6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A North Korean agent in Berlin is betrayed and cut loose in the midst of a financial espionage intrigue. Together with his wife, a translator at the North Korean embassy in Berlin, they try to escape being purged, as North and South Korean operatives relentlessly pursue them.
Starring: Ha Jung-woo, Han Suk-kyu, Ryu Seung-beom, Jun Ji-hyun, Lee Kyoung-youngForeign | 100% |
Martial arts | 5% |
Crime | 4% |
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 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Korean, English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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...
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).
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.
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
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.
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