paulclaassen If you were expecting a war movie, you won't find it here. This is a film about an assassination attempt...that didn't happen. Although I realize it has a purpose, I did not enjoy the brutal training sessions. I found it rather distasteful. The film's first 44 minutes are dedicated to training. Pardon me, but me thinks that's just a tad too much!Hailed as one of the best Korean films, I found it dreadful to watch. The film is filled with scenes that doesn't move it forward - or in any direction for that matter. It was boring. I couldn't wait for this senseless film to end. I believe this is based on a true story, but the story is just so pathetic that I can't understand why a film was made about it and why anyone should care about it. Well, at least I thought the music was good.Summary (SPOILER): Convicts are trained for a mission to kill the North Korean President. Mission cancelled. The soldiers who trained the convicts are then ordered to 'terminate' them. They fail. The convicts then decide to kill the President themselves. They fail miserably. So the purpose of the film is...???? Am I missing something here???

silversurfer_umit Firstly I must say that nearly there is no woman in the movie. Thats make this movie more strict and harsh. As you know the story, this is a hard movie also. You must have nerves like steel to watch this movie without getting upset. I get some stress while watching the movie and after watching it. Because everybody shouting each other and beating each other realistically and periodically.This is a good movie. A good story. You cannot guess the end of the movie that has a surprising ending. Most of the emotions in the movie is at the tops. Acting is very very good. Effects are also okey,not the best but very good for a foreign movie.Finally I think,war movie lovers must see this movie.Others with strong nerves also will like this movie. Better to watch before "call of duty".

triplexchiu You'll know what I mean when I say sad film, just watch the ending. It is a film where we see the dark side of Kym Park Chung Hee's regime during the 70s. A very important leader he was in helping South Korea as it is today but he abused human rights which was the reason why he was criticized as well. I think this is what the film here paints.The film depicts a group of prisoners who are on death row and just when they are about to be executed, an assassination attempt occurs but fails miserably on Park Chung Hee. So the government gathers these groups of death row prisoners and trains them up so they go into North Korea to execute Kim Il Sung. However as the political climate changes so does the mission and you'll see why this is a sad filmI really wished he had....... I won't mention it because it is a spoiler!

medialuvr As the South Korean movie industry matures, more of their feature movies should become of interest to mainstream western audiences. Silmido is one of these movies.The Korean peninsula continues to experience behind-the-scenes low intensity engagements between the two nations. Set in the 1960's, the nK strikes at the ROK leadership and prompts a response. The KCIA sponsors the formation of a special army unit to strike back at Pyongyang. Comprised of civil prisoners and other outcasts, the movie follows their formation, training, and deployment.The film covers a great deal of cultural ground. The viewer gets a sense of the male-dominated, hierarchical government with its intrigues and power brokers. The spartan living conditions, training and discipline are not inconsistent with ROK practices. The motto used in the film - "Loyalty" - illustrates the conservative bent of the military system and the social schism which exists between it and the South Korean people at large. The film could have used "Strength and Honor" from Gladiator to the same effect. As a code of behavior, the concept of loyalty is the thematic underpinning for the major plot turns.While lacking some of the pacing and plot roll-out elements of first tier film efforts, Silmido still delivers an interesting story line and succeeds as an action movie. It offers a harsh indictment of the government's leadership, not unlike American Viet Nam conflict movies, and the viewer is left with a perspective of Korean soldiers as army ants whose sole function is to live and die protecting their society.