Gunhamdo

South Korea, 151 min.

Korean and Japanese with English and Czech subtitles

director: Ryoo Seung-wan

starring: Hwang Jung-min, So Ji-sub, Song Joong-ki, Lee Jung-hyun, Kim Soo-ahn

distributor: CJ Entertainment

Because of the shape, the island of Hashima is nicknamed Battleship Island. At the end of World War II, there is a group of about 400 Koreans who are being exploited by the Japanese and forced to labour in the mines. The tensions between both sides are rising and the Koreans are beginning to plan a dramatic escape.

This Korean blockbuster with a massive production design was taken up by Ryoo Seung-wan, who had already introduced his sense of accurate action scenes at the Filmasia festival with The Berlin File (2013) and the viewers hit Veteran (2015). The visually stunning spectacle had a record million viewers on the day of its premiere. The star-studded cast, including the most popular contemporary actors, has contributed largely to its success: Korean favourite Hwang Jung-min (Ode To My Father, 2014), Hallyu Wave star So Ji-sub (TV series Master’s Sun, 2013), and Asian superstar Song Joong-ki (TV series Descendants of the Sun, 2016).