"In the late seventh century, Korean soldiers defend their fortress from a massive invasion."
I've always personally felt that the further back you go in history, the more honourable the wars become; when it comes to fighting hand-to-hand combat, when the range of your attack is limited to the point that you see the effect of your actions, and when you actually often get to choose whether you fight or not. It isn't so much that fighting is their job so they have to follow orders, but every person fighting believes that they are fighting on the right side.
The Great Battle is a historical fight, as in the battle actually happened. And while there are some little pieces that were added for dramatic effect, most of what is seen on screen did occur in one way or another. The film is essentially a 136-minute runtime split into four huge action sequences. As if you were watching the final battle between the Spartans and the Persians in 300, The Battle of Castle Black from Game of Thrones, and the Battle of Helms Deep from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, all combined into one film. As was the case in all of these aforementioned battles, The Great Battle is an underdog battle, with 5,000 Goguryeo fighters going up against 200,000 Tang dynasty soldiers.
As this is a South-Korean film, it is not in English, and in all honesty, the start of the film can be a bit confusing due to both armies wearing similar coloured armour and then instantly introducing "traitors" and spies, it takes a while to figure out exactly who is on whose side if you are previously unaware of the history.
Essentially, the plot follows Sa-mul a Goguryeo fighter who is part of a battle that is lost in the opening scenes against the Tang dynasty soldiers. After escaping the battle, Sa-mul is sent to kill the leader of a Goguryeo fortress (Ansi fortress) because they did not join the battle and are blamed for the loss. While Sa-mul is at the fortress, the Tang dynasty soldiers made their way to Ansi and lay siege upon it for the remaining 100 minutes of the film, shifting focus away from Sa-mul, and instead onto Yang Man-chun the Ansi commander.
While the initial set-up of the film was slightly confusing, the large presence of battles in the film means there is actually very little dialogue to worry about and you can enjoy the extraordinary visual spectacle on screen. War is a language that every person can understand. The film effectively has only half an hour to develop the characters and with the presence of these traitor and spy arcs, there is a lot less developed than I would have liked. Most characters only get one or two scenes before the battle begins, and it doesn't leave much room for emotional investment in these characters.
What is really well portrayed though is the complete trust and love that the Ansi people had for their commander, who was also a central character in all of their lives. Creating a city that the people within were willing to fight to protect, to their very last breath. The courage, bravery, loyalty, and strength of these people is the biggest take away from the film.
Splitting the battle Ansi battles into three parts helps to stave off battle fatigue when you have effectively 100 minutes of fighting, with each part focused on certain attempts to bring the fortress down. The direction is very well done as the film expertly switches from control to chaos, and back to control as the Ansi commander tries to determine counters against such an overwhelming enemy. The tactics in play are very well written and choreographed, and while they sometimes feel overly dramatic, were actually used in the battle. Yang Man-chun was truly a brilliant tactician.
While I have read other reviews that complain of battle fatigue, it was not an issue for me. I was enthralled throughout the entire battle and felt myself holding my breath at several points as the tension rose and the battle swung against our team of protagonists. I love a great epic battle, and this one holds so much more power knowing that it is actually a historical battle, not something based on fantasy. The costumes and set designs are incredible, with great attention to detail, and the battle scenes are absolutely glorious.
Do watch this film. Revel in the tactics, root for the underdogs, and make sure you see it on the biggest screen that you can so you can be amazed by the details in every slow-motion action shot. The lack of thorough character development does hold the film back, but that still makes this a brilliant popcorn flick.