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It started out like so many other movies, a short clip of the present and then a long flashback. And then it blew me away with its depiction of war and all of its complexities. The changes in the attitudes of the two brothers as the Korean War progresses helps us understand that war is not merely about good and evil. The most well intentioned soldier or commander can go astray. The Korean War turned brother against brother based on little more than time and place, conviction, or happenstance.

Take Guk Gi is the best antiwar movie that I have seen since Johnny Got His Gun.

It reminded me of the beginning of Saving Private Ryan, which I thought captured some of the reality of war while avoiding the pitfalls that Saving Private Ryan fell.

If the DC crowd watched the Battle of Algiers but missed the message, All Americans should see Tae Guk Gi to better understand the horror and tragedy of war.

I forgot how bad Vin was in the XXX action scenes. It appears that the director's solution was to blur all of the big action scenes making them impossible to watch. Vin should stick to showing his muscles and brooding, as not much else worked in this movie. This is the first film with Linus Roach that I did not like. Some of the initial invasion CG sequences were intriguing and well thought out. The storyline, script, dialogue, and character development needed the same attention to detail and internal consistency. The 'underverse' was underwhelming (neither are words, nor do they make sense). The ending was like OMG we have to set the stage for a sequel with as little effort as possible.

George Clooney has repeatedly demonstrated that he should have stayed on the small screen (Three Kings, Ocean's Eleven). In just under 2 hours, he placed his dismal stamp on The Gong Show of Big Screen entertainment. Other than George's obsession with displaying Sam Rockwell's buttocks, little can be said for his foray into directing.

How can whacko material like Chuck Barris and the Dating Game be transformed into two hours void of laughter? While growing up in the 1950's and 60's, the Clooney name was synonymous with outrageous humor and a great sense of timing. Not so in the new millennium.