The Front Line Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Movies about the Korean War, told from the perspective of South Korea, are rare (or at least rarely make it to the States), but unfortunately “The Front Line” suffers from an over-abundance of plot that would have worked much better in an episodic, mini-series format. Still, the strong high definition presentation makes the title worth a look as a rental.

The Front Line

Release Date: May 8, 2012

Studio: Well Go USA Entertainment

Packaging/Materials: Two-disc Blu-ray case with slipcover

Year: 2011

Rating: NR

Running Time: 2:13:15

MSRP: $29.98

The Feature: 3/5

As quasi punishment for an act of insubordination, South Korean counter intelligence officer Eun-pyo Kang (Ha-kyun Shin) is sent to the Eastern Front of the Korean War to investigate a possible spy in the ranks. Joining the new captain who’s replacing one suspiciously killed in action, Kang quickly learns grueling conditions in the field of battle have not made for the most conventional of platoons.

Due to tremendous losses, Alligator Company is being led by an incredibly young acting captain, though one who ultimately seems capable and commands respect from his fellow soldiers. Most intriguing is Kang’s former comrade Su-hyeok Kim (Soo Go), whom he thought was dead, has also climbed up the ranks in record time, going from a Private to a First Lieutenant in only two years. Combat has also changed his old friend; the once frightened and uncertain boy has become a hardened man with no compunctions about killing.

Alligator Company’s efforts over the last several months have been centered around controlling the strategic position of Aerok Hill. Control has changed hands between the North and South armies repeatedly over the long war, and the soldiers have resigned themselves to their sisyphean task, even welcoming it in some ways. As Kang continues fighting alongside his new comrades in what seems like a neverending and increasingly confusing conflict, he’ll find himself reaching the same conclusions, learning that things in war – and especially on the front lines – aren’t always so cut and dried.

Ask most people in the Asian community, and they’ll say Korean TV dramas are the best in Asia, with compelling storylines and characters that have made them fantastically popular among young and old alike. South Korea has also turned out some excellent feature films, the Vengeance movies by director Chan-wook Park being ones that instantly come to mind. Han-min Kim’s recent period epic, “War of the Arrows,” also featured a great chase story combined with some amazing archery-based action sequences.

Consequently I had high hopes for “The Front Line,” and especially as films about the Korean War, from the perspective of South Korea, seem somewhat rare (or at least rarely make it to the States). Though the movie does include some compelling story elements and strong performances, it also suffers from an over-abundance of plot. One moment it’s about two long lost friends reuniting, the next it’s about hunting down a spy (who could be said friend), then it’s about the moral ambiguities of war and the strange alliances between enemies, and so on. Each plot element is promising, but following each of them just doesn’t work within the confines of a two-hour movie. Especially since the events all take place within a few weeks, it becomes preposterous that so much drama could happen within such a short span of time, the intensity of combat notwithstanding. The stories and their characters would ultimately play much better in a “Band of Brothers” type mini-series, or even as a film trilogy, giving them the necessary room to breathe and properly develop. If the filmmakers ever decided to revisit “The Front Line’s” various tales in a more episodic fashion, they would have a truly great epic on their hands.

Video Quality: 4/5

Shot digitally on Red One cameras, the 1080p, AVC-encoded transfer is framed at 1.85:1 and features impeccable front-to-back detail and sharpness. The desaturated color grading gives the film the requisite battle-hardened look, but also results in some less than inky black levels and a slight flatness to the image contrast. Posterization in gradient areas and in fades to/from black are also quite obvious, though the picture doesn’t seem plagued by any other digital format artifacts.

Audio Quality: 4.5/5

Dialogue in the Korean language 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is consistently crisp and clear. Surround effects can be quite aggressive but also nicely balanced and rendered, lending battle sequences a great, immersive quality with whizzing bullets and airplane flyovers. Low frequency effects are similarly impressive, shaking the room with the film’s mortar blasts and aerial bomb explosions.

Special Features: 1/5

Original Trailer (2;08, SD)

Trailer (1:51, HD)

Making Of (3:42, SD): The behind-the-scenes piece touches on location scouting for Aerok Hill, the filming efforts there, special effects, and costuming.

Highlights (21:45, SD): The point of this collection of scenes pulled from the movie isn’t clear, other than to provide a loose narrative with standard definition image quality. Most viewers will want to pass.

Previews: Pre-menu-loading trailers include “My Way” (2:56, HD), "Warriors of the Rainbow: Saadiq Baalé" (2:15, HD), "War of the Arrows" (1:38, HD), "9th Company" (1:39, HD).

DVD: The disc includes the main feature presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic video and Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 tracks in Korean. Special features mirror those on the Blu-ray disc.

Recap

The Feature: 3/5

Video Quality: 4/5

Audio Quality: 4.5/5

Special Features: 1/5

Overall Score (not an average): 3/5

Well Go USA delivers a great presentation for a Korean War epic that would have played better as a mini-series or film trilogy. The special features are meager, with a “highlights” reel that seems particularly useless. Still, the film has some strong performances and dramatic moments that make the Blu-ray worthy of a rental for those curious about the Korean War from another perspective.