THE BATTLESHIP ISLAND is another exemplary slice of filmmaking from South Korea, with the kind of perfect direction that rival Hollywood directors can only dream about. The setting is the grubby tail-end of 1945, where miners work in a Japanese-controlled prison camp and the Koreans must contend with corruption, betrayal, rivalry and resistance fighters spurring escapes and break-outs. It's epic film-making with fine production values throughout and intelligent scripting which weaves together various sub-plots and characters into a satisfying mix. There's action, emotion, tragedy and careful character work, all of it handled deftly by an experienced cast and a director who knows exactly what works. Things build to the kind of rousing climax that delivers everything you want, and more.

A darn good war movie about Koreans under Japanese rule in WW2 with a searing extended battle scene. To start there is a good build up of the terrible forced labour conditions and use of comfort women. Even though the escape didn't take place it is set in the real life Hashima Island which was actually used for forced labour. The cinematography and sets are above Western international standards. Quite good array of characters for a war movie. A few parts were a bit confusing and lost in translation but generally it was a well made and very gripping movie.

From all the Asian countries Korea has the best movies. I don't know why that is, but it's just a fact. I saw enough Asian movies by now to come to that conclusion. Gun-Ham-Do is certainly not the best Korean movie I ever watched but it's well made and worth a watch. As usual it's very loud verbally, like almost all Asian movies. I don't know why but they seem angry all the time when they talk. In this movie they could be though as it is a war movie about Hashima Island, more a concentration camp than a work environment if you ask me. There are some really good battle scenes, especially at the end. It clearly shows they put some effort in this movie. I wouldn't say all the actors are great actors, because for that some extras looked too fake in their expressions, and that's the case for most Asian movies. It seems they like to exaggerate a bit. And for that I score this movie lower. The story is interesting though, with good visual effects. If you like Korean movies give this one a shot.