7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
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
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The Korean conflict is often termed “America’s forgotten war”, coming as it did between the epochal World War II and then the seemingly interminable Vietnam War. Of course later generations have fought battles in Iraq and Afghanistan which perhaps have only added to the under-remembering of Korea, but one of the most salient characteristics about the Korean War that is forgotten by many Americans is that it was in fact fought largely by Koreans, with “aid” from America and China. When pop culture finally took notice of the Korean War in such offerings as the film and television versions of M*A*S*H, it obviously wasn’t an overly realistic portrayal of a conflict that spanned years and wreaked devastating havoc across the Korean peninsula. The horrors of war, which M*A*S*H to its credit did try to at least glancingly portray, were often offset by the madcap antics of the denizens of the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, which made the overall feel of the series bittersweet at best, and often strangely humorous for a show ostensibly about war. M*A*S*H did try to balance the horrors of war with the more playful aspects of some of the characters, but even with noble intentions the atmosphere of both the film and television series was often more concerned with the absurdity of war as a concept than with the actual horrors visited upon individuals, plus the focus was after all mostly on the Americans rather than the Koreans. (These are all broad generalizations, and M*A*S*H fans will no doubt have manifold specific examples to counter this general argument.) The Front Line is a Korean made film that attempts to depict some of that same futility that informed much of M*A*S*H, only this time from a resolutely Korean viewpoint. What is set up as perhaps a CSI-esque investigation into the killing of a South Korean officer instead turns into a rumination about the very nature of war, especially when that war is between putative “brothers”.
The Front Line is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. This Red One shot feature bristles with excellent fine detail and benefits from some fantastic exterior location work which offers incredible depth of field and good, if often quite subdued, color. The film has been tweaked in post, as is so often the case, with some subtle filtering, giving some of the battle scenes a kind of gray-brown ambience, but little if any fine detail is lost despite this tendency. Several interior scenes seems to have been shot with natural lighting, but again there's no lack of shadow detail, and contrast and black levels remain strong and satisfying throughout the feature.
The Front Line's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio (in the original Korean language) is a solid affair which
expertly balances huge, bombastic battle sequences with quieter dialogue moments. Immersion is spectacularly effective in
the battle scenes, and even in some of the quieter moments, extremely subtle but well placed ambient environmental
noises help to create a very real seeming sound field. Dynamic range is incredibly wide throughout the film, as might be
expected, and there's no dearth of floorboard rattling LFE in several key fight segments. Fidelity is top notch on this track
and overall audiophiles should be extremely pleased not only with the consistently inviting surround activity, but with the
generally nuanced approach to even the more laid back dialogue elements.
For the record, the Blu-ray also offers a standard Dolby Digital 2.0 mix of the original Korean language track.
The Front Line was South Korea's entry into the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, and while it didn't make the short list of eventual nominees, it's a remarkably well crafted film that manages to overcome some of its stereotypical characters to offer a bracing portrait of the chaotic closing days of the Korean War. Expertly directed by Hun Jang, the film is artfully balanced between epochal battle segments and a rather well articulated examination of the interrelationships between a gaggle of characters who are each trying to come to terms with their place in an epic conflict. Though this Well Go USA release is lacking the Bey Logan commentary that graced the U.K. edition, it still boasts incredible video and (especially) audio, and comes Recommended.
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