denis888 On paper, this plot promises much - Joint Security Area between two Koreas and a conflict there. Koreans know how to cut great war epics. Here, they tried and mostly failed due to a very usual and thus very schematic plot, often too poor and corny performances, often too predictable a next step. Seems like Koreas want to break down that wall, but the film does not break any - we have seen such twists and turns in The Base or any other political thriller with some shooting involved. That being said, we have to commend camera work and awesome nature views. Apart and beyond, we are fed with a very trivial casual political soup of no fresh value

oneguyrambling The Joint Security Area (JSA) refers to the North and South Korean border. A tense and formal area manned on both sides by armed soldiers. By day a South Korean tourist attraction manned by uniformed expressionless guards 8 feet apart, by night the sides withdraw to either side of a bridge in manned posts perhaps 100 metres apart. The no-man's land alongside the bridge is patrolled by teams who must be ever wary of the presence of booby traps or land mines.On one night though shots ring out, 2 North Korean soldiers are killed, apparently by a South Korean soldier named Sgt Lee Soo Hyuk on a road who has confessed but refuses to talk further. In fact neither side wants to talk about it.Lee Soo Hyuk is condemned by the Northern forces and protected by the South, with each party possessing such a strong bias a neutral investigation is commenced lead by Major Sophie Jean, a Swiss resident with Korean ties and a mastery of the language.In interviews and flashbacks the real story gradually unfolds, nothing is as simple – or funnily enough as complicated – as it first seems.It is not fair to the film to say much more, I will say that it takes time for the real events to unravel but it is worth the wait. Being a Park Chan-Wook film it is well acted and immaculately paced, and JSA also contains some moments of great innocence and humanity. In fact the final truth is far more 'boring' and human than anyone might guess from the serious tone of the first few minutes.The film is laid out in three chapters, the first shows the viewpoint of the investigators, the second the actual events from the soldier's point of view and the third the conclusion and ultimately the truth.JSA is never less than intriguing and even though it isn't as great as the Vengeance trilogy it possesses perhaps the strongest final frame in almost any film that I can recall.Final Rating – 8 / 10. A who-dunnit with a difference. An extremely effective drama with a strong cast, a great plot and the usual exceptional direction of a modern day master.

Schwenkstar Chan-wook Park's most politically-charged film tackles the very volatile tension that exists between the North and South Koreans. This could have easily been propagandistic in nature, with this South Korean film portraying the Northerners as mere caricatures of Communistic ideals, but instead the film happily sidesteps this and portrays both the North Koreans and South Koreans as kinsmen.In the beginning of the picture, both sides have a skewed view of one another, seeing each through the lens of their political temperament - the border between the two thus is interpreted as a wall that filters and jades each one's perspective. However, once that that wall is finally crossed, the two sides realize that no wall really exists, and they begin to see each other as human beings - The soldiers first call one another "enemies", but soon they are calling one another "brothers".The characters are richly drawn and dynamic to reflect this - each are humans, with their own unique demeanor, and that their national identity is nothing more than a facade. While the soldiers are alone, away from their government infrastructures, both sides cling to one another in fellowship as they find themselves all the same. Only when the absent governmental element is reintroduced are the soldiers forced to revert back behind their facades, and tragedy results.A powerfully moving and keenly intelligent analysis of the confusing political situation between the two opposing governmental systems. Despite being slightly marred by a few lapses into melodrama and overstatement, that can not take away from its piercing effectiveness.The highest recommendation possible.

Claudio Carvalho After a shootout at the common security area at the border of the two Koreas, when two soldiers were murdered, Maj. Sophie E. Jean (Yeong-ae Lee) is assigned by the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission to investigate the incident. The smart Major finds lack of consistency in the statements of the survivors, and in spite of being pressed by her superior, she interviews South Koreans Sgt. Lee Soo-hyeok (Byung-hun Lee) and private Nam Sung-shik (Tae-woo Kim), and the North Korean Sgt. Oh Kyeong-pil (Kang-ho Song), disclosing a tragic story of friendship. In the end, peace and Sgt. Oh are preserved hiding the truth in her report."Gongdong Gyeongbi Guyeok JSA" is a magnificent and touching antiwar movie. Directed by Chan-wook Park, the director of the cult "Oldboy", only now this film was released in Brazil, after the success of "Oldboy". This movie has a fantastic screenplay that keeps the interest in the impressive story until the very last scene. I was moved with the sad story of friendship between brothers in this polemic theme. The Common Security Area, created on 27 July 1953 with the armistice between the two Koreas after three years of war, and their reunification, seem to be a taboo for these peoples and I appreciate the courage of this group of excellent actors and actress in approaching such theme. In the Extras of the DVD, the cast and director give interviews about the story but never give their opinion about the reunification of these nations. The stunning cinematography and camera work are also very beautiful. My vote is nine.Yitle (Brazil): "Zona de Risco" ("Zone of Risk")