Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Front Line Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 29, 2012

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

The final days of the Korean War. The armies of North and South Korea are engaged in a fierce battle on the rugged Aerok Hills. Both sides want to prevail because the winner will determine where and under what conditions the future border between the two countries will be drawn. The Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) are assisting the North Korean army on the ground, while U.S. planes are providing air support to the South Korean army.

Intelligence officer Kang Eun-pyo (Shin Ha-kyun, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Thirst) is sent to the area to investigate the tragic death of a field lieutenant from the South Korean Alligator Company because some of his superiors believe that he might have been killed by a spy. He is accompanied by Captain Jae-Oh, a new and inexperienced recruit who will replace the field lieutenant.

When Kang Eun-pyo reaches Aerok Hills he is surprised to discover that a former comrade, Kim Soo-hyuk (Ko Soo, Haunters), whom he had long thought dead, has become a fearless commander. He is also shocked by the complete lack of morale amongst the soldiers, many of whom wear North Korean uniforms because they are freezing and look seriously traumatized.

After a quick inspection of the area, Kang Eun-pyo begins his investigation and soon discovers that a group of soldiers, including the leader of Alligator Company, Captain Shin Il-young (Lee Je-hoon, Bleak Night), who is addicted to morphine, are in touch with another group of North Korean soldiers. In a small cave on the eastern slope of Aerok Hills, the two groups have started exchanging gifts - the North Korean soldiers would typically leave rice wine, while the South Korean soldiers would leave American cigarettes and chocolate; the two groups would also regularly exchange letters meant for family members and relatives who are living 'on the other side'.

News that a cease-fire agreement could be signed soon reaches the area - and the battle for Aerok Hills intensifies, as both sides are convinced that the last victors would be able to keep the hills. Meanwhile, a merciless North Korean sniper (Kim Ok-bin, Thirst, The Accidental Gangster and the Mistaken Courtesan), nicknamed Two Seconds by the South Korean soldiers - because his victims would hear the deadly shot two seconds after they have been hit - begins eliminating the members of Alligator Company.

South Korea’s official submission in the Foreign Language Film Category at the 84th Academy Awards is a sharp and well acted film that reminds about Kang Je-kyu’s Tae Guk Gi - The Brotherhood of War and Lee Jae-han's Pohwasogeuro a.k.a 71: Into the Fire. It has massive battle scenes, interesting subplots, and realistic characters that never test the viewer’s patience.

The film’s message is a familiar one - in war, there are no winners, only survivors. However, there are some rather surprising observations about the roles China and America played during the Korean War. The best ones are very subtle.

While the first and second act of the film are very convincing, particularly in illustrating the absurdity of war, the final act has a good number of melodramatic and even silly sequences which tend to stick out. It is difficult to tell what their intended purpose is, but at times it feels like they were meant to deliver a very specific message, possibly to a very small group of important viewers residing in Pyongyang.

Shot with the Red One Camera, the film is incredibly crisp and vibrant. The massive battles, in particular, look notably realistic.

The Front Line Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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).

The Front Line Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

The Front Line Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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.

• Making of - a short featurette with raw footage from the shooting of The Front Line and comments from some of the principal actors and members of the tech crew. In Korean, with optional English subtitles. (4 min, PAL).

• Action & SFX Making of - raw footage from the shooting of some of the more intense and graphic battle sequences in The Front Line. Some of the actors were apparently seriously hurt on a number of different occasions. In Korean, with optional English subtitles. (22 min, PAL).

• A Daily Record of Battle - Making of Production - additional raw footage from the shooting of the film. Here, a military expert also explains how various weapons must be handled. In Korean, with optional English subtitles. (34 min, PAL).

• Ceasefire Agreement - Production Design - additional raw footage from the shooting of key sequences from the film (the clash in the cave; the farewell). In Korean, with optional English subtitles. (20 min, PAL).

• Commentary - yet another great audio commentary by Asian Cinema expert Bey Logan, who spends a great deal of time discussing the film, various important historic events, their unique interpretation by the creators of The Front Line, etc. Indeed, a fantastic commentary, perhaps even more enjoyable than the actual film.

• Trailers -
  
  -- UK Trailer - In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).
  -- Korean Trailers - In Korean, with optional English subtitles. (3 min, PAL).

• Trailers - trailers for other Showbox/Cine-Asia Blu-ray releases.

The Front Line Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.