The Battle of Jangsari is a 2019 South Korean action-war film co-directed by Kwak Kyung-taek and Kim Tae-hoon, starring Kim Myung-min, Megan Fox and Choi Min-ho in the lead roles. The second installment in a trilogy following Operation Chromite, the film tells the true story of a group of 772 student soldiers who staged a small diversionary operation at Jangsari beach in Yeongdeok village to draw away North Korean attention from Incheon. Megan Fox plays the role of Marguerite Higgins, an American reporter and war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune, who covered the Korean War and called on the international community for assistance. Kim Myung-min plays a guerrilla task force commander while Choi Min-ho plays a low-ranking soldier. George Eads plays the leader of the landing operation. Produced by Taewon Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. Korea, the film released theatrically in South Korea on 25 September 2019 and was released in USA on 4 October 2019 by Well Go USA.
Synopsis
During the Korean War, a group of 772 student soldiers led by a guerrilla task force commander is tasked with staging a diversionary mission at Jangsari Beach in South Korea, in order to deceive the North Korean forces into thinking the opposition forces would launch a decisive invasion there. In doing so, they would be able to pave the way for the Incheon Landing Operation. Meanwhile, an American reporter and war correspondent covers the Korean War and tries to get help from the international community as the soldiers struggle to accomplish their mission due to a lack of proper training, weapons, and adequate food and supplies.
The first trailer and poster were released on 9 August 2019. The second trailer was released on 26 August 2019. A character trailer was released on 6 September 2019. A still trailer was released on 9 September 2019. A 30 second trailer, behind-the-scenes video and a True Story Special video were released on 16 September 2019. Megan Fox visited Seoul for a press conference on 21 August 2019.
Release
The film was released in 1,090 South Korean theaters on 25 September 2019. It released in USA theatrically on 4 October 2019 with English subtitles.
Reception
Yoon Min-sik from The Korea Herald praised the opening sequence, the subsequent 40 minutes and how the film managed to introduce the main characters and their traits without feeling forced while also depicting the gritty, grotesque face of war. However, the reviewer felt the plot was "too contrived", Fox's character spelt out the director’s message through her dialogue, and that the film started out as something like Saving Private Ryan and ended up along the lines of Pearl Harbor.
Box office
Opening alongside By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture, the film debuted at number one position and sold above 485,000 tickets over the weekend and a total of 690,000 tickets in its first five days.
