A heartfelt and passionate Korean War epic, 71 – INTO THE FIRE marks the epitome of self-sacrifice, brotherly love, and gung-ho soldierly bravery. It's a simple enough tale which, crucially, really happened: 71 schoolboys were tasked with holding back a North Korean division single-handedly during the Korean War in 1950. What follows – their holding-out against impossible odds - sounds too good to be true, but yes, it really happened, and it makes for great movie-making.
The only South Korean war movie I'd seen previously was the superlative BROTHERHOOD, so I had no idea what to expect from this production. I got it all: thoroughly engaging characters, an interesting storyline and typically stylish direction. Yes, it's a slow builder of a movie: it takes an hour and a half before things really get going, but then the climax hits and you've rarely seen anything so intense and devastating in equal measure. Solid performances throughout contribute to the overall feel that this is a great movie.
