Hae anseon (2002)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Ki-duk Kim

Writer:

Ki-duk Kim (writer)

Release Date:

22 November 2002 (South Korea)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

There is a line that cannot be crossed.

Plot:

At South Korea's border with the North, troops guard the coast. Each bullies those ranking beneath him; tensions are high...

Plot Keywords:

Patrol | South Korea | Friendship | Soldier | Youth

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Dong-Kun Jang	...	Kang Sang-byeong
Jeong-hak Kim	...	Kim Sang-byeong
Ji-a Park	...	Mi-yeong
Hye-jin Yu	...	Cheol-gu
Jin Jeong
Gu-taek Kim
Kang-woo Kim
Yun-jae Park
Tae-woo Kim
Yeong-jae Kim
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mi-seong Kim
Hae-jin Yu

Also Known As:

The Coast Guard (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, a graphic sex scene and language.

Runtime:

France:91 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

Malaysia:18PL (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Germany:16 | Japan:R-15 | UK:15 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Hong Kong:III | France:-12 | USA:R

Company:

Korea Pictures

It might work as a military documentary

Perhaps the reason why this movie is getting such a bad rap is mainly a fault of its well-meaning, but still incoherent style and narrative structure. I have not read any articles on this movie or interviews with the director to know what his overt intention was, but in the end I think the movie falls short of its mark due to Kim's perennial fixation on obsession, whether it was his intention to delve into this subject matter or not. On most levels, obsession is a largely private affair, and any exegesis of obsession enmeshed within the loaded geopolitical situation that is now Korea would require a broader vision and canvas matched with a technical command of story telling than any that Kim has been able to provide here or elsewhere. However, one thing that I must praise Kim for is the reality with which he portrays military life in South Korea. It is, in my view, the grittiest, down-to-other depiction on the silver-screen of life as a grunt doing mandatory military service in Korea. I should know, since I've done my two years' service, as no doubt Kim also has. The situation might be unreal (a loose-cannon grunt suddenly acquiring the killing skills of Jason Bourne) but the military's reaction to it certainly wasn't. The ineptitude of the commanders to stop the problem, the fear of the soldiers and the conflict it breeds within, and, most important of all, the corporal punishment that gets amplified as it spreads down the chain of command.

So here's my recommendation: if you want a well thought out movie which pits issues of personal obsession against major geopolitical themes of our day, this movie is not for you. If, however, you want to see a curiosity piece about how troglodytic an existence military conscripts lead in South Korea, then you've come to the right place.