The Great Battle

Giving this an '8', although parts of the film were definitely a '10'. Early in the film, I was confused by who was who, and which side was which. Possibly this is not an issue for Korean viewers, as it is part of their history.

Non-Asian speakers have to keep glued to the subtitles, which is not a huge big deal but can occasionally distract you from the characters. Acting is quite good; you really come to have great respect for the defenders of Ansi.

Estimated budget was $15 million; if done in Hollywood, would have been closer to $200 million. Outstanding battle scenes!

A movie that claims or has the title (at least internationally) of "Great Battle", does have quite something to prove. And while it starts off with a battle scene, that is not the one that is meant in the title. I reckon there are more than one battle scenes anyway.

The fighting choreography and the framing/camera work are beautiful! More than that some might argue actually. Story is quite easy to follow. A friend of mine compared it to Musa, which I think does a disservice to this rather than helping it. That's a bar and a comparison you don't need to make, just enjoy this for what it is. Characters are nicely drawn, even if the whole thing is more or less predictable. Visually stunning is enough for some, not even close to enough for others of course

With stunning cinematography, awesome visuals and incredible photography during the epic battle scenes, what more could one ask for in a war movie? The battle scenes are quite spectacular.

South Korea once again showcases an excellent war film. In-sung Jo is very good as Commander Yang Man-chun, a caring and likable protagonist, who's main concern is the well-being of his people. The rest of the cast is very good, as well, and there's sweet moments between some of the characters, and also a nicely set-up romance. This is a top-notch production.

The title exactly describes this movie: A great battle.

While watching, you definitely will be reminded of great battles scenes from Middle Earth (but obviously without mythical creatures) like Helm's Deep or Minas Tirith. Perhaps you also get a small feeling of being in Jerusalem during Kingdom's Heaven.

A charismatic cast of characters with somewhat unique personalities ( look out for the Gimli-Legolas friendship), a small defence army fighting a nearly hopeless fight against an overwhelming number of attackers, a plot which serves the needs of such a movie, an atmospheric score and - of course - great and diverse battle scenes with many bad dass moments.

Do not expect big history accuracy - but honestly I think this was also never attempted or wanted - and you should also not look for a historic depiction in such a movie.

Overall, a war movie worth watching if you know what to expect and if you sometimes just want to see spectacular fight scenes with a nice and easy to follow story in Asia.

Chinese Emperor Tang defeats a Korean army of 150,000, leaving only 10,000 survivors. The battle scene has horses in armor. In his way is the Ansi Fortress, defended by 4000 Koreans. The movie shows the battle in epic proportions, in a way that is seldom seen in movies. It is a Chinese period piece, and in checking out one historical website, the battle for the fortress unfolds basically as depicted in the movie. There is plenty of action, plenty of carnage, and the role of the Korean Commander, Poong, is very well cast. He comes across as a very brilliant tactician. There is a betrayal that adds interest to the movie at the right point. If one wants a movie with a lot of action and bloodshed, this movie will check all the boxes.