Silmido (The Basters)

True Story
This is a VERY true story about a South Korean special forces unit that was drafted and brutally trained for one mission. To kill Kim Il-Song. These men were criminals and other sorts of undesireables. They trained for years, and by the time they were supposed to go on their mission South Korea and the U.N. were trying to broker peace so the unit was called back from their mission. The commander of the unit was given word to "disapear" the unit when the South Korean government and the U.N. were trying to broker peace in fear that if the North found out about the unit the peace would not happen. The soldiers revolted and killed nearly all of their trainers. They had found out that their identities and their past lives had been erased so they wanted the South Korean people to know that they were still people and they were still alive. They got right outside of Seoul (the capital) when they were intercepted by regular army that was sent there to kill them. They went down in an...

One of top 10 Korean movies of this decade
This is a very good movie that most people will enjoy.

Set in late 1960s Korea when it was still one of the poorer nations on earth, Silmido is about 20 or so men condemned to death for their crimes against society who are offered a chance to redeem themselves by participating in hell commando training to assassinate the leader of North Korea.

40 years ago, Korea was under a strict military dictatorship and the presence of harsh military rule was present everywhere. The criminal justice system had little tolerance for violent criminals and it routinely sentenced many people to death for crimes that will get fewer than 10 years today. Korea was dirt poor and life was dirt cheap. Although it was also a time of strong industrial growth, the military and the Korea Central Intelligence Agency could routinely get away with murder.

What is interesting is how the hardened criminals become such capable and disciplined soldiers. Their regimen and training can...

Controversial Dramatic True Event
Films based a true event can confuse the viewer at times. Where does the truth begin and where does it end; and when does fiction actually begin? Added fictional details have been utilized to make a film more exciting and arguably entertaining. I would advise those who see the blockbuster Korean hit "SILMIDO" to read about the real incident that occurred in 1968, but do not read the true history behind it before watching this film since it may ruin its experience. Following the successes of blockbuster hits such as "Shiri" and "Tae Guk Gi", the film is about the tensions between North and South Korea and how one incident caused a lot of controversy in South Korea.

In 1968, a North Korean commando unit crosses the border in an attempt to assassinate then South Korean President Park Chung-hee. They were intercepted by the S. Korean military and prevents the mission's success. The scandal of this incident however, angers the South Korean side and decides to replicate the...

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