The Front Line (Film) Review

The Front Line

Released: 20th January 2012
RRP: TBC
Director: Hun Jang
Starring: Ha-kyun Shin, Soo Go, Seung-su Ryu, Chang-Seok Ko, Je-hoon Lee
Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 133

Toward the end of the Korean War, an uneasy ceasefire is ordered, but out on the Eastern front line of the Aerok Hills, in an expanse of land called the Aero.K, fierce fighting continues. A race to capture this strategic point to determine a new border between the two Koreas is the ultimate prize. At the Eastern border stands the "Alligator Company," known to be the best soliders on the front line. They are the only unit to have survived the worst battle of the war at Pohang. When a South Korean bullet is found in the dead body of a company commander, Lieutenant of Defense Security Command Kang Eun-Pyo (Shin Ha-Kyun) is ordered to investigate Alligator Company for the murder. Upon arrival, Kang Eun-Pyo is immediately shocked at the state of the soldiers, the conditions on the front, and the presence of Kim Soo-Hyuk, a former friend he believed to be dead. With a truce promised for years but no end in sight, one man struggles to make sense of a crime in the face of countless lives sacrificed for war. -- (C) Well Go USA

Glenn Whipp (Los Angeles Times) said:
"A war movie not quite worth engaging."

Stephen Holden (New York Times) said:
"A movie that reserves its final sickening wallop for a grueling half-hour that leaves you as emotionally battered as the soldiers are forced to return to hell for one last senseless round."

Ernest Hardy (Village Voice) said:
"Quick, unexpected flashes engross the viewer in this Korean War tale even as the script is filled with conventional war movie tropes and types."



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