The Great Battle boasts a total of five battle sequences that will surely keep you entertained from start to finish.
read more
The Great Battle is based on a true event of the Chinese invasion of the Goguryeo Kingdom. It starts off with the Goguryeon army losing their fight on the battlefield against Emperor Tang Taizong’s army. A Goguryeon soldier, Samul, survives the fight and is sent back to his home of Ansi Fortress by the army General to assasinate its Commander, Yang Man-Chun.
Commander Yang is believed to be a traitor and coward for not sending reinforcements to the battlefield. His intentions will eventually be made clear when he reveals his reasons for standing his ground as he readies his army of 5,000 men to defend the fortress against Emperor Tang’s 200,000.
Though the film may have begun with Samul (Nam Joo-hyuk) in the lead, the film’s true protagonist is really the unrelenting Commander Yang, played by an almost unrecognisable Jo In-sung. In-sung carries the weight of the film well on his shoulders much like his character’s responsibility towards Ansi.
Supporting the Commander with unwavering loyalty is a merry band of misfits consisting of his right hand man Choo (Bae Sung-woo), two bickering lieutenants Poong and Hwal-bo (Park Byung-eun and Oh Dae-hwan), his sister Baek-ha (Kim Seoul-hyun) and her lover Pa-so (Uhm Tae-goo).
Despite the heavy tone of the source material, the film manages to evoke laughter through banter between their characters. You will appreciate the comradery between the Commander and his men enough that you will be willing to forgive the film choice for it’s questionable attempt at the portrayals of their Chinese characters.
If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, gore and violence or the slow-mo battle on the beach in Wonder Woman, then this film is for you. The Great Battle boasts a total of five battle sequences that will surely keep you entertained from start to finish.
read less