Battlefield Heroes (film)

Plot

In Korea, AD 668, Kim Beob-min, king of Silla, makes a deal with China's Tang dynasty for a combined strike against Goguryeo. The allied troops march to Pyongyang Castle, where Goguryeo's Yeon Gaesomun dies and hands command to his second son Yeon Nam-geon, upsetting his first son Yeon Namsaeng. Goguryeo soldiers defend the castle by catapulting honey and bees onto the Silla soldiers. Shilla grand general Kim Yushin holds back his main force.

Yeon Namsaeng is expelled from the castle. The Chinese commander Yi launches a full-scale attack but is beaten back by a secret weapon. An allied soldier from Baekje, Thingamajig, is captured and broadcasts a demoralizing message, then is rewarded by being forced to marry the warrior Gap-sun.

Release

Battlefield Heroes was released in South Korea on January 27, 2011. Its box office returns were lower than expected, prompting Lee Joon-ik to announce his retirement from directing via Twitter, citing an audience of 1.7 million against an expected 2.5 million. He returned two years later with Hope. The film was shown at the New York Asian Film Festival in July 2011 and had its Canadian premiere at the Fantasia Festival on July 31, 2011.

Reception

The Los Angeles Times gave a generally favorable review, calling the film a handsome, sweeping period picture and a robust, earthy comedy that results in an amiable if lengthy entertainment. Film Business Asia rated it eight out of ten, stating the director had grown in leaps and bounds as a technically confident filmmaker since King and the Clown, and suggested that an international audience would benefit from an introductory caption explaining the story setup and some slight trimming.

Did You Know?

• The film was inspired by the political situation in Korea in 1995.
• Lee Joon-ik stated he wanted both Once Upon a Time in a Battlefield and Battlefield Heroes to show how Korea was influenced by China, Japan and the United States.