Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Berlin File Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 1, 2014

Korean director Ryoo Seung-wan’s "The Berlin File" (2013) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Korean distributors CJ Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include original Korean trailer and teaser for the film; making of featurette; audio commentary; documentary film; and more. In Korean, with optional English and Korean subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Decisions, decisions...

South Korean NIS agent Jung Jin-soo (Han Suk-kyu, A Bloody Aria, White Night) and his men watch as top North Korean spy Pyo Jong-sung (Ha Jung-woo, The Yellow Sea, Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time), a shady Russian businessman, and a Middle Eastern client representing a large terrorist organization try to close an illegal weapons deal in a chic hotel in Berlin. Moments before they raid the room, however, someone alerts the North Korean spy that NIS agents are in the hotel and he manages to escape.

Soon after, Jong-sung meets the North Korean ambassador (Lee Kyoung-young, Tazza 2), who informs him that he has discovered that the Party leaders in Pyongyang have secretly dispatched a second spy to Berlin -- a merciless killer with a long record named Dong Myung-soo (Ryoo Seung-bum, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, The Unjust). The ambassador is convinced that the killer’s arrival means only one thing -- someone has to pay with his life for the collapsed deal.

Meanwhile, Jin-soo and his superiors begin profiling Jong-sung and quickly discover that he is a 'ghost'. However, they conclude that he is responsible for a number of top jobs in Asia and Europe. Jin-soo then contacts a good friend working for the CIA in Berlin who is getting ready to retire with an unofficial request for help.

The arrival of Myung-soo complicates everyone’s life -- he discovers that Jong-sung’s wife (Gianna Jun, Il Mare, The Thieves), who works in the North Korean embassy, has been communicating with South Korean officials and proceeds to test Jong-sung’s loyalty, and then sets in motion a plan to compromise the ambassador. In the process, he also eliminates the CIA agent and begins working with a group of Middle Eastern terrorists who want Jong-sung dead because they are convinced that he is responsible for the collapsed weapons deal and the death of the man who represented them.

Korean director Ryoo Seung-wan’s latest film falls somewhere between Jang Hun's spy thriller Secret Reunion and Na Hong-jin's action film The Yellow Sea. It is a lot easier, however, to compare it to the likes of Sam Mendes’ Skyfall and Pierre Morel’s Taken. What this means is that it does not break any new boundaries, but it has plenty of style and enough substance to keep one interested until the final credits roll.

The film is broken into multiple episodes, each focusing on a different (and important) character, and moves extremely fast. There are also enough twists in it for an entire TV show, but rather surprisingly none of them feel too outlandish.

There are two key reasons why the film works. First, it is melodrama-free. The complex relationship between Jong-sung and his beautiful wife, for instance, easily could have collapsed the entire film, but thankfully it only redirects it at the right time. Also, the action sequences are graphic, but not so over the top that it would appear that they were extracted from a video game. Second, the Korean cast is excellent. Jung-woo looks tough but not cocky, while Jin-soo has the right amount of anger in him to make his frequent outbursts believable. Jun is equally convincing as the frustrated wife and agent looking for a fresh start.

The action choreography and special effects are first-class. The shootouts, in particular, must have required numerous takes to film right as the camera movement is amongst the most advanced that I have seen in recent Asian action films.

The Berlin File Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ryoo Seung-wan's The Berlin File arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Korean distributors CJ Entertainment.

Shot with the Red Epic camera, the film looks appropriately crisp and vibrant. Virtually all of the daylight panoramic shots boast exceptional clarity and fluidity (see screencapture #6). In fact, even during fast cuts and zooms image depth remains very impressive. Close-ups also impress with tremendous clarity (see screencapture #8). Colors are exceptionally rich and stable. There is one sequence early into the film where I noticed some extremely light banding, but there are no serious digital anomalies to report in this review. Overall image stability is outstanding. All in all, this recent Korean action thriller looks terrific in high-definition, and I am convinced that its fans as well as those who will experience it for the first time on Blu-ray will be quite pleased with CJ Entertainment's release. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The Berlin File Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit). 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.

The lossless track is terrific. It has an excellent range of nuanced dynamics and depth is very impressive. Surround activity during the various action sequences is also very effective. (See the sequence in the hotel where the North Korean spy and his wife are attacked). Naturally, most viewers that prefer to watch their films at night should have their remote control close to them. The dialog is crisp, stable, clean, and easy to follow. For the record, there are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review. The English translation is good.

The Berlin File 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 release. Unfortunately, they are all listed in Korean and not subtitled in English.

Disc One

• Commentary - selected scene commentary. In Korean, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• Teaser - original Korean teaser for The Berlin File. In Korean, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - original Korean trailer for The Berlin File. In Korean, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

Disc Two

• Making of - standard featurette with cast and crew comments and footage from the locations where key sequences from The Berlin File were filmed. In Korean, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080i).

• Behind the Scenes - behind the scenes featurette with raw footage from the shooting of the film and comments by cast and crew members. In Korean, not subtitled. (38 min, 1080i).

• One Way - this long documentary film chronicles the entire production history of The Berlin File. There is plenty of on-location footage from the shooting of the film in Berlin. In Korean, not subtitled. (84 min, 1080i).

• Special Effect/Audio Effects - a look at the special/audio effects in The Berlin File. In Korean, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080i).

The Berlin File Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Korean director Ryoo Seung-wan's spy thriller The Berlin File should appeal to viewers who enjoyed Sam Mendes' Skyfall and Pierre Morel's Taken. Fans of Ha Jung-woo and The Yellow Sea should also plan to see it. The film has been released on Blu-ray by Korean distributors CJ Entertainment and rather predictably looks very impressive. My only complaint here is that some of the supplemental features look very interesting but are not subtitled in English. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.