Welcome back to Movie Recap. Today I'm gonna show you a 2010 South Korean war drama film called,
71: Into the Fire. Spoiler’s ahead. Sit back, relax and enjoy the video.
The film is inspired by true events which depicts the tragic story of 71
volunteer student-soldiers during the Korean war.
Five years after Korea’s liberation, North and South Korea separates as the South becomes allies
with the U.S., and the North is influenced by the Soviet Union. The North Korean People’s
Army makes a surprise attack on the South in the summer of 1950. They successfully seize the city
of Seoul in three days and the rest in a span of forty days except for the area on Nakdong river.
The beginning of the film displays a warzone in the midst of North Korea’s pursuit towards
Yeong-deok, North Gyeongsang Province. South Korean student-soldier, Oh Jangbeom is
instructed to supply more ammo on the 3rd platoon defending in a store rooftop. He obeys the order,
but is seen struggling due to his lack of experience and skill. On the other side,
more of the North Korean forces led by Major Park Moo-rang continue to charge closer to Yeong-deok.
The South Korean forces are given orders to retreat but
Captain Kang Seok-dae persists on defending.
Capt. Kang commands Lieutenant Kim Jun-seop to back up the 3rd platoon to which Lt. Kim follows.
Around the same time, Jangbeom reaches the store rooftop and hands the ammo to the soldiers.
Unfortunately, an explosion blows on the store rooftop right after Jangbeom departs, killing the
3rd platoon. Jangbeom is pulled by Lt. Kim on the side where he is given a grenade. Together with a
few remaining soldiers, they rush to avoid the attacks as they fire back a series of gunshots.
Jangbeom stays in the corner, consumed by fear and terror while Lt. Kim and the other soldiers shoot.
Lt. Kim manages to kill a bunch of the enemies but is shot and stabbed by a lingering North
Korean soldier in the process. Jangbeom witnesses this and attempts to shoot, but ends up failing.
Another South Korean soldier shoots on his stead. The battle ends with Major Park and his troops
reaching Yeong-deok and successfully taking over the area as Jangbeom,
Lt. Kim, and the remaining soldiers from the South ultimately retreats.
Major Park is instructed by their political party leader to go to battle at Nakdong River at once.
He goes against this command and plans on going straight to Pohang.
Meanwhile in Pohang, Capt. Kang pushes through the Commander’s order as they blow up the bridge
that connects Pohang and Yeongdeok, leaving the refugees behind. The truck hailing the
barely-surviving South Korean soldiers head back to their command post within the Pohang
Girls Middle School. Jangbeom follows closely at the gravely injured Lt. Kim,
who is taken to be treated by the medical team but unfortunately dies.
Jangbeom is left in guilt-filled tears as Lt. Kim’s body is removed from the ward.
A nurse comes to his aid and treats his injuries except his ruptured eardrum.
Later, Capt. Kang charges into the main office and furiously confronts the commander about the
heartbreaking deaths and forced retreats due to the failure of sending backups.
The Commander then informs Capt. Kang of the shortage of men. There are no longer troops
to send as the remaining soldiers are set to defend Nakdong River, which happens to
be their last line of defense while awaiting the arrival of their ally forces from the U.N.
The city of Pohang is left to be defended by a unit of inexperienced student-soldiers
in their teens. A total of 71 volunteer student-soldiers are drafted the next day.
One of whom is, Ku Kap-jo, a convicted young criminal. The student-soldiers are equipped
with only a rifle and 250 bullets each. They all form one unit and is divided into two platoons.
Upon the orientation, Capt. Kang appoints Jangbeom as their captain and instructs them to stand their
guard in Pohang while the remaining regular soldiers depart to battle in Nakdong river.
The South Korean forces depart immediately along with the medical team.
The nurse leaves Jangbeom a box of medication and a few instructions on first-aid.
At the same time, Major Park and the rest of the North Korean troops
are on the move towards Pohang. They arrive at the then blown-up bridge and discuss various
ways on crossing the river. Major Park orders the shock team to swim across minimally armed,
while the tank unit goes around the mountain.
After Capt. Kang and the troops depart, the student-soldiers swarm over the box of food
supplies and pocket knives. Jangbeom, on the other hand, is still filled with self-doubt on
his leadership skills. Nonetheless, he calls the attention of the student-soldiers to follow Capt.
Kang’s orders of burying the dead bodies. Unlike the rest of the student-soldiers, Kap-jo refuses.
In addition, he shamelessly criticizes Jangbeom’s authority while picking on his weakness.
They train themselves shortly with what is left of their resources,
in the midst of the existing tension between Jangbeom and Kap-jo.
While resting, Kap-jo and his two mates Wang-pyo and Poong-chun hang out by their pantry. They
discover an unused grenade and accidentally blow up the entire room, spoiling their food supplies.
Kap-jo reassures everyone by telling them that they will find food in compensation
but Jangbeom stops Kap-jo and orders him to stay out of it.
Later that night, Jangbeom settles in one of the classrooms and begins to write letters
to his mother expressing his sentiments and experiences in the war. Right after,
he orders the two platoons to go to sleep while two other student-soldiers patrol the perimeter
of the school. In the middle of the night, a few from the roaming troops of the North Korean forces
arrive at the area. The student-soldiers messily shoots but manages to kill them.
The following day, they come out to the forest to gather more food supplies and other resources.
Jangbeom catches sight of Kap-jo smoking. He quickly rids of the cigarette which agitates
Kap-jo. In the middle of their bickering, a North Korean sniper fires a series of shots,
killing Wang-pyo and a few student-soldiers.
They then fuming Kap-jo chases on the North Korean sniper,
forcing Jangbeom and the rest of them to follow. The North Korean leads them down
the meadows where they are ambushed by a group of North Korean soldiers.
They come back to the school, suffering from heavy casualties with 16 deaths, 5 injuries,
and 1 missing as one of the student-soldiers named Dar-young is captured by the North Korean forces.
Jangbeom decides to contact Capt. Kang at the Nakdong river and report their current status
in hopes of sending a backup. Simultaneously, the battle at the Nakdong river takes place.
The South Korean forces is accompanied by a few U.S. troops while defending against the North.
Capt. Kang informs the commander regarding the North’s 5th division’s movement towards Pohang
and requests backup for the student-soldiers. On the other hand, the commander is already decided
to sacrifice the student-soldiers for the greater cause of defending the Nakdong river.
Back at the North Korean camp, Daryoung is
interrogated by their commander while suffering minor injuries.
Major Park witnesses this and shows mercy against the South Korean student-soldier.
He takes Daryoung back to the school with a white flag and confronts their captain Jangbeom head-on.
Major Park informs Jangbeom that they will attack and capture the school in two hours.
He offers to spare Jangbeom’s and the rest of the student-soldiers’ lives in exchange of raising a
white flag as a sign of surrendering Pohang. Major Park leaves shortly after to let them decide.
At the Nakdong River, Capt. Kang successfully convinces their commander to send at least 10 men,
including him, to provide back-up to the student-soldiers. Together,
they consult the commander of the U.S troops but regrettably tells them that there is also
a shortage of their troops in Nakdong River and that they do not have a troop to spare.
On another note, the U.S commander gives them the new line of Super Bazookas that they can
use to stop the North Korean tanks. Capt. Kang immediately prepares to head back to Pohang.
Major Park patiently waits until noon before commencing the attacks. He orders their forces
to set up a line of defense 1km from the school but without firing. Across them,
the South Korean student-soldiers boldly prepare to fight against the North’s 5th division, with
their South Korean national flag raised proudly on the flagpole of the school. Just then, Jangbeom
informs everyone that Capt. Kang is on his way and they only have to hold out for one hour. He
overcomes his doubt and raises his voice, as he successfully boosts the morale of his comrades.
In the forest, Kap-jo and Changwoo are seen approaching a North Korean supply
truck with two struggling North Korean student-soldiers. Kap-jo and Changwoo
introduce themselves as comrades and help them push the truck out of the slippery mud.
Kap-jo suspiciously eyes the weapons and supplies inside the truck, attempting a steal.
As the North’s 5th division charges closer, the South Korean student-soldiers settle at
their positions. The first platoon is in-charged of firing cannons from the ground level and the
second platoon shoots from the second floor. The continuous explosions anger Major Park,
leading him to order an all-out attack against the South’s student-soldiers.
He commands his troops to kill every one of them for returning bombs in exchange to his mercy.
The battle in Pohang formally commences as the North Korean forces rush towards the school.
They wait for Jangbeom’s signal before disarming the pins of the planted grenades,
enough to cause a big explosion as the North Korean forces further approach.
The first platoon follows up with their guns, firing against the enemy forces with
their remaining bullets in a now more orderly manner. The second platoon shoots right after,
inflicting damage upon their enemies. On the other hand, the North begins to put more pressure.
Their tank unit fires continuously, hitting the school building
and killing more student-soldiers. One of the student-soldiers bravely takes the grenades
and runs into the North Korean tank to which he successfully blows it up along with him.
Jangbeom orders his remaining comrades to retreat inside the school as more North Korean tanks
arrive. Just when he is out of bullets, Kap-jo and Changwoo appear on-site driving the stolen
truck filled with weapons. Jangbeom takes some of the ammo and fires away while the
other student-soldiers place the other weapons on the rooftop. They all scatter around the halls of
the building as the North Korean forces advance inside the school. Jangbeom and Kap-jo momentarily
retreat in one of the classrooms. They briefly tend to their injuries and continue with their
banter where Jangbeom learns that Kap-jo never became a student. After a short conversation,
they settle their differences and are finally able to encourage each other.
The two get back to battle soon enough as they tirelessly shoot the North Korean soldiers. Kap-jo
while about to get shot from behind is defended by their comrade Changwoo, who takes the shots
in his place. Enraged, Kap-jo utters a loud cry before shooting more enemies mercilessly. He and
Jangbeom strive to reach the school’s rooftop as fast as they can. The remaining student-soldiers
follow to the stairs with gas containers and petrol bombs in hand but are woefully shot by
the surrounding North Korean soldiers. Amidst the circumstances, one student-soldier makes
it in time to pour the gasoline down the stairs and burn a large area of the halls.
Capt. Kang and their backup troops approaches the area and sights the ongoing battle in the school.
He fires the bazooka on one of the North’s tanks and disables it. Major Park and the commander
discover the presence of another enemy troop. The North Korean commander proceeds on criticizing
Major Park and calling him a traitor for his shortcomings. Major Park reaches his limit,
finally killing the commander after him having question his authority several times.
The seemingly countless North Korean soldiers force their way up the school’s rooftop.
Kap-jo and Jangbeom, who were the only ones to reach the area,
gun down each and every enemy approaching from all directions. They fight with utmost
effort and passion, able to skillfully kill a large number of the North Korean forces.
More importantly, they manage to work together in sync during the most crucial time.
Jangbeom and Kap-jo make use of the weapons they stole—from shotguns to the machine gun,
whilst switching places when necessary. Right at the same time, Capt. Kang and the few South
Korean reinforcements arrive on scene. They shoot the lingering enemies on the school
grounds and triumphantly destroys the remaining tanks. Capt. Kang finds Jangbeom handling the
machine gun up the rooftop and goes to him. Major Park who is already inside the school building,
roams around the halls to further gun down the student-soldiers, making certain their deaths.
In consequence to Kap-jo and Jangbeom’s strong resistance, however, they both suffer from extreme
exhaustion and severe injuries all over their bodies. Kap-jo is shot several times by the last
few enemies that came in to which Jangbeom kills. They fall on their knees as if almost completely
drained. Just as they thought the battle has ended, Major Park arrives on the rooftop. Jangbeom
sees him appear behind Kap-jo, a stun evident on his face. He witnesses Kap-jo being shot to death,
leaving him in tears. Major Park makes his way closer to Jangbeom where they face each
other as captains once again. He dwells smugly on Jangbeom’s misfortune for being born in the South.
In the middle of his gloating, Jangbeom silently loads his rifle with the bullet that he has long
been holding to. He shoots Major Park at the same time Major Park shoots him.
Capt. Kang arrives on time to kill Major Park before he shoots Jangbeom again.
Capt. Kang slowly walks towards Jangbeom, deeply hurt and sorry from seeing his dying state.
The two stares at each other as Capt. Kang later comforts him with an embrace. Jangbeom displays
his relief at the sight of Capt. Kang. He brings out his suppressed emotions and weeps in his final
moments. Jangbeom eventually loses consciousness, with bloodied hands releasing the firm grip on the
handwritten letters for his mother; and dies in the arms of Capt. Kang. Capt Kang in return
embraces him tighter, mumbling his apologies to Jangbeom repeatedly while he bursts into tears.
The film comes to an end with a flashback on the day the regular South Korean troops
depart for the battle in Nakdong river. An army photographer gathers the 71-volunteer
student-soldiers for a group picture before officially starting their mission.
It is later reported that 48 out of the 71 student-soldiers died with honor
while standing their guard at the Pohang Middle Girls School on August 11, 1950.
Video footages of the surviving student-soldier veterans of this battle in Pohang are revealed
as they look back on their experiences and remember their comrades who had passed.