The Front Line (2012)

64% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
74% of users liked it
(170 ratings)

Toward the end of the Korean War, an uneasy ceasefire is ordered, but out on the Eastern front line of the Aerok Hills, in an expanse of land called the Aero.K, fierce fighting continues. A race to capture this strategic point to determine a new border between the two Koreas is the ultimate prize.… More Toward the end of the Korean War, an uneasy ceasefire is ordered, but out on the Eastern front line of the Aerok Hills, in an expanse of land called the Aero.K, fierce fighting continues. A race to capture this strategic point to determine a new border between the two Koreas is the ultimate prize. At the Eastern border stands the "Alligator Company," known to be the best soliders on the front line. They are the only unit to have survived the worst battle of the war at Pohang. When a South Korean bullet is found in the dead body of a company commander, Lieutenant of Defense Security Command Kang Eun-Pyo (Shin Ha-Kyun) is ordered to investigate Alligator Company for the murder. Upon arrival, Kang Eun-Pyo is immediately shocked at the state of the soldiers, the conditions on the front, and the presence of Kim Soo-Hyuk, a former friend he believed to be dead. With a truce promised for years but no end in sight, one man struggles to make sense of a crime in the face of countless lives sacrificed for war. -- (C) Well Go USA

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 13 min.
Directed By: Hun Jang
Written By: Park Sang-Yeon
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jan 20, 2012 Limited
On DVD: May 8, 2012
Studio: Well Go USA

Critic Reviews

V.A. Musetto, New York Post
A potent anti-war movie with breathtaking battle sequences.
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times
A war movie not quite worth engaging.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
A movie that reserves its final sickening wallop for a grueling half-hour that leaves you as emotionally battered as the soldiers are forced to return to hell for one last senseless round.
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
While its tone and humanity offset the futility of each side's need for one crucial hill, much of this intense, honorable film is too drawn-out.
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
This strong, assured Band of Brothers-style drama from director Jang Hun makes universal points about bonding, misery, loyalty, and the senselessness of war through a portfolio of soldiers.
Ernest Hardy, Village Voice
Quick, unexpected flashes engross the viewer in this Korean War tale even as the script is filled with conventional war movie tropes and types.
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
The themes and characters are right out of any number of classic war movies, but... the frontline culture, so at odds with military discipline and command, is fascinating.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
If you like war movies, this one is a dandy. Sure, you'll recognize some of the genre's shopworn conventions, but there are enough unique twists and details to make "The Front Line" memorable.
Anton Bitel, Little White Lies
Jang's filmmaking weapons may be utterly conventional, but that does not prevent them from delivering a high-impact payload.
Michelle Orange, Movieline
Hollywood clichés pervade The Front Line, from its slate and sepia tones to its stock company of characters and dialogue that translates macho posturing into present-day slang.
Noel Murray, AV Club
The action in The Front Line is bloody and tense, but the movie also reduces war to its simplest terms...
David Fear, Time Out New York
What you don't get is the sense that this pumped-up combat-fatigue chronicle is pandering-or, for that matter, particularly original.
Bill Weber, Slant Magazine
Both brutal and sentimental, this Oscar-submitted Korean war drama offers up rusty tropes as telling ironies.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
South Korea's impressive entry for the 2011 foreign-language Oscar race offers a different kind of war picture in its foreshadowed setting of the blood-soaked front line between North and South Korea during the 1950-53 war.

Read all 14 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

No Featured Audience Ratings Found…

Cast

Photos

Trailers & Clips

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!

Discover movies your friends are watching
Keep track of what you want to see
Add your reviews to your Timeline

Get Started