The shortened international version was compared to the original version / Director's Cut.

- Runtime difference: 1103,72 sec (= 18:23 Min)
- 44 differences

There are numerous war films that explore the Second World War and the various events during this dark period. Because of the countless, mostly cruel stories, it is hardly possible to bring all of them to life in cinematographic form. That's why filmmakers tend to focus on the most important battles and struggles of the war, such as D-Day, which is featured in Steven Spielsberg's Private James Ryan, among others. But then there are also less popular scenarios that have hardly ever been mentioned in a film before, including the events on the Japanese island of Hashima.

Korean prisoners of war were taken there to work in the coal mines and thus power the war machine. The conditions of life and work, which were difficult to bear, claimed more than 1000 lives. Today, the island is uninhabited, but over the years it has been used for some filming, such as in Battle Royale.
However, the story of Hashima had not yet been told in a film of its own until when Battleship Island became the first film adaptation based on real events. The film exists in two versions, the theatrical version and the Director's Cut, which was released in its entirety in Germany in November 2020. In England, for example, only the shorter international version was released.

The 150-minute war drama primarily focuses on the living conditions of the workers, creating a dirty and dense atmosphere that is captivating throughout the few lengthy sequences. In addition, it manages to give almost every important character enough screen time so that the viewer can get a relatively detailed impression of them. The at first more quiet narrative style at the beginning is more and more often spiced up with corruption, intrigues and action sequences as the runtime progresses, so that there is enough variety to keep the viewer happy. It should be kept in mind, however, that Battleship Island rarely shows that it is a war movie, which means that warlike activities are rare, but are all the more important. The final battle is longer and more thrilling and should delight the action fan.

The expansions of the Director's Cut can be considered as useful, as they add many rich scenes to the movie, which not only illustrate the living conditions of the workers, but also have an emotional depth, which makes some scenes more thrilling. Thus, the DC is preferable to the theatrical version, as long as you are not deterred by the runtime.

International Cut

More logos

+29,24sec



03:23Min

One of the Korean workers has died, so everyone is reminded to always wear their gas masks. In addition, the funeral expenses are to be deducted from the salary of all workers.

64.47sec

11:48Min

It is explained that when you eat, of course you drink something together, which then leads to the next step all by itself.

11.01sec

18:45Min

Lee realizes that So-hee is no longer with him when he is locked into a wagon.

18.39sec

19:12Min

The people are all made to repeat certain rules of the empire, making them into troops. In order to lure the people, they are asked to sign a treaty, whereby they earn money through their efforts. Lee uses the ensuing turmoil to search for So-hee, who he eventually finds.

187.35sec

International Cut
21:21Min

The music group plays a little longer.

+2.34sec

26:27Min

They attract the attention of the board of directors with their music and reap the applause of everyone else.

22.61sec

International Cut
22:09Min

Now you can see the applause of the spectators here, too.

+2.84sec

38:07Min

One more contemptuous statement about Koreans. The first frames of the next scene are missing.

3.21sec

International Cut
32:16Min

Instead, you can see the one Choi bumped into here again. He can be seen a short time later in the original version, so there is no time difference.

no time difference

41:02Min

A search for So-hee's father is initiated.

22.02sec

43:34Min

Sogejama is shot several times by the Korean agent and finally killed. This is followed by a propaganda film about Hashima Island.

280.57sec

50:30Min

Slowly, unpleasant desires for the girl start to emerge, but they are immediately suppressed again.

58.56sec

54:06Min

It is required that the mine of the entire Korean district be sealed to minimize the damage. The resulting casualties seem to be irrelevant, as new workers are on the way.

9.84sec

International Cut
42:08Min

They are bowing.

1.63sec

54:36Min

The workers contemplate how they can escape from the mine.

25.94sec

55:11Min

More people are informed about the problems in the mine. In the international cut, the scene with the workers caring for an injured person comes first.

no time difference

59:08Min

Yun thanks Song for saving his life.

13.72sec

01:04:11Min

Oh begins to sing.

11.47sec

01:04:39Min

Yun and Song discuss how to get a telegraph to notify headquarters.

42.13sec

01:05:36Min

You can see that the workers are playing cards.

7.67sec

01:06:23Min

The popular cockroach race is a must.

12,1sec

01:12:47Min

After Park threatens to kill him if he betrays them, Lee walks away and says he has to stand in line.

4.34 sec.

01:14:29Min

So-hee meets her father again. You also get to see the hustle and bustle on Hashima, where one of the workers has a bad-smelling mishap with chamber pots.

34.33sec