Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

71: Into the Fire Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 22, 2011

Screened at the Hawaii International Film Festival, Lee Jae-han's "Pohwasogeuro" a.k.a "71 - Into the Fire" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Showbox Media. The supplemental features on the disc include original theatrical trailers; behind the scenes featurette; making of documentary; various cast and crew interviews; exclusive new audio commentary by Hong Kong Cinema Expert Bey Logan and Korean Cinema Expert Mike Leeder; and more. In Korea, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The enemy

On June 25th, 1950, the North Korean People’s Army attacks the South with the blessing of the Soviet Union. Three days later the North Korean People’s Army reaches Seoul and then occupies the rest of the county, with the exception of a small area south of the Nakdong River.

Vastly outnumbered by the North Korean People’s Army, the South Korean Army enlists thousands of students who have never received military training. Most are immediately sent as reinforcements to the Young-deok battleground.

Oh Jang-beom (Choi Seung-hyeon, Iris: The Movie) is sent to the 3rd Infantry Division, which has been under heavy fire for hours. Without air support, most of it is soon wiped out. A few hundred soldiers quickly begin retreating to the Nakdong River, which is where the South Korean Army has regrouped to defend the cities of Daegu and Pusan.

Led by the brave Commander Kang Seok-dae (Kim Seung-woo, Woman on the Beach, Give Me Good Night), the survivors reach Pohang, where a former school has been transformed into a field hospital. Before they could get their wounds treated, however, the men are ordered to leave because the North Korean People’s Army has started gaining ground at the Nakdong River.

Around the same time a group of 70 students arrive. They are given rifles and ammunition and told to defend the strategically important Pohang. If the enemy crosses the nearby river and takes over Pohang, the South will lose control of the Nakdong River and the war will be lost. Jang-beom is chosen by Seok-dae to lead the students.

Lee Jae-han's 71- Into the Fire chronicles a series of dramatic events that occurred during the Korean War. Most are seen through the eyes of the charismatic Jang-beom. There are only a few sequences that focus on Commander Seok-dae and his interaction with his superiors and Jang-beom’s rival from the North, Park Moo-rang (Cha Seung-woo, Blood Rain, Small Town Rivals).

Predictably, there are a number of large-scale battle scenes, some of which remind about other similarly themed films, such as Feng Xiaogang’s Assembly, Kang Je-gyu’s Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War, and Lu Chuan's City of Life and Death. The battle choreography and special effects are indeed very impressive.

There are numerous quiet, incredibly beautiful scenes in which Jang-beom and his men are seen contemplating the war, life and death. A few interesting subplots, one involving a fascinating rivalry between Jang-beom and a former prisoner, Kap-Jo (Kwon Sang-woo, Once Upon a Time in High School, More Than Blue), add a different dimension to the story as well.

This being said, the film does have a few weaknesses. Portions of the dialog are rather formulaic, while the North Korean leader’s various patriotic speeches feel notably overdramatized. The tear-jerking moments, however, are kept to an absolute minimum.

The cast is excellent. Seung-hyeon and Sang-woo, in particular, are a joy to behold. Seung-woo is also impressive as the seasoned soldier who feels responsible for the lives of the young and inexperienced students who have volunteered to defend their country.

Note: Last year, 71 - Into the Fire was screened at the Hawaii International Film Festival.

71: Into the Fire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Lee Jae-han's 71 - Into the Fire arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Showbox Media.

I wish I would have seen 71 - Into the Fire in the movie theater as it is really beautifully lensed. The numerous battle scenes, as well as the various panoramic vistas from the countryside, look stunning. The rich yellows, blues, browns, grays, and blacks are exceptionally well reproduced. Fine object detail is consistently excellent, clarity very impressive (even the surprising nighttime attack looks great), and contrast levels outstanding. Furthermore, edge-enhancement is never a serious issue of concern - the film looks sharp and crisp but also notably healthy. I also did not see any traces of excessive noise reduction. There are no serious banding or aliasing issues either. Lastly, blown through a digital projector the transfer conveys fantastic depth and tightness. All in all, this is a fantastic transfer, arguably one of Showbox Media's very best. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

71: Into the Fire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 (with portions of English). For the record, Showbox Media have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is everything I expected it to be - boasting a terrific dynamic amplitude and enhancing the battle scenes exceptionally well. The bass is powerful and punchy, while the surround channels are very intelligently used. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. There are no balance issues with Lee Dong-jun's epic score either. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or audio dropouts to report in this review. The English translation is very good.

71: Into the Fire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: Some of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are encoded in PAL. Therefore, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC in order to view them in North America.

• Men of Valour, Personal Reflections on the Korean War - a wonderful featurette in which Korean War veterans recall the bloody conflict. An exclusive CineAsia/Showbox featurette. In English and Korean, with imposed English subtitles where necessary. (29 min, 1080p).

• Making of Documentary - a standard featurette containing raw footage from shooting of the film and various comments by cast and crew members. In Korean, with optional English subtitles. (21 min, PAL).

• Behind the Scenes - more raw footage from shooting of the film. In Korean, with optional English subtitles. (8 min, PAL).

• Production Design - an informative video interview with the film's production designers. In Korean, with optional English subtitles. (10 min, PAL).

• Pre-production - director Lee Jae-han explain how 71 - Into the Fire came to exist. In Korean, with optional English subtitles. (9 min, PAL).

• Student Soldier Trainees From the Korean War - real student solders recall the Korean War. In Korean, with optional English subtitles. (9 min, PAL).

• Poster - Making of - In Korean, with optional English subtitles. (7 min, PAL).

• Premiere & Press Interview - footage from the film's premiere and the Q&A session that followed it. In Korean, with optional English subtitles. (6 min, PAL).

• Showcase - In Korean, with optional English subtitles. (6 min, PAL).

• Trailers - -- UK Trailer - in English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).
  -- Original Korean Trailer - in Korean, with optional English subtitles. (2 min, PAL).

• Commentary - an audio commentary by Hong Kong Cinema Expert Bey Logan and Korean Cinema Expert Mike Leeder. In English, not subtitled.

71: Into the Fire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you enjoyed Kang Je-gyu's Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War and Feng Xiaogang's Assembly, you do not want to miss Lee Jae-han's 71 - Into the Fire. The film tells an incredible story of courage, strength and perseverance. This is also one of the very best Blu-ray releases I have seen from British distributors Showbox Media. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.