Welcome to Dongmakgol

This is a movie that I totally want to buy but was put by the wayside for SFLV and SPL.

I've read nothing but good reviews for Dongmakgol.

I hope to one day be able to pick this up but I'll be strapped for cash at least until Tax return.

Tee hee. Dong.

Bummer. Netflix doesn't have it yet.

Hey Dragon ma,

Thanks for posting on this. I wouldn't have known to look out for it otherwise as this is the only place I've ever heard of it, and I loved it. The boar scene was hilarious, as was the evolution of the stand-off in the village.

Just gotta say a big thank you Dragon Ma. Without this thread I would have let this slip under my radar. It's just such an incredible movie, magical, beautiful, funny, and altogether tragic.

There's a real vitality and joyousness to the film and even in the climax there's still something of an uplifting message. I loved all the characters but I though Neil Smith in particular was particularly well done especially as a foreigner in a Korean movie.

Just wonderful.

Yeah, it just brings you into the mindset of the film perfectly. The slow motion butterfly, the hyper reality and the brutal violence which follows shortly afterwards. While I was watching the film I kinda thought it was anti-American, but if anything it's just anti-military. Although North Korea is kinda shown in a more positive light.

Aside from the fact it is hammered home right at the start that the American's are bombing everything which is followed up by the North Korean squad essentially getting executed by Allied Forces.

And of course the numerous

"Maybe we should think this over"

"Never, we're allied forces , we'll bomb when we want and how we want...GRR" conversations.

Just found out this was the highest grossing Korean film of 2005. It's awesome to think that a movie like this could be a Blockbuster overseas.

Anyone know if the Hisaishi score has got a release yet, it's probably my favourite score since Hana-Bi.

It's a locally geared, crowd-pleasing blockbuster w/ a strong anti-war message, so I don't think many Korean critics or audiences were that surprised at its success (though late in its theatrical run, the studio resorted to the huge discount sales/promos to boost its ticket sales in order to get that "#1 of 2005" title).

What was surprising was the period comedy-drama THE KING AND THE CLOWN going on to surpass it and eventually break all kinds of b.o. records earlier this year as the highest grossing domestic film ever released.

Then again Oldboy was a huge box office success as well, which explains how classy Lady Vengeance is.

I've said it before and I'll say it again Korea is producing some of the finest cinema at the moment, I even dig their rom-coms.

So is anti-war sentiment quite common in South Korea?

I'm not sure what you mean. Oldboy did quite well (I think it was the 4th highest grossing Korean film of 2003), but not near the level of JSA, which is still Park's biggest local hit to date. Even Lady Vengeance outperformed OB last year, due in large part to his growing international profile and fanbase.

But then again, the Vengeance trilogy is not what most Korean audiences would consider as commercial, populist entertainment (such as Welcome to Dongmakgol).

They've got the Korean Blu-ray on Xploitedcinema.com, but it's almost $40, which is more than I'm willing to spend on something I've never seen.

I must be the only guy that doesnt like this movie. Its so on the nose and trite, even for Korean standards, and what a completely wasted role for the Oldboy girl.

Only notable for featuring the most bizarre boar attack ever put on film.

I just dont buy her performance unfortunately, its a caricature that makes me laugh at the actress, rather than a character thats captivating and keeps me invested.

You know, thinking about it, on paper it does kind of work. Having three enemies cooped up together for a while, leading to a Korean version of Seven Samurai, you've got an ingredient for greatness there, but the actual execution was way too fluffy and award-baiting. Its #1 box office glossy stuff ultimately.

I actually cant remember the soundtrack and am surprised Hisaishi was involved. Maybe I knew at the time but have forgotten, which wouldnt be surprising as the only thing I remember about this movie is my disappointment, and of course that boar.

It is impressive in that it works as well as it does, especially from a young director making his feature debut (he previously directed a segment from an anthology film), with some schizophrenic yet effective touches of pizzazz and flourish. There's little doubt that had Jang Jin directed his own script (which was adapted from his hit play), it wouldn't have had the same crowd-pleasing impact beyond just the easy to please local audiences.

And yup, noone could've played cute crazy village idiot girl better than Kang.

cognizant, for my sake, what did you think of J.S.A., The Host, and I'm a Robot? I'm a huge fan of all 3, but would understand if someone didn't like any of them. I'm just trying to gauge our similarities in taste to better decide how much money I'm willing to spend to see the movie. Maybe a better question would be - did you love Tai Guk Gi? I thought it was pretty average myself.

Ok, anything by Park Chan-wook is quality, however to prevent degenerating into blind fanboyish behaviour it should be noted I'm A Robot (or I'm A Cyborg?) is probably his least accomplished film, though still creative in style and content. Closest thing to a romantic comedy from the man I guess. JSA, like his other stuff is an amazing tour de force of emotion, such a great exploration of that dividing line between north and south Korea.

Loved The Host, Korea's almost anime-esque version of Godzilla. The director is definitely deserving of the hype sorrounding him.

Tai Guk Gi is unmercilessly Korean melodrama on maximum, but its directed so well with this bombastic epic scope about it, I couldnt help but get drawn in. Korean melodrama is 50/50 with me, sometimes I enjoy it and get sucked into the drama, but other times its just tiring to wade through. It depends on the context and how its delivered, and I think with Tai Guk Gi its consistent, but with Dongmakgol its not.

Dongmakgol, from what I remember anyway considering its been a few years since I saw it, is too polished and lightweight in its humour and melodrama, considering its topical and juicy subject matter. Maybe its just me, but I'd have preferred it played straight, or failing that, either full on dour and devastating melodrama, or full on crazy humour, not this lukewarm tepid crowd-pleasing stuff.

I probably should re-watch it for a final opinion, but I've still got other stuff to watch and life's too short!