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Cast: Dong-gun Jang, Jo Odagiri, Bingbing Fan, In-kwon Kim, Jin-seok Yang, Ji-han Do, Hee-won Kim, Yeon-hee Lee, Ji-woong Wi, Jong-yeol Jeong, Ho-yeon Lee, Michael Arnold
Inspired by a true story. Jun Shik works for Tatsuo's grandfather's farm while Korea is colonized by Japan, but he has a dream to participate in Tokyo Olympics as a marathon runner. Tatsuo also aims to become a marathon runner, so the two are in rivalry. But war breaks out and they both are forced to enlist in the army. Tatsuo becomes the head of defense in Jun Shik's unit and he devises a scheme but fails. Jun Shik and Tatsuo are captured by the Soviets. They run away but soon are captured by Germans and forced to separate. In 1944, they meet again at the shores of Normandy.
When I found out this film was from the same Director that did "Brotherhood Of War" I was already sold. Like Brotherhood this film also deals with a human story set during war time. "My Way" tells a tale of two rivals: Korean Kim Jun-Shik and Japanese Hasegawa Tatsuo. Jun-Shik's father works as a servant of Tatsuo's grandfather in Japanese-occupied Korea. They first met when Tatsuo arrived there with his parents in 1928. Though they differ in nationality and social standings, they have one thing in common: to be the greatest marathon runner. Every year they compete in races, though Jun-Shik wins the most. One day, Tatsuo's grandfather is assassinated by a Korean terrorist, which only deepens the resentment of Tatsuo towards Koreans. Due to an incident after a marathon race, Jun-Shik and several other Korean friends are drafted into the Japanese Imperial army. Little did Jun-Shik know that he would be serving under Tatsuo, much much later.
To talk about the story anymore would only ruin the film for those waiting to see it. This is the best war film I have seen in some time, maybe ever, I was one person that thought "Brotherhood Of War" was better than "Saving Private Ryan" but this film blows them both out of the water. An epic with a run time of two hours 23 minutes but there's never a moment when you become bored, from it's breath-taking and brutal action scenes to it's more subtle scenes of human drama this is a film you will fall in love with. Korea has really stepped into the spotlight in recent years as far as Asian cinema goes and and the trend continues with this incredible film about war and friendship.
Director, Je-kyu Kang has proven once again he is the master at creating a war film with the humanity as it's forefront, something many war films lack. Jo Odagiri and Jang Dong-Gun are incredible as the film's leads and the rest of the supporting cast members all give realistic performances.
Everything about "My Way" is top notch, from it's wonderful story of humanity to it's amazing action and fantastic cinematography this is one of the year's best films and one I highly recommend.
The Film is Available on DVD and Bluray, both come with Special Features that include:
Original Language: Japanese, Korean
Dubbed Language: English
Subtitle: English
Extra: Making of, Behind The Scenes, Interviews with Jang Dong-Gun and Director Kang Je-Kyu, Trailers
You can order the DVD HERE and the Blu-ray HERE.
Even if you're not a big fan of war films you owe it to yourself to check this one out for it's story of friendship alone.
Released by Well Go USA Entertainment
***** Out Of *****