Order No. 027

This grand homoerotic epic show that the military is not a nanny opens up the taboo topic of the inner suffering of generals who must stay in the rear and cannot plough through the waves of pathos and indulge in torturous heroism with the soldiers they sent into battle. Stylistically, this North Korean war/action film stands astride the crushing didacticism of propaganda (always virtuous and exemplary heroes of Kim’s army versus unkempt South Korean villains who smoke and hit the bottle in every scene) and the popcorn of trashy Italian war films like The Inglorious Bastards, which evidently strongly inspired its creators. (01/01/2016)