‘MY WAY’ BACK TO A 2011 SLEEPER

Underrated Films: “My Way”

When it comes to World War II, the Asian perspective outside of Japan is a point of view rarely explored in films or in entertainment.  One of the most interesting moments that surfaced during the conflict was the story of Yang Kyoungjong, who allegedly fought in many sides of the war.

As the story goes, Kyoungjong was a Korean soldier who was conscripted into the Japanese Imperial Army, the Soviet Red Army, and, finally, the German Wehrmacht. After the initial D-Day landings in 1944, Kyoungjong was captured by American paratroopers, but was later released in 1947. After the war, he moved to the U.S., obtained American citizenship and retired in Illinois until he died in 1992.  

While his story is not confirmed to actually be authentic, the story made such a strong impression that it inspired a Korean film released in 2011, called “My Way.”

Although the film does take liberties with the historical story, overall, it remains one of cinema’s more underrated films.

It features two protagonists. Kim Jun-Shik, played by the Korean actor Jang Dong-Gun, is the film’s equivalent to Kyoungjong. Jun-Shik is a poor Korean marathoner who lives in Japanese-occupied Korea. Accused of cheating in a marathon, he is forcibly conscripted into the Japanese Imperial army.

The second protagonist, Tatsuo Hasegawa, played by the Japanese actor Joe Odagiri, is a fierce athlete and rival of Jun-Shik. Contrary to Jun-Shik, Tatsuo is from a wealthy and influential family and voluntarily joins the Japanese army as a Japanese nationalist.

Over the course of the film, the two protagonists get captured and conscripted into the Russian Red Army, as well as the German Wehrmacht, until both are finally captured and released by U.S. soldiers.

The film was released with a budget of $24 million, but sadly came in at a deficit, making back only $16.5 million dollars at the box office.  Despite this, I found it be very enjoyable, well-paced, and largely underrated. The movie is about two hours long and it makes good use of the time by putting the protagonists in each setting for a time that is not too long and not too short.

Over the course of the drama, the protagonists change a lot – especially Tatsuo, who goes through a lot of changes to his views and attitudes about his love for Japan and his attitude toward his rival, Jun-Shik.  

The film also shows multiple perspectives and how emotions evolve over time, particularly about the Chinese victims of the Japanese occupation and the Korean reaction to being treated as second-rate citizens in their native home of Japanese-occupied Korea. Sadly, their perspectives are cut short; I feel that they could have been explored further or have met a conclusion that felt more concrete.

In addition to other criticisms, the film has a few characters that are ultimately forgettable, or literally seem to have been forgotten by the story itself. But every criticism is merely a sidestory of the two protagonists, whose conclusion is bittersweet but concrete.

Overall, the film is a criminally unknown film that both casual viewers and history lovers will enjoy.

4.5/5