Before I watched 71-Into the Fire (directed by Lee Jae-han), I was a little skeptical. Maybe it was that Choi Seung-hyeon
(T.O.P from the Korean group Big Bang) was leading the charge in the
film. I saw that the film did well in the theatre but I wasn't going to
read too much into that when such a huge pop idol was up on screen; a
ploy, I thought, to lure in his many followers and cash in on some media
hype. Having now watched the film I can say that all my doubts have
been laid to rest.
Inspired by real events, 71-Into the Fire
tells the story of a group of 71 teenagers burdened with the task of
holding down Pohang girls middle school. Short on recruits, as the North
Korea forces continue to push south, the Korean military has enlisted
these young and inexperienced boys in a position of responsibility and
duty. This misfit group of "student soldiers" have to band together and
overcome their troublesome group dynamics to delay the advancing
communist force until they receive reinforcements.
The group is led by Jang-beom (Choi Seung-hyeon),
a shell-shocked young man with alarmingly little combat experience and
little sense of leadership. He is promoted as the groups general by Kang
Seok-dae (Kim Seung-woo),
who has to move his troops out to aid the South's desperate defense of
the Nakdong River. Jang-beom is left with a large group of unruly
students, some of whom have no interest in taking orders from a
soft-spoken peer. This is a group with as much variety of character as
one would expect to find in a schoolyard, and Jang-beom has to solidify
them into a fighting force if they are to succeed.
Threatening the school is the North Korean General Park Moo-rang (Cha Seung-won).
This man is a military deviant of sorts as he regular defies protocol
and orders from Pyongyang. He is seemingly self-motivated and almost
stoic in his characterisation. General Park decides to not take his
forces to the vital Nakdong River, but instead advances bullheadedly to
Pohang.
Jang-beom and his platoon of youngsters
slowly become aware of their deadly reality and the perils that surround
them. Members are lost in skirmishes, fights break out amongst
themselves and supplies are foolishly obliterated, but when the North
Korean general approaches them and gives them an ultimatum, they find
themselves in need of leader. Jang-beom finds his feet and is able to
rally his student soldiers to a very satisfying ending.
One
of the things that struck me in the film was the intermittent use of
overly stylised visuals that seemed displaced from the rest of the film,
most of which involved the Korean general. I believe this to be an
interesting attempt to frame him as an all-powerful and daunting figure.
He is almost godlike as he commands his troops into battle and takes
bullets and knife slashes without flinching. It's an interesting point
and one to take note of when watching the film.
The film carries a "sins of the father" theme woven around a sense of
family and social responsibility. As the title of the film suggests,
these young students were thrown into a dangerous situation that they
were neither prepared for nor started. As Jang-beom writes to his mother
describing the horrors he has faced and throughout the film his only
true wish is to be reunited with her. The father figures in film are
represented by the two generals, one supportive and full of faith, the
other distance and demanding. I will avoid any further superficial
Freudian analysis here but the film definitely contains commentary on
the social responsibilities and pressures involved Korean War and their
impact on the youth. 71-Into the Fire
was a pleasant surprise and although the quality of the acting is not
spread evenly amongst the actors, it still manages to tell the emotional
and heroic story of these 71 student soldiers who stood and fought like
men in the face of overwhelming odds.
-Christopher J. Wheeler
Agree? Dissagree? Please feel free to comment on this review. Discussions are welcomed!
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