Two brothers, in itself a metaphor, get drafted into the Korean Civil War. The more macho elder one is determined to become a hero in order to win his bookish brother a ticket back to mum and this leads both to him turning into a monster and a serious split between the two. Against the bitter backdrop of a violent war many loyalties are called into question, to brother, family, friend, nation, ideology, nationality and to fellow soldiers, and many are betrayed. This is an awesome, if emotionally manipulative, epic of a movie, allegoric, gruesome and totally gripping.