Welcome back to Movie Recap. Today I'm gonna show you a 2016 Korean war film called,
Operation Chromite. Spoilers ahead. Sit back, relax and enjoy the video.
The film begins in Tokyo Port, 1950, where U.S General Commander-in-Chief MacArthur
deploys a military intelligence unit to infiltrate Incheon. During this time, North Korea was a
member of the Soviet Union Military, and they had decided to do a surprise invasion in South Korea.
Their attack started the Korean War, and within a short period, North Korea managed to gain control
of the archipelago's majority, particularly Seoul. With that being said, U.S President Harry Truman
assigned MacArthur as the Commander-in-chief of the United Nations to invade the Korean Peninsula
and stop communism. General MacArthur deploys a military intelligence unit consisting of
eight operatives to North Korean forces' blindspot, Incheon, to gather information.
The scene then changes to the operation's leader, Jang Hak-soo, and his team,
killing the North Korean inspection unit. The group kills them and uses their identity to get
to Incheon without suspicion. After dropping the inspection unit's bodies from the train,
the group meets with Ryu Jang-Choon, the Chief of Operation of Incheon District Defense Command.
Meanwhile, MacArthur instructs his subordinate to order France to send
more troops for the operation, and if they refuse, he will talk to the President himself.
Afterward, his right-hand reports about Lim Gye-Jin, a North Korean Commanding Officer in
charge of Incheon Defense Territory and commander in charge of Wolmido Island construction.
On the other hand, Hak-soo and his men officially meet Gye-Jin. Hak-soo introduces himself as the
inspection unit leader to hide his identity and real agenda. Afterward, Ryu updates them about the
current status of North Korean troop deployment. They have troops, independent training units,
and centers scattered all over Incheon's coast to supervise and be ready for any possible
attack or invasion. They have also added and distributed tanks and artillery units.
Hak-soo questions Ryu about what will happen if the Americans invade the shore. Ryu replies that
only one waterway can enter the Incheon Harbor. If the Americans attempt to invade the area, they
will not succeed and will be trapped. However, Hak-soo is not satisfied with their initial plans,
so he asks about the placement of North Korean defenses such as mines and artilleries.
Ryu is caught off guard by the sudden mention of the placement of the defenses,
but Gye-Jin handles it well. He replies that he will only handle the coordinates of those.
After the meeting, the team settles down to a small room enough to accommodate them.
Hak-soo instructs one of his men to tell the Korean Liaison Office to contact the UN.
The soldier uses a telegraph to convey the message through morse code.
Seo Jin Chul, head of the KLO, contacts the UN as soon as he receives the message. General MacArthur
instructs them to locate Incheon's defense mine no matter what as it is the top priority.
The following day, Gye-Jin goes to his barber, Choi Suk-Joong. He gives him a fancy watch as a
gift and as a token of appreciation for his service to the communist party. Meanwhile,
Hak-soo and his men conduct an urgent inspection on Gye-Jin's weapon warehouse and archives. After
failing to find the coordinates for the mine, Hak-soo goes to the shooting range to see Gye-Jin.
Hak-soo complains that he did not see any mines in their strategic plan,
and he firmly commands Gye-Jin to work on them as soon as possible.
This even adds on Gye-Jin's suspicion about Hak-soo as he seems very obsessed with the mines.
So, he points his gun at Hak-soo and checks if he has the scar on the left side of his neck. After
seeing the mark, Gye-Jin apologizes and explains that he is cautious as spies are everywhere.
Meanwhile, a worker reports to MacArthur that the intelligence unit needs more time to gather
information about the mines. The US force cannot pass Incheon waterways without detecting the
mines. Later that day, Gye-Jin asks Hak-soo's opinion about MacArthur's possible plans.
Hak-soo replies that MacArthur will possibly attempt to invade Incheon.
Gye-Jin laughs as there is one percent chance Americans can infiltrate Incheon.
After his conversation with Hak-soo, Gye-Jin meets up with his strategists.
They talk about where the Americans might invade, and Gye-Jin raises his concern about Incheon.
Simultaneously, MacArthur faces the other generals' questions about his plan. They
argue that the Incheon harbor has strong currents and major tide surges which can stop their ships.
They also question MacArthur's plan to send 75000 UN troops along with the hundreds of ships to
invade the Korean Peninsula. It is a suicide mission, but MacArthur argues that desperate
time calls for desperate measures. The generals are not just pissed; they are beyond frustrated.
So, MacArthur shares his reason why he insists on invading Incheon and doing
Operation Chromite without an alternative plan. It turns out that before the war broke out,
he met the young communist soldier, Hak-soo, in the trenches. He was alone and did not retreat,
unlike the others. MacArthur was impressed by his courage, so he promised Hak-soo that he
would give anything he wanted. Hak-soo replied that he wanted guns and bullets, and that is
when MacArthur decided to help him. He wanted to save Hak-soo's country because they are the same;
they are soldiers by heart and fight for victory. The following day, Hak-soo goes to Suk-Joong, who
turns out to be a member of KLO. Hak-soo asks for Suk-Joong's help to arrange transportation as his
team will get the sea charts tomorrow at midnight. Suk-Joong agrees and informs him that Jin Chul
will be waiting for them. He also warns Hak-soo to be careful as Gye-Jin is a vengeful person.
The next day, Hak-soo explains to his men how they will infiltrate the area.
One will be outside waiting in the car to guard the operation. His right hand, Nam Ki-sung,
will distract the North Korean soldiers while his teammate invades the building through the window.
The rest will back up Hak-soo as he distracts Ryu and Gye-Jin.
Their mission begins, and Ki-Sung distracts the soldiers on duty in the building by
apprehending them and teaching them how to salute a higher officer like him properly.
As he does that, the soldier inside the main office rumbles around the numerous documents.
Meanwhile, Hak-soo is in the restaurant again with Gye-Jin and Ryu.
They are just starting when Ryu excuses himself as he has a lot to report to the upper level.
Hak-soo attempts to stall him by offering him a drink, but Ryu respectfully declines and leaves.
Ryu reaches the building and finds Ki-Sung disciplining the soldiers.
Ryu stops him and instructs the soldier to return to their positions. Ki-Sung follows Ryu inside the
office, where they reveal themselves as spies. They force Ryu to open the vault, where the sea
charts for the mines are. Ki-Sung gets distracted by them, so Ryu uses it to his advantage and puts
up a fight. Gunshots are everywhere as the soldiers help Ryu on fighting the spies.
Ryu tosses his lighter on the vault putting the charts on fire. So, Ki-Sung instructs his teammate
to escape through the window and save the charts. However, Ryu repeatedly shoots the teammate,
causing him to fall on his death. Ki-Sung jumps from the window and immediately gets
to the car with his other teammate. They drive away as more soldiers run inside the building.
Meanwhile, Ryu warns Gye-Jin about the spies, but Gye-Jin returns to his seat instead of escaping.
He faces Hak-soo and talks about a Soviet Union spy who killed all his comrades.
Gye-Jin finally confronts Hak-soo about his real identity and motive in his area.
The two pull out their guns simultaneously and point them at each other.
Gye-Jin's men follow and aim their guns at Hak-soo.
However, two of Hak-soo's men quietly enter the building and start the gunfire.
Although outnumbered, Hak-soo's team kills many of Gye-Jin's men. As his men decrease, Gye-Jin
uses a waitress to shield the gunshots. Bullets fill her tiny body, and one of Hak-soo's men
dies from the gunfire. They continue to fire at each other as Hak-soo's team leaves the building.
Gye-Jin's men outside immediately run inside to help, unaware of the spies.
Hak-soo deceives them and kills them with his rifle. Shortly after, Ki-Sung arrives, so Hak-soo
instructs his team to get to the car while he fights Gye-Jin. After that, Hak-soo fires his
gun as he walks towards the vehicle. However, one of his men gets severely wounded from the bullets,
so the soldier sacrifices himself. With his last strength, he holds the trigger,
killing more of Gye-Jin's men. Gye-Jin attempts to chase Hak-soo's team, but he is too late.
After that, Gye-Jin enters his office, where he mercilessly kills some of his men for not guarding
the building enough. Meanwhile, the team is inside a truck with Suk-Joong and another KLO member,
Kim Hwa-young. On the other hand, a general informs MacArthur that the U.S President
considered his plan, but they did not want China to interfere with the war. However,
MacArthur wants more; he wants to stop the spread of communism.
MacArthur then remembers when he asked Hak-soo why he volunteered for his operation,
saying that he wanted to help his mother and sleep after the war. So, he promised Hak-soo
that he would land in Incheon no matter what, and Hak-soo would open the way and wait for him.
Meanwhile, Suk-Joong leads the team to his house, where Hak-soo reunites with Chae-seon. It turns
out that Suk-Joong is Chae-seon's uncle. Suk-Joong leads them to his secret basement that is hidden
in a closet. Suk-Joong then takes a brick from the wall and informs the team that they can monitor
what is happening above through the small gap. Chae-seon is unaware of Suk-Joong's involvement
with KLO, so she talks about what will happen to them if Gye-Jin finds out.
Suk-Joong has no choice but to gag her to stop her from making noises. Suk-Joong then advises them to
wait in the basement until dawn. Before he leaves, Hak-soo requests him to let him see Jin-Chul.
Suk-Joong goes to his private office, where he hides his telegraph to communicate to KLO.
Suk-Joong delivers a coded message for a while before he notices Gye-Jin's presence behind him.
Suk-Joong immediately searches for his gun, but he cannot find it. Gye-Jin then raises his hand,
revealing that he has Suk-Joong's gun. Gye-Jin's men then appear and beat Suk-Joong.
As they wait, Hak-soo explains himself to Chae-seon, saying was once a communist,
but he changed after seeing his comrade kills his father in front of him. Then, suddenly,
they hear heavy footsteps above as Gye-Jin's men barge in. The men quickly prepare themselves;
they muffle Chae-seon's cries of help Gye-Jin's men investigate the area. After searching, the men
report that they find nothing, but Gye-Jin knows that Suk-Joong is hiding Hak-soo and his team.
So, he asks his men to gather the townspeople around while they tie Suk-Joong's on a pole.
They put signage on his body, saying that he is a traitor. Chae-seon pleads with Hak-soo to
let her leave to help her uncle because they know that Gye-Jin will kill him. After contemplating,
Hak-soo lets Chae-seon use the secret passage to save her uncle. However, she is too late
as Gye-Jin shots Suk-Joong's in the head. Chae-seon can only cry and scream in agony,
but then Gye-Jin's man repeatedly slaps her for being involved with a traitor.
As soon as Gye-Jin's troops leave the area, the KLO team arrives through the secret passage.
Jin-Chul formally introduces himself to Hak-soo.
Jin-Chul informs Hak-soo that the landing operation will begin in three days,
and the sea charts have disappeared. This causes a heated argument as Ki-Sung complains that
many soldiers have already sacrificed their lives for the operation. Hak-soo stops his
men and reminds them that they must do their operation even if only one gets out alive.
Hak-soo then proposes to kidnap Ryu because he knows everything as he is Gye-Jin's right hand.
Because Ryu is wounded from the recent events, they know that he is in the hospital.
So, they assign people to different areas and create an escape plan after getting Ryu.
After that, Hak-soo and some of his men pretend to be doctors as Gye-Jin, and his troop arrives
to visit Ryu. Then, as soon as the door closes, Hak-soo and his men take Ryu from Chae-seon and
run towards the basement. However, they run into Gye-Jin's men, which starts gunfire, so Hak-soo
exchanges bullets to Gye-Jin and his troop while his men take Ryu to the basement. They immediately
put Ryu inside the truck and leave the hospital. Gye-Jin and his troop chase the team, who,
despite being outnumbered, manages to kill many. Ki-Sung tosses a grenade towards Gye-Jin, but he
quickly maneuvers the car and avoids it. However, Gye-Jin's troops avenge with a bazooka, which
fortunately does not hit them. A soldier then comes out from the street and enters the truck.
He pushes Chae-seon off the truck, but Hak-soo saves her. The soldier skillfully fights the team,
and when Hak-soo pushes him off the truck, he drags Hak-soo with him. Unfortunately,
Hak-soo wins when the soldier's head hits a brick. He then kills the other soldier coming and
uses his motorcycle to follow his team to KLO's headquarters. As soon as they are in,
Jin-Chul and his men throw smoke grenades to blind the soldiers and shoot them. The driver
celebrates as they succeed with their plan but then sees Hwa-Young state. She got hit in the
middle of the gunfire a while ago, and it is too late to save her as she has lost too much blood.
After settling in the headquarters, the team pays respect to Hwa-young's grave, which they
dig in the fields. After that, the team ties Ryu and waits for the American airplane to take him.
Before getting dragged in the air, Ryu mentions Wolmido, which catches Hak-soo's attention.
After that, the U.S. Navy contacts the team and informs them that they have all the coordinates
of the mines, thanks to Ryu. The 75000 troops and 200 battleships from various allies are
ready to invade Incheon when the team finds the mines. Hak-soo mentions the fortress in Wolmido
that Ryu talked about, and he volunteers to check on it while the team finds the mines.
As they plan, Gye-Jin and his men put two of Hak-soo's men they captured
and kill them in front of the townspeople. On the other hand, despite the strong waves
slapping their ships, MacArthur still decides to forego the plan. After hours of strong current
waves, the ships finally arrive at the Incheon waterways, where MacArthur releases an order
to fire. Bombs after bombs, missiles after missiles, the Americans bombard the island.
Meanwhile, Hak-soo bids goodbye to his team to go to Wolmido. Hak-soo, along with Ki-Sung
and their driver, drives to Wolmido while the rest of the team invades the palm lighthouse.
Despite the continuous bombarding of the Americans, Gye-Jin and his troop remain calm.
The team turns on the lighthouse, signaling that the road to Incheon is open.
MacArthur sees this, orders a ceasefire, and deploys the advance unit.
As the Americans stop bombing the island, Gye-Jin deploys his troop to the battlefield. Just then,
Hak-soo and Ki-Sung discover soldiers putting landmines in the ground.
They watch as the soldiers launch bombs to the advance unit and American ships.
Meanwhile, Ki-Sung leaves the tank and goes to the landmines while Hak-soo attacks Gye-Jin's
headquarters. The bomb creates a massive explosion killing several of Gye-Jin's men and Gye-Jin
wounded. Despite being outnumbered, Hak-soo and Ki-Sung fight their soldier enemies. As he gets
cornered, Ki-Sung sacrifices himself and pulls down the lever, which explodes all the landmines.
Hak-soo shoots Gye-Jin's remaining troops before he bombards Gye-Jin's tank. He then sees that
debris wounds his driver from bombing Gye-Jin's headquarters. Hak-soo attempts to save him,
but the driver gives him the flare bullet to signal MacArthur. So, Hak-soo puts the bullet
in the gun and fires it into the air, signaling MacArthur that Operation Chromite is successful.
However, it is not done as Gye-Jin appears and repeatedly shoots Hak-soo.
The driver tries to help, but Gye-Jin kills him before he can hold his gun.
Hak-soo and Gye-Jin exchange gunshots, leaving Hak-soo severely wounded.
However, Gye-Jin runs out of bullets, so Hak-soo shoots him in the head before he can reload.
Tears fill Hak-soo's eyes as he remembers his men who sacrificed their lives for the mission.
U.S war aircraft and ships finally reach the island, but they are too late as Hak-soo dies
from gunshot wounds. MacArthur salutes Hak-soo for his sacrifice and the time he has spent
and dedicated to the U.S military. The remaining soldiers parade around
town as the war finally ends. Ki-Sung's wife and Hak-soo's mother wave their flags as they wait
for their loved ones to appear. However, their hopes are crushed the men will never return.
A flashback then plays with the team's members explaining why they are suitable for the mission.
After giving their answers, the team, alongside their leader,
Hak-soo, takes a photograph before their suicide mission. The film ends with the director's note
saying that he made the film as a tribute to the sacrifices for the Republic of Korea.