Gunhamdo ) is a 2017 South Korean period action film starring Hwang Jung-min , So Ji-sub , Song Joong-ki and
Lee Jung-hyun . It is a Japanese occupation-era film about an attempted prison break from a forced labor camp on Hashima Island . [3][4]
The Battleship Island Directed by
Ryoo Seung-wan Produced by
Cho Sung-min Screenplay by
Ryoo Seung-wan Starring
Hwang Jung-min
So Ji-sub
Song Joong-ki
Lee Jung-hyun Music by
Bang Jun-seok Cinematography
Lee Mo-gae Edited by
Kim Jae-bum
Kim Sang-bum Production
company
Filmmaker R & K Distributed by
CJ Entertainment Release date
26 July 2017 Running time
132 minutes Country
South Korea Language
Korean Budget
US$21 million
[1] Box office
US$47.3 million [2]
Synopsis
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About a group of about 400 Korean workers who risk their lives to attempt an escape from Hashima, and the story of forced labor on the island. [5]
Cast
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Main
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Hwang Jung-min as Lee Kang-ok
A bandmaster at a hotel in Gyeongseong , who chooses to take his only daughter to Japan in order to keep her safe. But they get sent to the Hashima labor camp instead, and there he'll do anything that's asked of him, as long as he can protect his daughter.
So Ji-sub as Choi Chil-sung
The best street fighter in Gyeongseong, a coarse man who constantly stirs up troubles in the labor camp. Under his harsh and rough exterior, he has a good heart.
Song Joong-ki as Park Moo-young
A member of the Korean independence movement who infiltrates the island in order to rescue a fellow independence fighter being held captive there.
Lee Jung-hyun as Oh Mal-nyeon
A comfort woman who gets moved to Hashima after going through endless troubles under the Japanese colonization, but never loosens her strong grip on hope.
Supporting
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Kim Su-an as Lee So-hee
Lee Kang-ok's daughter. She was being captured by the Japanese general because of her talents in singing and dancing.
Lee Geung-young
Lee Jung-eun
Yoon Kyung-ho
Bae Seung-cheol
Jang Sung-bum
Kim Ye-eun
Bae Je-gi
Production
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Filming began June 17, 2016 in Cheongju , South Korea and finished on December 20, 2016. The film reunites
Hwang Jung-min with Ryoo Seung-wan , who directed the 2015 hit movie Veteran starring Hwang. [6] Production cost about five times more than the average locally produced film due to the massive lifelike sets. [7] While the island provided the inspiration for the plot, The Battleship Island was not filmed on location. The sets were built in Chuncheon and were designed to resemble the conditions of Hashima Island's community and mines during the 1940s. [8]
Historical accuracy
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Right wing Japanese media, such as the daily Sankei Shimbun newspaper, have attacked the film accusing it of distorting historic truth. [9] In response, director Ryoo Seung-wan has asserted that the film has "non-fiction" elements that show "how war can make man a monster", it is not intended to convey anti-Japanese sentiment . [7] However, Japan has acknowledged that Korean and Chinese forced laborers were there during
World War II when it applied to UNESCO for World Heritage status for Hashima Island. [10] South Korea had opposed the bid until Japan acknowledged that "large number[s] of Koreans and others [...] were brought against their will and forced to work under harsh conditions in the 1940s at some of the sites [including Hashima island]" [11][12] But after Hashima was given WHS status, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida clarified comments made during the submission process, specifically that "[forced to work under harsh conditions] by the Japanese government representative did not mean forced labor". [13][14] Although UNESCO's World Heritage Committee required that a monitoring mechanism be established to measure the degree to which the victims of Hashima are remembered, [15] the island's official tourism website and tour program - operated by Nagasaki City - does not currently acknowledge this requirement. [16]
Release
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The Battleship Island was first promoted at the European Film Market in February 2017 and then at the Cannes Film Festival in May. As of June 2017, it has been sold to 113 countries, including North American countries as well as France , Italy , Russia , Turkey , Malaysia , Taiwan ,
Indonesia , Japan , Hong Kong , Singapore and Thailand .
[17][18] On June 16, 2017, an official press conference was held at the National Museum of Korea to launch the film. [7]
The film has been invited to compete at 2017 Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia in
Spain . The film will be shown in the Orbita section for introducing most notable films of the year and honouring a title chosen by the jury composed of audiences. This is the sixth film by director Ryoo Seung-wan to be selected for a screening at this film festival.
[19]
Special screenings
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On July 28, a special screen was held for UNESCO officials and diplomats in Paris at the headquarters of Metropolitan Filmexport. The aim was to raise awareness of the hidden history of the Hashima Island and how the Koreans were forced into harsh labour at an underground coal mining factory on the island during Japan's rule of Korea. [20]
On July 25, a special pre-screen was held for foreign diplomats in South Korea. [21][22]
Reception
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Critical response
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The Battleship Island holds an 86% approval rating by 293 audience members and a 55% approval rating by 11 reviewers on aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes with a weighted average of 4.3/5 and 6.3/10 respectively.
[23] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 60 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews." [24]
The New York Times noted that the film "vividly conveys the pain of a national wartime trauma whose scars clearly have not healed." [25] Although some aspects of the violence and overly-theatrical storylines were criticized, critics have praised the camera work and Ryoo for his effective use of a large-scale action set. [25]
[26]
Box office
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The film was released on 26 July 2017 in South
