain ways based on where their loyalties lie. Look out for Sergeant Jo, my favourite character from the film, who for most of the movie plays the typical hard-assed drill Sergeant. His performance alone would be enough to make this movie great, but all acting in the movie is excellent. See it.

I start to watch this movie two days after I watched Brotherhood of War. I believe that Korean movies can be very good. Silmido was a disappointment for me. My rating probably should be lower but movie defend itself by one thing. It is based on true story... Korean history even. What is interested in this movie ? Relations between soldiers and group of bandits. The way they became soldiers and patriots. And here is the weak point of the movie for me... The reason they want to realize the plan created by authorities. They don't want to free themselves they want to free all SouthKorean. So if You asked if watch or not to watch I say watch if You have enough time and did not watch Brotherhood of War :). OK,OK... There was tear in my eye during the final scene. But I m human after all.