The Battleship Island

Original title: Gunhamdo

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

8.8K

YOUR RATING

Hwang Jung-min, So Ji-seob, Kim Su-an, and Song Joong-ki in The Battleship Island (2017)

Teaser Trailer for The Battleship Island

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99+ Photos

Action Drama History

During the Japanese colonial era, roughly 400 Korean people, who were forced onto Battleship Island ("Hashima Island") to mine for coal, attempt to a dramatic escape.During the Japanese colonial era, roughly 400 Korean people, who were forced onto Battleship Island ("Hashima Island") to mine for coal, attempt to a dramatic escape.During the Japanese colonial era, roughly 400 Korean people, who were forced onto Battleship Island ("Hashima Island") to mine for coal, attempt to a dramatic escape.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

8.8K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 11 wins & 9 nominations

Song Jong-Gu
(English version)
(voice)

Tommy Arciniega

Oh Jang-Woo
(English version)
(voice)
(as a different name)

Greg Chun

Lee Gang-ok
(English version)
(voice)

Kang Deok-Joong

Locksmith who made the key

Na Do-yool

Joseon draftee
(as Na Do-yul)

Kellen Goff

Kwon Han-sol

Joseon girl

Yang Hee-Woo

Hashima Labor Clerk

Kim In-woo

Director
- Ryoo Seung-wan
Writer
- Ryoo Seung-wan
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Characters in the film at several points mention "the company" they work for, but which is never named. In reality, this company was the Mitsubishi Corporation, which owned Hashima Island until 2002.

Goofs
00:16:13 - 00:16:50 -> The band members are supposed to cross from Korea to Japan in the dirty, packed hold of a cargo ship. When they emerge from the boat in Shimonoseki, one can see it is a very modern ferry, complete with fully-enclosed, bright orange modern lifeboats, streamlined design, and all-welded hull and superstructure construction, as opposed to ships of the period, which were riveted.

Quotes
Lee Gang-ok: I'm not going to die. Why are you crying?

Crazy credits
The title card is shown first in Japanese and then in Korean.

Alternate versions
The director's cut of the film is 150 minutes long in duration while the original theatrical version is about 132 minutes long.

Soundtracks
The Ecstasy of Gold
Composed by Ennio Morricone

User reviews40

Review

Featured review

9/10

Quite Good

A Japanese island, 9 miles from Nagasaki, enlarged & used from 1897 to 1974 to mine coal w/shafts going down 2/3 of a mile beneath the sea. Oddly, given the Pacific rim geologic history of subduction, that there's massive sedimentary (typically surface heavily vegetated wetlands) deposits of coal forming there. It's common name is Gunkanjima, meaning battle ship. The actual name is Hashima Island. From the '30s to the end of WWII Chinese & Korean conscripts/prisoners numbering in the thousands worked those mine shafts w/80+ temps & 95% humidity & some might say brutal treatment. During that time period an estimated 1300 miners died.

The movie mixes factual & fictionalized events. Kudos goes to the production of one of the best movie sets/props I've ever seen (actually built in Chuncheon, Korea) - Game of Thrones level. Also to the costuming & makeup personnel for the grimy authenticity & cinematography for the great camera work. Acting was spot-on although as is typical in these types of films the baddies (the Japanese in this case) are made to be really bad dudes. Forewarned - lots of violence, especially towards the end.