Director: Kim
Kwang-sik
Notable Cast: Jo In-sung,
Nam Joo-hyuk, Park Sung-woong, Bae Sung-woo, Uhm Tae-goo, Kim Seol-hyun, Jung
Eun-chae, Park Byung-eun, Sung Dong-il, Oh Dae-hwan, Yu Oh-seong, Stephanie
Lee, Jang Gwang
The Great Battle
is a somewhat deceiving title. Not that the action in this South Korean war
film isn’t great, but there are so many battles and action sequences in this
film that using a singular noun like ‘battle’ betrays the sheer amount of
popcorn entertainment that is available to an audience who sees this film.
Naturally, this is a small issue to have with a film, but when the credits
rolled on this epic period piece, it was one of the first thoughts
that came to mind. Granted, The Great
Battle is not nearly the dramatic punch that many will expect from South
Korean cinema that makes its way to the US, but at the same time it’s a film
that perfectly captures the blockbuster spectacle it aims to achieve. The Great Battle is spectacular entertainment,
wrapped in the usually impressive execution of South Korean cinema, and it
powers through on its charm and relentlessly stylish battle sequences.