Joint Security Area

A drama set in the politically attractive environment of a boundary division between Korea and... well, Korea. A conflict takes place and everybody claims something else, but hey, you’ve seen this already again and again elsewhere. But there’s a surprise waiting for you. Whether it’s a positive one or exactly opposite is up to you. Even though the topic could easily make for an incredibly tense atmosphere, in the end it’s quite a serene story with a humanistic feeling to it. And it is told on the level of two storylines, one presenting the investigation and the second the way it all happened. I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that the investigation takes up unnecessarily too much space and that’s a bit bewildering. It’s not at all essential for the movie, but nevertheless it gets almost as much room as the part addressing the reason why the movie was shot in first place. And don’t tell me that editing down that line wouldn’t significantly help the movie as a whole. In any case, it’s an above-average movie and none of the above mentioned nor the too heavy-handed way the main idea is delivered does not derogate its qualities significantly. But neither does it add to the quality. (10.04.2005)

JSA is a huge movie for me with a heartwarming story. The investigation itself may not be that interesting, but it gives it a beginning, middle, and end. Much more interesting is the gradual unravelling of the past, with the occasional laugh. It was so nice that I almost forgot the tragedy that preceded it. In this case, I’m not holding back at all and just giving it my highest rating. (17.12.2012)

In it’s own way, it reminded me of the film Merry Christmas. Only more hopeless, dark, and topical. Decently acted, performed, properly "grimy". I waited the whole time to see what had actually happened, and when I got it, I wasn't disappointed. If you know what you’re getting into, I don't think you’ll be too disappointed. (15.11.2013)