Operation Chromite

Abstract
Released in 2016 in South Korea, John H. Lee Jae-Han’s film Operation Chromite is about the historic Battle of Inchon, one of the central battles in the Korean War. The film is in most ways a typical war drama with requisite sub-plots involving espionage, politics, and military strategy. Similarly, the film serves to reinforce the prevailing narrative about the Korean War, depicting the North Koreans as being summarily evil and one-dimensional while holding the South Koreans, Americans, and other allies as being more complex as well as morally righteous. Although harshly criticized from a filmmaking perspective, Operation Chromite does remain true to the historical events that took place during the Battle of Inchon. The bold invasion did indeed serve as a critical victory in the conflict, even though it still did not lead to a decisive victory for the South.
Introduction
Depictions of the Korean War in film and television abound, especially after the success of the American television series M*A*S*H. Yet relatively few South Korean film and television productions depicting the Korean War reach international audiences. One of the South Korean feature films to break through to American audiences is the 2016 production of Operation Chromite, directed by John H. Lee Jae-Han.
Starring Lee Jung-jae as Captain Jang Hak-Soo and Liam Neeson as General Douglas MacArthur, Operation Chromite depicts the events leading up to the historic invasion of Inchon. Although the film takes some liberties and fictionalizes some aspects of the event, Operation Chromite remains relatively true to fact. The film captures the most important elements of the covert operation, especially the persistence and fortitude MacArthur displayed and the courage shown by the South Korean officers—particularly those who had defected and who were particularly at risk for being imprisoned, tortured, or executed.
The film shows what happened at Inchon from the South Korean perspective even more so than from the American perspective. Both in terms of filmmaking techniques and the tone of the film, Operation Chromite shows how important it was for the Americans to aid the South Koreans at this critical time. Especially by depicting the abject cruelty of the North Korean regime, reinforces the legitimacy of the American involvement in the conflict and ironically serves as a bit of anti-communist propaganda.
The Film
The communist forces of North Korea have gained considerable ground on the peninsula, threatening to completely overwhelm the American allies in the South. With democracy and the fate of the world presumably at stake, the Americans come to the rescue. Backed by a United Nations coalition, the Americans deploy troops to the Korean Peninsula, holding the North Koreans at bay but requiring far more decisive military interventions in order to prevent further incursions. Fears of Chinese and Soviet complicity also lend an overall sense of urgency. 
General Douglas MacArthur (Liam Neeson) comes up with a risky plan to launch a surprise amphibious attack at Inchon. Inchon is a mining port, characterized by tricky geography and hydrology. Moreover, the perimeter of the port is riddled with the mines that lend the covert Operation Chromite its mineral-themed name. At first, MacArthur’s suggestion to invade at Inchon remains unpopular. Yet MacArthur is undeterred and also has the confidence and conviction of a seasoned military commander. Convinced of the need to take the risk at Inchon lest lose the war entirely, MacArthur authorizes a secret “x-ray” reconnaissance mission. The goal of the mission is to locate the maps detailing the placement of the mines so that the South could launch a credible, successful attack and gain Inchon back from the communists.
Leading the x-ray mission will be Captain Jang Hak-Soo (Lee Jung-jae). Captain Jang is selected for the reconnaissance mission because not only is he a defector dedicated to the cause; he has a personal vendetta against the North Koreans after witnessing them execute his father. Jang leads the Navy Intelligence unit comprised of seven other members who will all dress as North Korean inspectors. The plan is to infiltrate the North Korean base at Inchon. To do so, they must actually convince the ruthless Commander Lim Gye-Jin (Lee Beom-su) of their identities and then under the ruse of performing inspections on the base, gain access to the maps of Inchon needed to bolster MacArthur’s Operation Chromite.
Lim may be mean, but he is no fool. He is immediately suspicious of the “inspectors,” and has them followed while they go about their business. The team is stymied, paralleling the fact that MacArthur’s Operation Chromite is also thwarted by delays. Time starts running out, as Captain Jang and his team fail to acquire the maps. Sensing the urgency of the mission, Captain Jang decides that the only way to acquire the intelligence is to steal the maps. Of course, he succeeds and therefore helps shift Inchon into the hands of South Korea. To signal the successful acquisition of the maps, they manage to gain access to a lighthouse to send a signal that the coast is clear for the invasion, which must be timed according to the tides.
The invasion of Inchon ends up being huge: consisting of 75,000 international troops. Hundreds of warships under MacArthur’s command brave hurricane force winds, but they are now secure in their course thanks to the sacrifice made by the eight brave men under Captain Jang’s command.
Reception of the Film
Although Operation Chromite had become a “massive hit” in South Korea before it debuted in the United States, it failed with both American critics and moviegoers (Wilner, 2016, p. 1). Some critics even claim that South Korean audiences came mainly to ogle the lead, former model Lee Jung-jae, as opposed to being genuinely enthralled by the war drama (Knight, 2016). Wilner (2016) agrees that Lee does in fact exude a considerable amount of “charisma,” which he only “briefly” gets to display on screen to make room for the “elaborate battle sequences (p. 1). Other critics of Operation Chromite also claim that the director resorted to “cheesy” and “melodramatic” techniques to tell the story of the Battle of Inchon (Knight, 2016, p. 1). 
Criticism of Operation Chromite is often directed solely at the performance of Liam Neeson. Some call his performance “silly,” “borderline ridiculous,” and a “low point” of the film (Bradshaw, 2016, p. 1). Others point out that Neeson did “not even bother to hide his Irish accent,” (Knight, 2016, p. 1). Wilner (2016) claims Neeson appears in “full cheque-cashing mode,” referring to a lackluster, uninspired performance (p. 1). However, LaVenture (2017) of the Asian American Press calls Neeson’s performance as MacArthur “convincing and points out that several of its Korean actors including Lee Beom-soo and Kim Hee-jin earned awards and accolades in their home country for their performance in Operation Chromite.
Comparing the Film with the Historical Battle of Incheon
The chronology of the film is accurate in that the Battle of Inchon occurred only three months after the official start of the Korean War, in 1950. South Korea and the United States planned an amphibious invasion of Inchon, the largest and therefore most strategically important port on the Korean peninsula. Because the port of Inchon was narrow and subject to “extreme tides,” General MacArthur believed that it would take the North by surprise and would therefore become a great success at this early stage in the conflict (“Inch’on Landing,” n.d., p. 1). When MacArthur, who had earned accolades during the Second World War, received permission to invade Inchon, he did in fact name the mission “Operation Chromite.”
From the onset, the film does depict the situation prior to the invasion accurately. For one, the South Koreans had been ill equipped to resist the communist incursion at the onset of the war and prior to Operation Chromite. The film shows how General MacArthur, now a seasoned and decorated war general, led the American and United Nations-backed coalition to come to the aid of the South Koreans. Also, MacArthur was actually in Japan as shown in the film, as the Americans maintained a presence there subsequent to the end of World War Two (LaVenture, 2017). The film also mentions the background information necessary to understand the events that would later transpire, such as as the creation of the Pusan Perimeter and the 48th parallel dividing the peninsula into North and South. In June of 1950, the North did in fact invade the South, supported in part by China and the Soviet Union.
Neeson in Operation Chromite accurately depicts MacArthur’s personality, demeanor, and leadership style. For example, MacArthur actually did have a hard time gaining approval for Operation Chromite because it was viewed as a risky and costly tactic (“Inch’on Landing,” n.d.). His colleagues in Washington argued that there were far better ports at which MacArthur could launch an amphibious attack. MacArthur convinced his superiors that taking the risk at Inchon was critical to gaining ground in the war because it was the only way to launch a surprise attack; all other ports would have proven predictable and therefore easily handled by the North. MacArthur also urged his colleagues to reconsider, particularly in light of the fact that the Pusan Perimeter was becoming increasingly difficult to hold and the North Koreans proved a formidable foe.
To prepare for the invasion, General MacArthur recommended a reconnaissance mission, and it is that mission—described as an “x-ray mission,” that is depicted in Operation Chromite. The film focuses on one specific element of the reconnaissance mission: the location of the map that will help the South Koreans and Americans gain access to the port. Filmmakers may have embellished the details of the x-ray mission but not the overall progression of the invasion of Inchon. Similarly, the character of Captain Jang Hak-Soo may have been embellished and yet the Americans did in fact work willingly with defectors from the North in strategic ways that helped the South Koreans gain key victories like that at Inchon.
In the film, Captain Jang’s team consists of members of the Korean Liaison Office (KLO), an intelligence unit that did actually exist but which later become the South Korean Headquarters of Intelligence Detachment. Therefore, the film does accurately portray the core elements of the Battle of Inchon. Inchon is now familiar as part of South Korea, but prior to this battle, it remained a communist stronghold. Were it not for the heroes of the Battle of Inchon, the war might indeed have progressed differently and of course, the map of the Korean peninsula would look dramatically different.
The filmmakers also stressed the importance of tidal patterns to the success at Inchon. While the infiltrators sought the maps of the mining placement, the sense of urgency grew specifically because of the small window of opportunity the high tide would have afforded. After capturing Inchon, the South and MacArthur were able to gain strategic advantage by cutting off North Korean supply routes (LaVenture, 2017). 
The film also treats the moral issues at stake with the sensitivity necessary to show why the war was deemed necessary and why the Americans had become so paranoid about communism. Several scenes are spent showing audiences the brutalities of the totalitarian regime that had sprouted up in the North, replete with the heinous physical and psychological tactics used to control the population (LaVenture, 2017). Therefore, the film does show why the Americans came to the rescue of the South and why there was a sense of urgency propelling them to take action even though the war ended in a stalemate that persists until this day. 
Conclusion
Audiences will always crave a good war movie, and Operation Chromite does satisfy the urge for some action and espionage. With good battle scenes and an emphasis on suspenseful strategic planning, the film accomplishes its main goal and remains relatively consistent with historical fact. 
References