The Front Line

"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.

First review here on IMDb so I'll keep it short.

This movie is fresh in my mind as I can literally see the credits fading on the other portion of the screen.

This is a great, superbly acted movie about the horrors and futility of war. There really are no "villains" just different shades of grey, as both side is portrayed as just as guilty as the other.

It shows both sides of the war and how they are both fighting for control a small piece of land and at the same time continuously asking the question of "why?"

There are some moments of camaraderie between the two different sides as well, so it isn't all just blood and guts, yet it is more gruesome than Hollywood films.

In summary, if you want to see a good war film aside from the usual Hollywood remakes and rehashes then this one is a good one.

Based on the Korean War of 1953, Aerok Hill is the border between North and South Korea, and both countries did everything they could to defend the hill. During the war, the hill was claimed numerous times by both countries. Each time, the soldiers would bury something in a bunker for the other soldiers to find: beer, wine, photos, letters, etc. This created the feeling that these soldiers might even have been friends if it wasn't for war and the high ranking officials sitting behind their desks declaring war and urging soldiers to fight to the end.

The film starts a bit slow, but this gives us a very good chance to get to know the characters and their backgrounds. It was interesting, effective and never boring. The entire cast is very good. The suspense is elevated when a few men hunt a sniper they call 'Two Seconds'. The film also illustrates how one simple wrong decision can change the fate of so many soldiers. War certainly takes its toll on man's sanity, and is very well depicted in this film.

Even after an armistice was signed, the soldiers were still urged to fight another 12 hours before it took effect. The dismay and reluctance to fight was so evident in the soldiers during the final hours. The film is a very emotional journey and excellent character study of soldiers. The final act was heart wrenching! This is an amazingly well done film.

Great acting ,sets and costumes.One of the best war films I have seen for a while ,the story is also really good .

The main problem with this movie is its runtime and the ungodly amount of side plots. A movie can have multiple side plots, but it must not forget then and remember them only for short amounts of time. These plots ad unnecessary length to the film especially at the end when you just want the movie to end.

Otherwise it was quite good. Combat scenes were quite brutal and captured the horrors of war. The dialogue was bad only a couple of times.

It was weird to not see any actual artillery in the movie. Explosions come mostly from mortars and bombs. It also has a rarely seen rifle granede which is used in one scene.