Review of Silmido (2003) by Jos . — 26 Aug 2007
It's surprising just how many different shades of war film appear in Silmido. Most of the first act seems like a jungle version of Full Metal Jacket, complete with beatings, fatal falls and vicious military discipline.
However, the remainder of the film seems to be a mixture of several other films including Enemy at the Gates, Saving Private Ryan and Platoon. The ever growing sense of unity between the film's doomed protagonists which culminates at the climax has a moving pathos which is extremely commendable given that for the majority of the film there has been terrible in-fighting.
The message of Silmido is clear, politics and the military are an unstable mix and sometimes duty should be ignored to do what's right. Some may find its pro-Korean patriotism nauseating, but then all war films carry that side to them, don't they?
This review of Silmido (2003) was written by Jos . on 26 Aug 2007.
Silmido has generally received very positive reviews.
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