Movie Monday – Northern Limit Line (2015)

Starring: Jin Goo as Staff Sergeant Han Sang Kook, Kim Mu Yeol as Captain Yoon Young Ha, Lee Hyun Woo as Medic Park Dong Hyeok, and Lee Chung Ah as Captain Choi

Rating: PG-13, depiction of war

Running Time: 130 min

Twinkies: 4 stars

Synopsis: Battle of Yeonpyeong is about the battle between South Korean and North Korean patrol frigates that took place in 2002. It is a story of young soldiers who demonstrates courage and responsibility for the Republic of Korea.

Musings: The depiction of war or conflicts is as brutal as you would expect it to be. As you watch this movie, the first thing that comes to mind is the timing of this attack against the Naval patrol boat during the World Cup that was hosted by South Korea. I doubt that anyone who watched this didn’t come away with the feeling that this was intentional. I don’t think anyone could think otherwise as the timing and situation was like every other patrol day but it was this one day that the North decided to attack, my opinion. Why? Maybe to put a shadow or cloud over the games. Regardless of the fact, many brave men gave their lives up.

This movie was a true testament to the bravery of the men especially to Staff Sergeant Han Sang Kook, the last of the men to be recovered from the sunken ship. SSGT Han steered the boat into safer waters, tied to the geared and went down with the ship. This type of bravery is one that you can never forget. Admittedly, the depiction of war is violent. This movie doesn’t shy away from that at all. The violence is vivid and those are that soft at heart, you might want to skip about 20 minutes of the movie because it is pretty stark.

This is definitely a movie that you will cry through the ending. It is also a movie that you should continue watching through part of the credits as some of the survivors continue to honor the men lost and the bereaved family. Also, actual footage of the combined funeral is shown. This was a well thought out film.

Trailer is available on on YouTube Website only. The movie is available on various streaming websites. Also available on Netflix if you are a subscriber.

This film is based on the real life Naval clash between North and South Korea near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea during the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup. As of August 2, the movie sold 6,024,894 tickets (grossing US$38,945,231), making it the most-watched Korean film in 2015 (as of August 2015).

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