Joint Security Area (2000) [Film Review]

Joint Security Area; or, Incident at a Frontier
     Three minutes into the war, both countries would be destroyed.
Joint Security Area is a 2000 mystery thriller based on the novel DMZ by Park Sang Yeon and directed by the awesome Park Chan Wook. The movie became an instant blockbuster at the time of the release and also gained critical acclaim due to its controversial subject matter. The picture provides a striking evaluation of the 50 years of history since the outbreak of the Korean War.

Release Info

Directed by: Park Chan Wook Starring: Lee Byung Hun, Song Kang Ho, Lee Young Ae

Language: Korean Original Title: 공동경비구역 JSA Runtime: 110 min

Synopsis
Major Sophie E. Jean (Lee Young Ae) is a Swiss Army emissary sent by the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission to investigate a shooting incident in the Demilitarized Zone. Sergeant Lee Soo Hyuk (Lee Byung Hun) claims to have been kidnapped by the North Korean officers, which resulted in a shoot out in a border house. However, North Korean survivor of the incident, Sergeant Oh Kyung Pil (Song Kang Ho) states that Lee singlehandedly attacked their outpost. In the course of her investigation, Major Jean discovers that both men are not telling the truth. What really happened at a small outpost in the middle of the night on the 28th of October remains a mystery…

Enemy at the Gates
To be honest, I was totally blown away by the movie when I saw it for the first time. Joint Security Area is definitely not a standard Korean flick with lots of thrilling action and high doses of melodrama. In fact, director Park Chan Wook crafted a haunting Rashomon-like story which shows that the Korean people can rise above the political boundaries.

I checked out the film while doing my research for the MDL article "Through the Looking Glass: Inter-Korean Relations in South Korean Fiction," co-written with my friend Seonsaeng (I hope that we will finish it someday). Indeed, Joint Security Area is an excellent introduction into the relations between the South Koreans and the North Koreans.

The movie does take sides and it does not demonize the main protagonists. I try to keep my reviews spoiler-free, and in this case, I do not want to reveal the plot twists, but let me just say… OMG. Joint Security Area hits all the right marks. It is that awesome! So many memorable scenes and so many wonderful quotes! It is not surprising that South Korea's President Roh Moo Hyun gave Kim Jong Il a DVD version of the film in 2007.

With regard to performances, the film obviously would not have been so wonderful without excellent casting. Lee Young Ae is great as Major Jean, a heroine with intriguing past who searches for the truth, I definitely need to check out more movies and dramas with this actress. Lee Byung Hun is also amazing as Sgt. Lee (but still, to me, he will always be "the Bad" from The Good, The Bad, The Weird movie). However, Song Kang Ho provides such overload of charisma that he simply steals the show. You will always be the greatest! In addition, Shin Ha Kyun also appears the film in a memorable supporting role as Pvt. Jung Woo Jin.

Recommendations
I recommend Joint Security Area to anyone who would like to discover more information on the complex relations between South Korea and North Korea. This motion picture is an undeniable classic. I hope that someday I will be able to see on my own eyes the crossing at Panmunjom. Last year, Arrow Video released the movie on Blu-Ray in a beautiful edition.

Overall score: 10/10

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