Front Line [Blu-ray] [2011] [US Import]

Koreans know a thing or two about war. While the Korean War lasted from 1950 - 1953, the nation remains divided into the Republic of Korea and Democratic People's Republic of Korea even today, a source of constant tension between the two peoples. It's hard to imagine the stress and discord created between families broken apart due to living on opposing sides of the 38th Parallel, but films like THE FRONT LINE can offer citizens of the world a look back at the final moments of a struggle still creating divisions even today.

THE FRONT LINE primarily deals with the various battles surrounding Aerok Hills, a hilly, cave- and trench-filled area where the fiercest battles result in the large piece of property changing hands between the two nations several times. A South Korean company commander turns up dead, but, when the body is examined, he's found to have been killed by one of his nation's weapons. Defense Security Lieutenant Kang Eun-Pyo (played by Shin Ha-kyun) is sent to investigate the affairs of Alligator Company. Once there, he learns that a former soldier/friend of his, Kim Soo-Hyuk (Go Soo) - a man he long thought dead - is still alive, and Kim's actions may very well be close to the mystery of what's happened at the front. Assuming Kang can survive the battles long enough, he may learn the shocking secret of what drove a soldier to turn on his superior ... a secret that may prove better left unknown.

The film is a powder keg of action, intrigue, and drama as it explores not only the complex relationships that these soldiers develop in their respective times of crisis but also delves deeply into what it means to sacrifice for one's nation. The audience is introduced to all of Alligator Company, and they're shown with all their beauty and scars. They laugh together, they cry together, and, if fate has it, they die together, but never do they go into it blindly or without a reasonable amount of reflection on what war - the most brutal experience known to man - has done to them and their band of brothers.

Also, the script is wonderfully peppered with amazing character moments. Each of these soldiers - even the few we're introduced to in service to North Korea - are given some defining characteristic: no one is simple a soldier or a killing machine, even if that's the role they may inevitably play in the climax. For example, an adversarial officer is shown early on in flashback, and, when confronting his enemy, he's respectful and, even, forgiving about having done what was needed to capture them. Showing compassion, he turns them loose, telling them that the war will be over soon. When we see this officer later - after the strain of three years of fighting - he maintains his nobility, but his face and body are covered with scars - the most strikingly visible effect combat can have on flesh. The message here is that no one - despite their predilection for goodness and mercy - escapes war without consequence, a grim message indeed.

While the narrative is clearly very anti-war (certainly, a handful of characters all reflect on the futility of the campaign to recapture Aerok Hills from the enemy), the film never descends (as so many American films tend to as of late) into sanctimonious preaching about the ills of combat. Yes, all of these men are scarred from what they've done; and, yes, they each go to some length to question the legitimacy of it; but, in the end, they're all soldiers doing a dirty job. As much as they'd like to put it all behind them, they repeatedly toe-the-line - with some prodding for drama's sake - with a spirit of nationalism, pride, and honor to carry out their orders.

The camerawork is particularly harrowing as these men march, climb and crawl throughout the blasted remnants of Aerok Hills. Other engagements are shown in flashback (I won't spoil any details, suffice it to say that there's a very specific backstory to the central mystery; it doesn't fully unfold until fairly late in the picture, but it's a frightening experience that underscores why some of these soldiers act the way they do). The majority of it appears to have been accomplished through handheld cameras - with a fair amount of jerkiness to the action - but, unlike other films, I never found it intrusive or unnecessarily disturbing. Director Jang Hun struck a terrific balance between the heavier and the lighter moments - inserting moments of human tenderness to balance out the realities of harsh combat. Where some films descend into what's been termed `war porn,' THE FRONT LINE retains a focus on recording the history of these events, always leveraging them against the human cost, and it's exceedingly well done from start to finish.

The film is a joint presentation of Showbox and Mediaplex with production by A-Po Films. It served as South Korea's official submission to the 84th annual Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film, and it won four Grand Bell Awards (awards presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea), including Best Planning, Best Cinematography, Best Lighting, and Best Picture. The disc is marvelously produced with exceptional picture and sound. Sadly, there's only a brief (3 minute) `making of' feature, but there's also a section of the film's highlights and several trailers. Still, the film's a winner through-and-through, and this is one that deserves to be in any film fan's collection. English-subtitled.

HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION. It's as gritty and uncompromising as it is heartfelt. THE FRONT LINE starts out slowly but builds toward its dramatic war-torn conclusion. This is take-no-prisoners guerilla filmmaking on par with SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and Korea's own TAEGUKGI or SILMIDO. This is one of the best films on war that I've seen in a very long time. It's pitch & picture perfect.

In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Well Go USA provided me with a DVD screener copy of THE FRONT LINE for the expressed purposes of completing this review.

"He said our enemy wasn't commies, but the war itself." Toward the end of Korean War Lieutenant Kang Eun-Pyo is sent to investigate a murder on the front lines. He reaches the area called Aerok Hill where the fighting is most intense. Soon after the truth is reveled a cease fire is signed and the two sides rejoice. But the war is far from over. This war movie interested me more then most of the recent ones. The main reason is that my grandfather served in the Korean War and there hasn't been a lot of movies made about that war. I was interested to see the stuff he refused to tell me about. After watching this I can see why. The movie is a Korean movie so the entire movie deals with a platoon of South Korean soldiers and their struggles. I have said before that for better or worse every war movie since it's release is compared to "Saving Private Ryan", and I never thought a movie could top that one. This is as close as I've seen and in some ways may be better. This is far and away better then "Letters From Iwo Jima" but like both of those movies you are so involved with the characters it is no longer a movie of nameless faces dying but people you feel a connection with. This movie makes you feel all kinds of emotions but the last half hour will make you feel things you never knew you could. Another example of how much power a movie has when it's done right. I highly recommend this movie. Overall, one of, if not the best war movie I have ever seen. I give it an A.

It's 1953 and The Korean War wages on. Negotiations for a ceasefire have been going on for over two years, but nothing has come of it. The South Korean group of men fighting at Aerok Hill is known as Alligator Company. Their commander was said to be shot with a gun from his own side and Intel says there's a spy residing in their midst. First Lieutenant Eun-Pyo (Ha-kyun Shin) of the Defense Security Command is sent to look into it. Once there, Eun-Pyo is reuinited with his best friend from college Su-Hyeok (Soo Go) who Eun-Pyo thought had died at the beginning of the war. But Su-Hyeok is not the man he used to be as his humanity has been stripped away, he doesn't think twice about killing anyone, and has somehow moved up in rank to Lieutenant in just two short years. But Alligator Company is hiding something that lies within the events that occurred at Po-hang and has left their current commanding officer Captain Il-Young (Je-hoon Lee) addicted to morphine.

Despite being a fan of horror, blood and guts, and explosions, war movies have always been the oil to my water. No matter how hard you stir or shake the two of us together we just don't mix and have decided to see other genres because of it. It's not that I think war movies are bad. They just haven't appealed to me in the past and every one I've tried to watch up until this point has been okay at best. Maybe it's because I'm getting older or that I'm beginning to notice more during movies, but The Front Line makes me reconsider that opinion and those feelings.

Ha-kyun Shin won me over as a fan with his performances in Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance and No Mercy For the Rude, so my expectations for the acting in this went up a few notches once I noticed him on-screen. Thankfully, those expectations weren't let down. Other than the general that speaks English in a scene very early on in the film, every person in the cast gives first-rate performances. Je-hoon Lee was really something. His addiction to morphine gives Il-young this mysteriousness to him. The last scene Il-Young is in will have you talking about him long after the movie is over. Soo Go was also fantastic. Su-Hyeok is relentless. Whatever happened during the time he was away from Eun-Pyo has made him cruel and relentless; almost a shadow of his former self. His eyes, facial expressions, and mannerisms help bring those feelings to fruition. Then there's Ha-kyun Shin who's just exceptional. He's just so emotionally absorbing. You can't help but glue your eyes to him whenever Eun-Pyo is around.

The brilliant cinematography and exceptional lighting add a lot to the film. The lighting felt very natural yet always added just the right amount of light so nothing was ever too dark. The camera work made it seem like you're running around in the trenches with these soldiers. The battlefield was this desolate wasteland littered with loud gunfire and clouds of smoke. Most of the colors are very washed out as browns, grays, and various shades of navy green are the majority of the colors used in the film. But then you see something like a bright blue tablecloth and it just jumps off the screen because of the washed out colors you're used to. Plants, bloodshed, snow, rain, fog, and forests make things appear to be momentarily richer than they really are.

The warfare isn't quite as gruesome as I was expecting. There was still quite a bit of blood, but it almost appeared to be more brown than red at times. Seeing somebody without an arm or a leg was a lot more unnerving. The orphans running around the Alligator Company camp bring out a few "wow" moments in the film. The chocolate bar scene and their scene with Su-Hyeok are both just heartbreaking.

I would argue that the drama almost outweighs the war in The Front Line, but then most of the drama is happening because of the war. So it's an endless cycle. It's a bit surprising how good The Front Line is though. With its rich cinematography, smooth storytelling, and passionate performances, it's difficult to argue its merit.