My Way

After taking a hokey Hollywood approach to the Korean War in Tae Guk Gi [VL-5/05], writer-director Kang Je-kyu applies the same formula—lots of bombastic battle sequences interspersed with mawkish melodramatic interludes, especially endless death scenes—to World War II.  The story of two marathon runners—one Korean, the other Japanese—who play musical chairs with military uniforms in stumbling their way from China to Omaha Beach, becoming unlikely friends in the process, might well have been titled Chariots of ClichJs. The first half-hour introduces Tatsuo (Joe Odagiri) and Kim (Jang Dong-gun) as boys during the years of Japanese occupation of Korea.  Tatsuo is the grandson of the military governor, and Kim the son of a servant in the governor's household.  But they both love to run, and soon become competitors representing their nations, exchanging victories and defeats.  When war breaks out and Kim is forced to join the Japanese army, he finds himself serving under Tatsuo, a rabid martinet who treats his childhood rival cruelly.  A Soviet assault brings them both to a prisoner-of-war camp, however, and after the German invasion into the ranks of the desperate Russian army. They wind up separately in German uniforms before rediscovering one another on the beaches at Normandy, where D-Day leads to an ironic ending. Kang plays this utterly contrived and unbelievable scenario for all it's worth, exulting in the numerous battle sequences and unafraid to drench every maudlin episode in shameless sentiment. With its widescreen cinematography, elaborate period detail and big action scenes, My Way is visually impressive.  But it's also hopelessly old-fashioned and, in the end, risible.  Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (9 min.), interviews with star Jang Dong-Gun and director Kang Je-Kyu (6 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing epic.] (F. Swietek)