7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
The story of a cab driver in Yanji City, a region between North Korea, China and Russia. His wife goes to Korea to earn money, but he doesn't hear from her since in 6 months. He plays mah-jong to make some extra cash, but this only makes his life worse; but then he meets a hitman who proposes to turn his life around by repaying his debt and reuniting with his wife, just for one hit.
Starring: Jo Sung-ha, Lee Cheol-min, Ha Jung-woo, Kim Yoon-seok, Kwak Do-wonForeign | 100% |
Drama | 51% |
Crime | 10% |
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, 16-bit
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Screened at the Cannes Film Festival and winner of Best Actor Award at the Asian Film Awards, South Korean director Na Hong-jin's "Hwanghae" a.k.a. "The Yellow Sea" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Bounty Films/Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include theatrical trailers, teaser, and making of documentary. In Korean, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Busy night
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Na Hong-jin's The Yellow Sea arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Bounty Films/Eureka Entertainment.
Contrast and clarity tend to fluctuate as the main protagonist moves from one location to another. The color-scheme also constantly evolves, though cold grays and blues are always part of the mix. Despite the fact that the camera never stops moving, detail is consistently very good, while clarity is pleasing even during the nighttime sequences (see screencapture #4). The wider panoramic vistas also convey pleasing fluidity. There are no traces of post-production sharpening. I also did not see any serious transfer-specific anomalies, such as banding or aliasing. Compression artifacts also do not plague the transfer. Finally, there is no distracting flicker or serious stability issues to report in this review. All in all, this is a competent presentation that should please fans of The Yellow Sea. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Bounty Films have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.
The loseless audio track boasts a wide range of dynamics. During the action sequences the surround channels are also intelligently used, creating the impression that one is placed right in the middle of the various crashes and shootouts. There is one specific sequence, in particular, where a number of police cars are destroyed, which is likely to test the muscles of your audio system. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. Additionally, there are no high-frequency distortions, sync issues, or audio dropouts. The English translation is also very good.
Na Hong-jin's The Yellow Sea is one heck of an action film. It reminded me of Dante Lam's Fire of Conscience - it is fast, loud, deadly serious and uncompromisingly brutal. What a shame that 20th Century Fox, who apparently helped finance the film, decided to release it only on DVD in the U.S. as part of their Fox World Cinema series. The Yellow Sea would have been an instant hit on Blu-ray. If you could play Region-B "locked" releases and enjoy high-octane action, make sure you pick up this disc. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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