7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A veteran intelligence officer accepts the assignment and discovers mysterious and tragic occurrences surrounding a former comrade he had long thought dead. In the epic battle for survival that follows, the two men become locked in a deadly battle of wills. One will sacrifice his humanity for the sake of his 'brothers'; the other will discover compassion in the agonies of war. Ultimately, both will be forced to fight side-by-side, so their loved ones can enjoy freedom for just one more day.
Starring: Shin Ha-kyun, Go Soo, Ryu Seung-su, Kim Ok-bin, Ryu Seung-ryongForeign | 100% |
Drama | 46% |
War | 45% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Korean: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Korean: Dolby Digital 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Selected to represent South Korea in the Foreign Language Film Category at the 84th Academy Awards, Jang Hun's "Go-ji-jeon" a.k.a "The Front Line" (2011) arrives on Bu-ray courtesy of British distributors Showbox/Cine-Asia. The supplemental features on the disc include theatrical trailers; various featurettes; audio commentary by Asian Cinema expert Bey Logan; and more. In Korean and English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
After the last battle
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 and granted a 1080p transfer, Jang Hun's The Front Line arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Showbox/Cine-Asia.
Shot with the Red One Camera, The Front Line looks gorgeous on Blu-ray. The high-definition transfer boasts outstanding detail, excellent clarity, and an impressive variety of rich and natural colors. Most close-ups convey very pleasing depth (see screencaptures #2 and 4) even when light is restricted, while the panoramic outdoor scenes look exceptionally crisp (see screencapture #9). As the action moves from one location to another, there are some minor contrast fluctuations, but the high-definition transfer is clearly not to be faulted for them. During the second half of the film, right before the last attack before the cease-fire, I noticed one very short sequence with some extremely light banding, but this isn't something that most people will spot while viewing the film. I did not notice any aliasing patterns to report in this review. Lastly, there are absolutely no stability issues whatsoever. To sum it all up, this is yet another very impressive looking Blu-ray release from the folks at Showbox/Cine-Asia that should please fans of Korean Cinema. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. 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).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 (with small portions of English). For the record, Showbox/Cine-Asia have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is very impressive. Not only it boasts a wide range of nuanced dynamics, but there is also some excellent surround activity that may raise a few eyebrows. There is one specific sequences where a North Korean sniper nicknamed Two Seconds begins killing a small group of South Korean soldiers that is very effective. During the attacks of Aerok Hills, the audio is also very aggressive. Generally speaking, the dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. There are no sync issue or audio dropouts to report in this review. The English translation is very good.
Note: Some of the supplemental features on this release are encoded in PAL. Therefore, you must have a player capable of converting PAL to NTSC in order to view them in North America.
I enjoyed Korean director Jang Hun's The Front Line quite a lot. Its message is a familiar one, but the acting is very convincing and the cinematography excellent. If you like epic Asian war films, make sure to check it out. Also, I would like to encourage you to listen to Bey Logan's audio commentary and see the third making of featurette with the raw footage from the shooting of the battle scenes. RECOMMENDED.
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