Race to Freedom: Um Bok Dong

2019 [KOREAN]

Biography / Drama / History / Sport / War

1
IMDb Rating 5.8/10 10 196 196

resistance bike japanese occupation of korea

Plot summary

During the Japanese colonial rule of Korea, while people are in despair, Jae-ho tries to raise morale by winning cycle championship. Bok-dong, who started cycling with Jae-ho just to make a forture, becomes a symbol of hope for Koreans by defeating Japanese cyclists.

Director

Kim Yu Sung Photo
Kim Yu Sung

Top cast

Rain Photo
Rain as Uhm Bok-Dong
Sung-je Cha Photo
Sung-je Cha as Boy in front of Ilmi Store
Lee Si-eon Photo
Lee Si-eon as Lee Hong-dae
Yoon Jong-goo Photo
Yoon Jong-goo as Poor farmer
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
1.04 GB
1280*536
Korean 2.0
NR
Subtitles us   kr  
23.976 fps
1 hr 56 min
Seeds 2
2.14 GB
1920*804
Korean 5.1
NR
Subtitles us   kr  
23.976 fps
1 hr 56 min
Seeds 1

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by usapon 3 / 10

Entire cast is Korean

The film falls into the realm of propaganda, evident in the exclusively Korean cast, even for Japanese characters. The poorly executed Japanese dialogue necessitates subtitles, which unfortunately mirror the overall subpar quality. The portrayal of all Japanese characters as inherently evil adds another layer of discomfort, overshadowing what could have been a compelling biographical documentary about the cyclist. Regrettably, the film opted for a route that veers into the territory of cinematic disappointment and typical Korean propaganda and all Japanese are pure evil. You'd think in 2019 that directors and producers actually want to provide something worth filming. No idea who sponsored them, but I can guess...
Reviewed by camquinton 9 / 10

Solid inspiring film

Rain is excellent as the naive young cyclist Um. During the early 20th century , Um was a Korean star for beating the Japanese at races staged to show their superiority over the Koreans during their occupation . Very little is known about Um's life , but the writers created a quite interesting and poignant back story for him . The secondary story involving the Righteous Army , Korean freedom fighters , was also a creation of the writers, but is quite powerful in its depiction of the cruelty the Japanese imposed on the people . The movie works well as an inspirational sports film, and a patriotic ode to those who fought against the occupation.The story never drags , the cinematography shows the beauty of the Korean countryside but also the moody despair of an occupied people . Good cast includes some well known Korean actors .
Read more IMDb reviews

No comments yet

Be the first to leave a comment