This movie is a huge-scale, transnational human war drama revolving around two young men from Korea and Japan in rivalry, set in the Second World War and shortly before the war. Before the war they were just marathon rivals. After the war, however, they are forced to enlist in the army, one as a Japanese soldier and the other as an officer. They meet by destiny. Being thrown into the turbulence of war, they gradually become each other’s hope as they go through tedious battles, ranging from China to Normandy, a distance spanning 12,000 kilometers. Before its release, it already attracted people’s attention due to the fact that it was to be directed by Kang Je-kyu almost eight years after <Tae Guk Gi: Brotherhood Of War>, and star Jang Dong-gun, Odagiri Joe and Bingbing Fan. However, the movie failed both in the box office and among critics. It is somewhat regrettable that Bingbing Fan’s role is so small in the movie and the director chooses to show the movie in a too flashy way more like a commercial. Still, it is noteworthy to see a global version of Tae Guk Gi, a balance between spectacles and drama, and stars’ passionate performances. Kim In-kwon, in particular, portrays the turbulent times impressively in a support role. (JEON Chanil)