7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
An undercover police officer investigating a powerful Korean crime ring is torn between his duty to uphold the law, and his loyalty to the criminal who trusts him implicitly in this tense crime thriller. Under the watch of his superior Kang, devoted cop Ja-sung embarks on a clandestine mission to infiltrate the powerful "Gold Moon" crime syndicate. Eight years later, he's become part of the organization's inner circle by establishing a powerful bond with Jung Chung, the group's powerful second-in-command. When the head of the criminal outfit dies suddenly, however, the resulting internal power struggle threatens to destroy the syndicate, and dissolve the investigation. Now, Ja-sung must make a decision that will show where his true loyalties lie, and that could very well cost him his career, if he doesn't pay with his life, first.
Starring: Choi Min-sik, Song Ji-hyo, Lee Jung-jae, Hwang Jung-min, Park Sung-woongForeign | 100% |
Crime | 15% |
Action | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Korean: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Korean: Dolby Digital 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
New World’s title may be a bit ironic, at least insofar as it’s revealed in the film’s opening sequence which includes an interesting juxtaposition of situation and the name of the movie. The first thing the viewer sees in New World is the hideously disfigured face of an informant who has obviously been beaten (and perhaps tortured) to within an inch of his life in an attempt to get him to confess to having spilled the beans about a Korean crime syndicate. The poor guy begs for mercy, insisting he hasn’t ratted anyone out, but the thugs surrounding him aren’t buying it. After whacking him a few more times, they mix up some concrete and use a funnel to make the guy drink it. This puts a whole new spin on swimming with the fishes, but the bad guys aren’t done with their victim yet, putting him in a barrel and dumping him far out to sea. It’s at exactly this point, as the barrel sinks into the murky depths of the ocean, that New World is emblazoned across the screen. Yes, “new world” indeed. The opening sequence might lead some to think they’re in for an ultra-violent crime thriller, and while there’s certainly blood and guts galore sprinkled throughout this outing, it’s a surprisingly cerebral film that recalls Martin Scorsese’s The Departed and its Chinese progenitor Infernal Affairs in its tale of an undercover cop planted deep within a criminal network. Much like Infernal Affairs, New World stuffs a lot of information into its opening few minutes, leaving the viewer breathless and perhaps slightly discombobulated. At about the half hour mark, things settle down a bit and start to make more sense, as a desperate web of interrelated characters and their shifting alliances starts to ensnare people in some unexpected ways.
New World is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. This Red One shot features boasts incredible fine object detail, and a sleek, extremely well defined image. Park has occasionally color graded certain sequences (there's a cobalt blue sequence early in the film seen in one of the screenshots accompanying this review), but even there fine detail is only minimally compromised. Park favors extreme close-ups quite a bit of the time, and everything from individual pores to individual facial hairs are completely in evidence. Colors, at least during the "normal" looking sequences, are extremely well saturated and accurate looking. Contrast is also extremely strong, helpful in some of the more shaded sequences.
New World features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix in the original Korean. Immersion is very well handled here, including a glut of great foley effects which are placed very well around the side and even rear channels. A couple of the big set pieces, including the elevator showdown, are viscerally impressive with their sound design (though occasionally the effects need to compete with the film's thumping, bass heavy score). Dialogue is cleanly presented and well prioritized, even in the sonically busy segments. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range is extremely wide.
New World is a complexly structured and rather dense entertainment, and so it requires the kind of close attention that some filmgoers aren't willing to invest. For those who can navigate the admittedly confusing first half hour or so, the film pays off in spades—and then some. With a number of really well done (and for once, relatively unexpected) twists and turns, Park keeps the viewer guessing until virtually the last moment of the film. The performances are also uniformly engrossing, especially as several major characters turn out to be not exactly what they appear to be at first glance. This Blu-ray features superb video and audio, and even without much in the way of supplements, comes Highly recommended.
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