The Marines that Never Returned

In David Scott Diffrient’s article, he states that The Marines that Never Returned (1968) “treats the subject of the Korean War with intelligence and sensitivity, daring even to show his doomed heroes questioning its legitimacy.” (28) While I agree with the statement, I think that it is interesting to contrast it to the next movie we watched, Taegugki: The Brotherhood of War (2004). They both show a more balanced portrayal of the Korea War, as opposed to a strictly black-or-white / right-or-wrong depiction of North and South Korea. I think it is interesting to see who or what it seems brings out the courage in both movies ‘heroes.’ In The Marines that Never Returned, the troupe rescues a young girl, Young-hui, who they love and care for throughout the movie. Conversely, in Taegugki: The Brotherhood of War, Jin Tae (Jang Dong-gun) goes to war with the motivation of protecting his brother. Why do these people stay in the war if they are questioning its legitimacy? I think it is clear from both movies that true courage did not come from national pride, it came from humanity because people want to protect the ones they love. Even when the marines wavered in their conviction, ultimately they sacrificed themselves to protect the people they cared about despite knowing that it would be the end for them. And the fact that The Marines that Never Returned, which was for the most part less serious than Taegugki, can reveal the human connections that make wars worth fighting for in some people’s eyes, even to the end, is what makes it as intelligent and sensitive as Diffrient highlights in his article.