It seems like every year, there’s a new Korean blockbuster shattering box office records. In 2004, that film was the Korean War drama “Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War,” which premiered in Seoul last February. Directed by Kang Je Gyu (“Shiri”), “Tae Guk Gi” became an international smash, grossing nearly $70 million worldwide. This month, the movie is being released in the United States as a two-disc DVD.

The story is about two brothers — Jin Seok (played by Won Bin) and his hyeong Jin Tae (Jang Dong Gun) — swept into the vortex of the Korean War in 1950. In his quest to get his dongsaeng sent home, Jin Tae becomes a decorated soldier. But as the brutal war drags on, both men are forced to evaluate their bonds to both family and country.

“Tae Guk Gi” is all about dualities — North versus South, Confucianism versus nationalism and, eventually, brother versus brother. As a whole, the film presents its own dichotomy — gritty war flick versus theatrical melodrama. So keeping with the “versus” theme, what follows is an e-mail debate between friends (male versus female!) about the movie.

DONNIE KWAK: I thought “Tae Guk Gi” was … awful. Overdramatic and cheesy. I wanted to b-slap Won Bin throughout the whole movie. In fact, we created a drinking game: have a shot every time Won Bin b-tches up and starts crying. You’ll be drunk about a half hour in!

ALICE HAN: GASP! Won Bin is so fwiiiiiiiinnnnne. Yeah, he was a little b-tch in the film, but he is still fine. And Jang Dong Gun was so meosisseo — how he did everything for his brother and family so they could be together once again. It actually brought a tear to my eye. Throughout the movie I thought of my father coming from the North, and how sad it was that brothers were fighting brothers. The film made me think of how lucky I am to have not gone through something like that, and how strong our parents are for living through it.

DONNIE: I respect the film’s theme, but the execution was off. It’s not enough to have a regular fistfight; instead, every fight is like an epic, 12-round Rocky-style heavyweight bout. And during all the war scenes, it’s total chaos and carnage — that is, until two of the main characters start talking, at which point everything around them stops. And how many “please don’t die” scenes can you fit into one movie?

Plus, it didn’t really cover the Korean War. The North is portrayed as a bunch of psychos and the Chinese are barely represented. And if you’ve seen any war movie, you already know the one-dimensional characters of the South Korean troops — the funny one, the young one, the grizzled one, etc. I expected much more! But then again, I think major South Korean film is going the way of Hollywood. I didn’t see it, but I’m sure this is no worse than “Pearl Harbor.”