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71: Into the Fire

The story of student-soldiers trying to protect a middle school during the early days of the Korean War. The story of student-soldiers trying to protect a middle school during the early days of the Korean War. The story of student-soldiers trying to protect a middle school during the early days of the Korean War.

John H. Lee
Man-Hee Lee
Dong-Woo Kim
Seung-Won Cha
Sang-woo Kwon
Seung-Hyun Choi
22 User reviews
24 Critic reviews
6 wins & 5 nominations

Seung-Hyun Choi in 71: Into the Fire (2010)

Park Mu-Rang

(as Kwon Sang-woo)

Oh Jung-Bum

Kang Suk-Dae

(as Yoon-sung Kim)
(as Ho-won Kim)
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Trivia The climactic battle in the movie was a part of the Battle of P'ohang-Dong, from August 5-20, 1950. Savage fighting broke out as the North Koreans attacked the U.N. forces, consisting of American and South Korean soldiers, in an attempt to take the town of P'ohang-Dong on the northeast corner of the Pusan perimeter. Despite being pushed back initially, the U.N. forces regrouped and eventually defeated the North Koreans, forcing their retreat. It was a turning point in that it effectively broke the back of the North Korean offensive, which was beginning to suffer from superior U.N. support and a lack of manpower and supplies.
Goofs The North Korean general wears a 1970s-era Rolex watch.

User reviews 22

Jul 30, 2010
How long is 71: Into the Fire? Powered by Alexa
June 16, 2010 (South Korea)
South Korea
Official site (Japan)
Official site (South Korea)
Taewon Entertainment
H Plus Communication
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$10,000,000 (estimated)
Aug 1, 2010
$20,967,660

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Runtime 2 hours
Dolby Digital

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71: Into The Fire

This slick looking and battle charged war film doesn’t stray too far from the well worn war movie path but certainly tells an inspiring and conflict heavy tale from the Korean War.

Reviewed by Andrew Skeates | Sep 17, 2016

This slick looking and battle charged war film doesn’t stray too far from the well worn war movie path but certainly tells an inspiring and conflict heavy tale from the Korean War. On August 11th 1950, 71 student soldiers held back the marauding North Korean army, holding an important strategic stronghold, to give the South Korean army the tactical advantage. The 71, few of who had seen extensive combat, were tasked with holding an abandoned all girls school and the surrounding area in Pohang against hundreds of marauding North Korean soldiers until the South could get reinforcements to the region. With little time to weapons train, nerves taking their toll and with so few of them to stand against the fire power of the North Koreans, the 71 stand strong in an epic battle of bravery.

Revelling in impressively staged and technically superior war combat, but never shying away from the horrors of such warfare, ‘71: Into the Fire’ shows military conflict in all its horror and glory. While not reaching quite the same superior heights as War epics ‘Assembly’ and ‘Brotherhood’, ‘71: Into the Fire’ is nevertheless a finely made film, telling a stirring story of true bravery that walks a fine line between gritty combat horror and blockbuster entertainment. On the blockbuster front, the film is very slick (many of the camera movements and compositions are incredibly fluid and beautiful to look at) with a sort of Hollywood gloss meaning there is no doubt the budget is up there on the screen. On the gritty side, the war action and violence is often uncompromising in nature, really showing the bloody nature of battle and how these 71 non-soldiers really suffered to, quite literally, hold the fort. The film is often a technical marvel in the combat scenes, the viewer thrown straight into it from the get go, to the various skirmishes the students must endure and to the relentless final battle which really doesn’t hold back in pummelling one with visceral war combat.

On the blockbuster influenced side of things again, one can’t help but feel certain aspects have been embellished for dramatic purposes. While the story of the 71 is a fascinating tale of bravery that deserves to be heard, certain parts (such as the antagonistic relationship between the two leads and the full on evil nature of the North Korean general) seem heightened for conflict purposes. The sub plot of the tension between the student put in charge of the 71 (finely played by Choi Seung-Hyun) and the rebel bad boy who joins the group and doesn’t want to take orders, just comes off as unnecessary and stale: there is enough going on already with the would be platoon learning to fight, trying to survive and enduring intense combat that proceedings don’t really need this extra divergence. However, if this quarrel between the two characters was indeed a true aspect of the situation then I apologize for branding it a dramatic fabrication: it’s just one of the few characteristics of the narrative that comes off as a little forced and needless.

‘71: Into the Fire’ is still an impressive and absorbing tale of heroics and war combat, and an interesting look at a group of very brave people put into a frightening and violent situation, and finding the courage to stand up and defend.

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71: Into the Fire

2010, Drama/Action, 2h 0m

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71: into the fire photos.

Seventy-one students face impossible odds as they battle hundreds of North Korean soldiers.

Genre: Drama, Action, War

Original Language: Korean

Director: Lee Jae-han

Writer: Lee Manhui

Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2016

Runtime: 2h 0m

Production Co: Taewon Entertainment

Cast & Crew

Kwon Sang-woo

Cha Seung-won

Kim Seung-woo

Christina Cha

Oh Jung-Bum

David Lee McInnis

Staff Sergeant Jones

Tae-ju Park

Won-chaek Jeon

Lee Jae-han

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karenkasimir

All the small things…, movie review – 71: into the fire.

March 23, 2012 by karenkasimir

Although I love action movies, I’m not a big fan of war movies. I do appreciate them mostly only because of the historical contents that I can learn from it. Watching Into The Fire, on the other hand, was something that I greatly anticipated because I’m interested in Korean histories and I never watched a movie based on the Korean war before – I don’t think Hollywood ever made one. Or maybe I’m biased because TOP is in it (and looking mighty fine in that military gear). Nevertheless, here’s the review:

Based on a true story, Into The Fire sets in the 1950 during the start of the Korean War. 71 South Korean student-soldiers were left on their own to hold back the several hundreds of North Korean armies at a strategic post – the Pohang School, while the rest of the real soldiers went to a bigger battlefield at Nakdong River. Being one of the only three student-soldier who survived from the previous battle, Oh Jang Beom (TOP) was appointed as the leader. Despite having a hard time in the beginning, Jang Beom successfully lead the 71 student-soldiers who had no training at all to hold back the advancing North Korean armies. These student-soldiers played an important role in buying time for South Korea and the allies to defend against the somewhat surprise war.

Despite all the actions, Into the Fire is an emotional movie – I’m not usually easy to cry over sad movies or dramas but my eyes got all teary. I pity the student-soldiers for being left all on their own to fight against hundreds of trained soldiers. Jang Beom only wanted the war to end so that he can go back to see his mother. Other than the 3 experienced student-soldiers, the rest of them had never fired a single bullet. I admire their determination and courage to fight until the very end (all of the 71 student-soldiers died in the movie =.= but I think not all in reality because there are survivors?).

TOP is surprisingly a very good actor! He didn’t have many lines and mostly just lets his eyes do the intense staring talking (I’m not complaining 😉 ), but one can really feel all the emotions that his character portrays.I hope to see more of his acting – action movies are fine, but perhaps as a lead role in romantic comedy?

The special effect is decent – all the battle scenes and bombs and tanks, just like other high-budget Hollywood war movie. The only thing I dislike is the last scene where Jang Beom and the badboy’s (I think his name is Kapjo) rooftop fighting scene. The fight scene just looks unrealistic and over the top. If not because of this rooftop scene, I would have rated Into the Fire as a 5 star movie. I also find it hard to believe that the commander of North Korean Army would take a pity at the student-soldiers and was willing to spare their lives (they were 17, not 13). Also, I wish that the narrations of the student-soldier survivors were a tad bit longer.

I’m not a movie critic, so I cannot comment on the cinematography or other fancy-schmancy artistic point of view that critics always comment in their reviews. What I know is that I was deeply moved by Into the Fire and wouldn’t mind watching it again.

71: Into the Fire

2010, nr, 120 min. directed by john h. lee. starring cha seung-won, kim seung-woo, kwon sang-woo, choi seung-hyeon, david lee mcinnis..

Not reviewed at press time. This South Korean war film commemorates the country's 71 college students who, in 1950, held the line against North Korean soldiers, who greatly outnumbered them. The limited release, which pays tribute to the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, was not screened for critics in advance of opening.

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Marjorie Baumgarten, Aug. 12, 2016

July 7, 2023

March 31, 2023

71: Into the Fire , John H. Lee , Cha Seung-won , Kim Seung-woo , Kwon Sang-woo , Choi Seung-hyeon , David Lee McInnis

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A Review of ’71 Into the Fire’

Right, so I watched this almost as soon as it came out, but being the incredibly industrious person that I am I’ve only written this… now.

In terms of the meticulous attention to detail, set design and clothing, you don’t get more ‘bang’ for every buck than from a Korean war film. I am one of those kids who would fall asleep at most romcoms but watch almost any war flick, so ’71 Into the Fire’/ 포화 속으로 was right up my alley with its genre and three of the four main cast being well-established actors.

I’ll be completely candid and say I didn’t have high hopes for T.O.P/Choi Seung Hyun’s acting chops. I knew him as an ‘idol’ star and rapper of the Korean pop group, BIGBANG , and didn’t hear rave reviews of his previous acting endeavours. Then again, after watching 1.5 episodes of ‘Boys Over Flowers’ (after weeks of feeling left out of friends’ conversations), you couldn’t exactly blame me for thinking otherwise of ‘idol’ stars and their acting skills, of lackof.

T.O.P/Choi Seung Hyun essentially carries the bulk of the movie. His character, Oh Jang Beom, is a radical departure from the image I have of him as a member of BIGBANG . That image relates closer to the role he had in IRIS – the dressiness, the smirks and swagger. Oh Jang Beom, on the other hand, is a teenager who finds himself caught in combat and simply just wants the war to end so that he can return home to his mother.

We don’t quite watch war flicks for sensitive portrayals of character development generally, but with the limited character arch that T.O.P was given, I was surprising how subtle he brought through the character’s inner sadness and fatalistic loneliness. You just want to give him a hug and lie to him that things would get better as everything else gets blown to smithereens. But one tiny suggestion, Mr. Choi, if I may? Work a little on your vocal delivery.

Oh Jang Beom is innocent, naïve and kind-hearted in equal parts, and with many such movies, he finds that he has to learn to grow up pretty quickly. First, because of his combat experience (well, he’s one of three student soldiers that survived earlier combat so that’s not saying much) and staying by the side of a superior until his death, he is made captain of the band of 71 student soldiers. He feels burdened by that responsibility, and pretty much says so himself.

Jang Beom’s thoughts perhaps reflect the tone of the film and the director, that war is a beastly, ghastly thing. Jang Beom is disgusted with war and quickly realises that no one’s the true enemy. That the enemy isn’t a ‘monster with horns’ but even when dying, a North Korean soldier’s last words were calling out for his mother. It may sound clichéd, but the imagery in the movie will drive home that message loud and clear.

Besides the cinematography, the two things I enjoyed about the movie specifically were, one, that there was no romance subplot that many Hollywood productions find themselves burdened with (cough, ‘Pearl Harbour’ , cough). Also, there isn’t much an attempt at glorifying or vilifying the North Korean troops. While the character Park Moo-ran ( Cha Seung Won who seems to have looks, brains and talent, and yet you can’t bring yourself to hate him for that) had this imbalance of evil and humanity going on, he is plainly made out to be the sole villain and sometimes felt a little flat to me. However, the actor’s imposing stature definitely adds to his menace.

Of course there were a few things I found issue with.

One was the extended rooftop scene, which acted as the concluding act. It felt a little forced and dragged out longer than it was worth, like an attempt at an American war flick. I went to ’71 Into The Fire’ in the hopes of not seeing a typical Hollywood production, and I’m sure many viewers would agree with me on that.

Perhaps the director didn’t want a lengthy movie and wanted to keep the audience’s attention and thus kept the movie’s running time at about 2 hours. So maybe because ’71 into the Fire’ is shorter than the average war flick out there, I felt that the characters didn’t get enough time to fully develop, for our sympathies for the characters to grow and what not. So this lends to the other issue I have with this movie. I think partly with war flicks and their large cast, it’s quite inevitable, but overall I got a good gist of the major characters’ motivations and back-stories enough to overlook that flaw.

There were also the ‘stock’ characters as I would call them in this ensemble-type cast. The rebel without a cause who actually has a heart of gold, the funny fat dude, the nerdy but brave one, the handsome second-in-command (and you’ll probably find him in his first leading role soon)… Again, perhaps inevitable so as to tug at our heartstrings and make the appeal as broad as possible, but the actors seemed to have had fun with their roles so I’d let that slip just a little.

I also couldn’t tell if Kwon Sang-woo was meant to be the same age as T.O.P’s , because if he was, I didn’t buy it. Please Mr. Kwon, know your audience. I just took it as he was really much older and masquerading as a student to escape legal consequences.

’71 Into the Fire’ can’t knock ‘Taegukgi’ off its crown of the best Korean-made war film, but it is pretty well-made, enjoyable and it’ll would help many to view more seriously T.O.P as an actor. Hopefully, we’ll continue to witness the growth of Choi Seung Hyun the actor , not forever be billed as Choi Seung Hyun aka T.O.P from boyband BIGBANG.

This is just an excuse for me to upload pictures of T.O.P , isn’t it?

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Reviews: 71: Into the Fire
It is somewhat clichéd - but this works in its favor - what we get is a Braveheart feeling for a small but very well-made war film. The two main leads are
71: Into the Fire (2010)
The true story, directed by John H. Lee (A Moment to Remember) about South Korean student unit of 71 soldiers who was left to defend the girls middle school
71: Into The Fire (2010)
'71: Into the Fire' is still an impressive and absorbing tale of heroics and war combat, and an interesting look at a group of very brave people
71: Into the Fire
There are no featured reviews for 71: Into the Fire because the movie has not released yet (). See Movies in Theaters. Movie & TV guides. View All · Rotten
71: Into the Fire
"71-Into the Fire" aims at entertainment, not historic accuracy or realism, and in that fashion, John H. Lee succeeds to
Students hold off the North Korean Army
A review of the movie and true story "71: Into the Fire" (2010) #korea #history #war.
Flash Review: 71: Into the Fire [Movie]
The film is based on a true story of a group of 71 undertrained and underarmed, outgunned student-soldiers of South Korea during the Korean War
Movie Review
Jang Beom only wanted the war to end so that he can go back to see his mother. Other than the 3 experienced student-soldiers, the rest of them
71: Into the Fire
This South Korean war film commemorates the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, and the 71 college students who, in 1950, held the line
A Review of '71 Into the Fire'
T.O.P/Choi Seung Hyun essentially carries the bulk of the movie. His character, Oh Jang Beom, is a radical departure from the image I have of
Film / 71: Into the Fire
71: Into the Fire is a 2010 Korean War film starring Cha Seung-won, Kwon Sang-woo, Choi Seunghyun (T.O.P), and Kim Seung-woo, as members of 71 Korean …

71: Into the Fire

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71: Into the Fire

Marjorie Baumgarten, Aug. 12, 2016

July 7, 2023

March 31, 2023

A Review of ’71 Into the Fire’

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