Order No. 027
Director: Jung Ki-mo, Kim
Eung-suk
Year: 1986
Rating: 6.5
Country: North Korea
It is the Korean War and by the end of this North
Korean film, I was screaming for the imperialistic aggressors to be killed!
That is the power of cinema and the power of war films. I wanted to turn
myself into the US State Department for treasonous thoughts. These are the
bad guys I kept telling myself - but they are so brave, courteous, loyal
to each other and love their mothers. Perhaps the statute of limitation has
passed in war films. It has been 75 years since the War, but no, I could
never root for the Nazis in a German War film or the British in a Revolutionary
War film. But their kung fu wasn't as good as these guys. These guys rock.
If you can put politics out of your mind and ignore the propaganda that comes
at you in verse and song (The Motherland will Forever Remember), this is
a pretty good action film. Some really fine martial arts and stunts.
A small unit of North Korean soldiers are
training by smashing their heads against bricks, kung fu and jumping over
moving cars. There are about twelve of them and they are anxious to get into
action. Everyone else is fighting, why not us. For our Supreme Leader, we
want to kill and die. They soon get their chance. Their mission is to go
behind enemy lines, find the General Headquarters and kill everyone. They
are to meet up with a female spy (Kim Hye-sun) who has infiltrated the South
Korean army and she will tell them where HQ is located. They disguise themselves
as wounded South Korean soldiers going home but blow their cover almost immediately
on the train by coming to the defense of a small child. Now they have to
jump off the train and make their way to the rendezvous point. Problem is
much of the SK army is looking for them.
They take out one outpost, all with kung
fu as they bash the hell out of the enemy who foolishly had all their weapons
stacked up and were easily thrown down the well. So, it is all martial arts
and the NK's kick the shit out of the SK's. Often one on three or four. Some
nasty kicks in there - the old jump in the air and kick three of them before
you land. They kill them all without firing a shot. The American General
at HQ can't believe it. I would love to know who this guy was. A deserter?
A tourist?
They get to the town and the pretty spy
is waiting for them - but so is the villain of this who know them from the
train - and a great set piece breaks out as they have to fight their way
out. There is at times some poorly done speeding up of the action but it
is filled with fights and falls. Great fun. The number of actors on both
sides who know martial arts is impressive - probably soldiers who were drafted
to appear in the film. That isn't the end of the fun - another action piece
on top of a train that they escape in and finally the attack on HQ in which
they wipe out everyone. Even the female spy gets her kicks in. This plays out like a typical war film - think
of the Dirty Dozen or others with a mission to accomplish. Lots of bravery,
sacrifice, a few deaths, thoughts of home, caring for each other. But the
film never really spends much time on any specific soldier - and no one was
from Brooklyn like they always are in American films. The individual doesn't
matter. The Unit matters. The Supreme Leader matters. The Fatherland matters.
Produced by Shin Sang-ok who had been kidnapped by North Korea to make films.
