THE 100 BEST WAR MOVIES #47. The Front Line (2011)

 

Let me state from the start, I love South Korean war movies.  They are always entertaining.  Turn off your filters, sit back, shake your head, and enjoy.  These directors know how to film balls to the wall action that makes “Saving Private Ryan” look like a documentary.  Remarkably, I have yet to see one that does not treat the Korean War as a mess.  There is no patriotism in these films and a lot of sympathy for the enemy.  Compare this to Hollywood’s take on the war and remember that South Korea has a much better reason to pump up the patriotism and demonization of the enemy.  The  recent appearance of these types of movies starting with “Joint Security Area” (2000) clearly shows how far the country has come down the path of democracy.  It was not that long ago that the director of a movie like this would have been thrown in prison.  I read the other day that you could argue that in terms of positive results the Korean War was our most successful war.  That may be a stretch, but when you see where South Korea is today (and specifically Korean cinema as an example of this), you can see where this theory comes from. It won Grand Bells (equivalent to the Academy Awards) for Best Lighting, Best Cinematography, and  Best Film. It was nominated for Cinematography, Director, Supporting Actor (Ryu Seung-Ryong), New Actor (Lee Je-Hoon), Screenplay, Editing, Costume Design, Visual Effects, and Sound Effects.

            “The Frontline” is set on the eastern front is the last month of the war.  The Alligator Company (named after the fact that baby alligators have a low survival rate) is tasked with capturing Aerok (look at it in a mirror) Hill before the Armistice locks in the border.  The hill has changed hands 30 times in 18 months.  The hill is an amazing set.  The company is low in morale and has recently had a change in command via fragging.  The interim commander is a morphine addict.  Kang (Shin Ha-kyun) arrives from the C.I.C. (Counterintelligence Corps) to investigate the murder and suspicions of collaboration in the unit. (The C.I.C. was created to ferret out communists in the ranks.)  He is shocked to be reunited with his best friend Kim (Go Soo).  Kim had been taken captive early in the war and was presumed hors de combat.  Kim is now a cynical anti-hero.

            When the latest order to take the hill comes the unit reluctantly saddles up, shrugs, and sallies forth.  The result is SPRish with hand-held, quick cuts, close-ups pulling back, and even a tracking shot.  If you’ve seen Tae Guk Gi, you know the Korean style.  Kang takes part in the attack.  Did I mention Korean directors are not big on reality?  Being in the thick of it allows Kang to discover that there is a bunker in no man’s land that acts as fraternization central.  Whenever it changes hands, the dispossessed side has left “gifts”.  The South leaves America cigarettes and chocolate and the North leaves rice wine.  More significantly, the communists leave letters for relatives in the South. The movie taps into the dislocation of relatives when the 38^th Parallel was used to separate the north from the south.  There is a really cool montage of a few more assaults as seen by a stationary camera to push the time frame ahead.  A key subplot involves a North Korean sniper called “Two Seconds”.  A “Full Metal Jacket” type of “I dare you to rescue him” scene is followed by a FMJesque revelation. Another subplot involves the raw nerves of the platoon. Kang traces this back to an incident at Pohang early in the war.  Flashback time.  An amphibious assault goes terribly wound. All the survivors have PTSD. Just when you think things could not get worse, here come the Chicoms. And both sides really want that hill, especially since the armistice is coming and each side wants as much territory as possible.  They even fight over a hill that is devastated.

            It turns out there are 12 hours of war left.  Who really wants that moonscape of a hill?  The generals.  This actually accurately reflects the battle for the hills (ex. Pork Chop Hill) that closed the Korean War.  Who wants to stage a grand set piece to close his movie?  Jang Hoon.  Leave the kitchen sink in the trailer, but bring everything else.  Air bombardment by fighters that drop bombs they don’t have (learned from American war films).  Slo-mo.  Elegaic music.  Hand-to hand.  A stabbing death that reminds of Mellish’s from SPR.  Graphic wounds.  Intense violence. 

ACTING:                    A

ACTION:                     A  (10/10)

ACCURACY:                N/A

PLOT:                            A

REALISM:                      C

CINEMATOGRAPHY:   A

SCORE:                         C

SCENE:  the last assault

QUOTE:   North Korean officer:  Did you expect to survive this war?

            “The Frontline” was a huge hit in South Korea.  Apparently South Koreans do not like their war movies coated with sugar.  (They don’t mind a whiff of bull shit, however.)  The movie was critically acclaimed and a big hit at the box office. It is undoubtedly entertaining in a macho male demographic way.  I don’t think females will be as enamored, but there is a significant female character which is something to commend it for.  Hint:  think “Enemy at the Gates”.

            The movie is very well acted.  The leads are good and typically sincere for Koreans.  There are some interesting plot devices like the bunker in no man’s land.  The themes of brotherhood, rivalry, and sympathy for the enemy (although a bit heavy-handed) are nicely laid out. There are a few poignant deaths.  The film is more anti-war than most war movies. The Korean War was hell, especially in the last year when both sides were in a throw-back to WWI.  These themes have been explored before in Korean movies, so there is nothing new here.  Also not breaking new ground is the “it’s a small world” nature of many of the character arcs.  And the ending is on the trite side.

            I have seen all the major Korean war movies and I believe this is the best one. The use of the fraternization bunker, the friendly fire incident, and the female sniper make it stand out from the other war movies.When you add those subplots to the assaults on the hill, you get a well-rounded film.