Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

A Dirty Carnival Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 3, 2010

Screened at the Chicago International Film Festival, Yu Ha's "A Dirty Carnival" (2006) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Korean distributors CJ Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include two audio commentaries; behind the scenes featurette; multiple making of featurettes; deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary by director Yu Ha; interviews; footage from the film's premiere; and theatrical trailers. In Korean, with optional English and Korean subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Family

29-year-old Kim Byung-doo (Jo In-seong, Classic) is serious about his career - he is always respectful to his co-workers and determined to please his bosses. He is also open to constructive criticism. Unsurprisingly, his opinions are well respected and professionalism admired - which is why almost everyone Byung-doo has worked with agrees that he is a gangster with a bright future.

Byung-doo is under the command of Sang-chul (Yun Je-mun, Mother), a vile man who loves luxury. Sang-chul likes Byung-doo but isn’t convinced that he has what it takes to be a leader. The two see each other only when they absolutely have to.

Sang-chul reports directly to President Hwang (Chun Ho-jin, The Guard Post), a man who is admired by his employees for his vision and intellect. He has built an organization many outside of it believe is amongst the most powerful and affluent ones in the city of Seoul.

When a corrupt lawyer goes after President Hwang, Byung-doo sees an opportunity to move up in the organization - he quietly kills the lawyer and earns the respect of President Hwang. Sensing that his influence within the organization has been weakened, Sang-chul decides to teach Bying-doo a lesson immediately after his daughter’s wedding.

Meanwhile, Bying-doo meets an old high-school friend and aspiring film director, Kim Min-ho (Min Nam-koong), who asks him for assistance - Min-ho wants to shoot a gritty, realistic gangster film and needs to understand how gangsters think, act and communicate with each other. While explaining to Min-ho the essence of gangster life, Bying-doo also shares how he and his men dealt with a lawyer who tested President Hwang’s patience.

Bying-doo also attends a high-school reunion where he meets Hyun-joo (Lee Bo-young, More Than Blue), a beautiful girl he once had a crush on. The two start seeing each other and Bying-doo begins fantasizing about having a family, but Hyun-joo confesses to him that she is unsure if she wants to spend the rest of her life with a man who kills for a living.

Yu Ha’s A Dirty Carnival is a gritty and violent yet surprisingly romantic gangster film. Its premise may suggest that it is fairly predictable, one-dimensional affair that could turn off hardcore genre aficionados, but I assure you little in it, if anything, is what it seems.

A Dirty Carnival works on a variety of different levels. On one hand, it effectively follows the rise and fall of a man who has come to realize that he is only good at killing - which is why he decides to make a career of it. Eventually, the man also realizes that he wants to have a family, like most normal people do. But how does one go about being a professional killer and at the same time a decent family man?

On the other hand, A Dirty Carnival offers a fascinating look at a society in transition, one that is known for its traditional respect for authority and seniority. If you pay close attention to the numerous discussions in the film, you will notice how profoundly different the value systems of young Koreans are when compared to those of their parents.

The acting in A Dirty Carnival is uniformly good. Jo In-seong is outstanding as the young and determined to succeed gangster who is running out of luck. Yun Je-mun is also terrific as the coldhearted mob boss ready to crush anyone who challenges his authority. There are a variety of fantastic cameos as well.

In 2006, A Dirty Carnival was screened at the Chicago International Film Festival. A year later, the film was nominated for four Grand Bell Awards, including Best Film and Best Actor (Jo In-seong).

A Dirty Carnival Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.29:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Yu Ha's A Dirty Carnival arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Korean distributors CJ Entertainment.

This is a pleasing high-definition transfer with a couple of minor issues. Generally speaking, A Dirty Carnival looks fresh, with most of the daylight scenes being notably sharp. Mild edge-enhancement, however, occasionally pops up here and there, and I also noticed some random contrast boosting. Some sporadic sharpening has been applied as well. Still, fine object detail and clarity are fairly pleasing. The color-scheme does not disappoint either; blues, greens, browns, grays and blacks look fresh and natural. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review. Finally, I did not see any marks, scratches, cuts or stains. (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).

A Dirty Carnival Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, CJ Entertainment have provided optional English and Korean subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

When it comes to solid audio treatments, CJ Entertainment may well be one of the most consistent Asian distributors currently releasing on Blu-ray, as I am yet to test a disc they have produced that does not have a top-notch loseless audio track. A Dirty Carnival continues this very pleasing trend.

The Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is excellent. The bass is powerful and punchy, the rear channels very effective, and the high-frequencies not overdone. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable and exceptionally easy to follow. There are no balance issues with Jo Yeong-wook's soundtrack either. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review.

A Dirty Carnival Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: I would like to apologize to our readers for not being able to comment on the supplemental features included on this Blu-ray disc. Unfortunately, they are all listed in Korean and not subtitled in English. Even the names of the participants in the audio commentaries are listed in Korean only. However, all of them are playable on North American PS3s and SAs. The supplemental features are: two audio commentaries, behind the scenes featurette, multiple making of featurettes, deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary, interviews, footage from the film's premiere, and theatrical trailers.

A Dirty Carnival Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Yu Ha's A Dirty Carnival is a moody, very stylish Korean gangster film that should appeal to a wide variety of viewers. If you crave something fresh, not another rehash of overused genre cliches, make sure to see it. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Korean distributors CJ Entertainment, looks and sounds good. It is also Region-Free. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.