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Very disappointing...

Simply A Masterpiece

People are voting emotionally.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

While the scenario of the incident itself is pretty good, the introduction and embodiment of it into an investigation is a disaster. The acting of the so-called neutral investigators were miserable, Yeong ae Lee as the major was disappointing, and her Swedish colleague is not worth mentioning.While lacking a bit of originality the movie still highlights the absurd border tension between the North and the South.The major problem was the lack of character development leading to nonexistent affiliation to their feelings resulting in an emotionless conclusion.Apart from this the direction was on point, as you would expect from Chan-wook Park, and the movie ends on a stunning note leaving you with a sweet aftertaste that the film doesn't truly deserves.The movie isn't bad, but if you're looking for yet another of Park's masterpiece, sadly this isn't one.Special mention for Song Kang-ho for his impeccable performance!

I decided to watch this amazing film again after 5 years or so of when I initially watched it. I must say the film hit me even harder the second time. The acting from the main cast was exceptional and I'm going far as to say the acting of Song Kang Ho haunted me. The only criticism I'm dishing out is to the acting of the Swedish officers and Lee Young-Ae in parts - this is mainly due to the awkward English (why didn't they speak Swedish amongst themselves?) but I don't blame the actors at all as it's obviously their second language. Go watch this film if you got a sec to visit the bay ;) - a true masterpiece of a debut that captures true human emotions/bonds

Joint Security Area or J.S.A. is a great political movie about the friendship of soldiers patrolling the borders of North and South Korea. It is a heart-warming and touching film considering that it shows that people remain as brothers despite the fact that the country is separated due to difference in beliefs and for political reasons. Aside from that, it also has a message of peace and patriotism. The acting was great. Lee Byeong-Hun (Bittersweet Life),Kang-ho Song (Sympathy With Mr Vengeance) and Lee Young-Ae (Sympathy With Lady Vengeance) were exceptional. The direction of Park Chan Wook (OldBoy,Sympathy With Mr Vengeance, Sympathy With Lady Vengeance) deserves credit as well. The movie was interesting from beginning to end. This movie deserves a 10 out of 10 rating. Highly recommended.

Chan-wook Park's third feature and first big hit. He's of course best known for his Vengeance Trilogy, and is seen something as a genre filmmaker, maybe most closely associated with horror (his most recent film is the vampire flick Thirst). I had always thought J.S.A. was some kind of espionage thriller. How wrong I was. Though definitely in his own recognizable style, J.S.A. is an extremely serious-minded movie about the relationship between the two Koreas. It is built as a mystery, where a Swiss woman of Korean origin (Yeong-ae Lee), a member of a neutral investigation committee, investigates a border incident where a South Korean guard has apparently escaped from the North Korean post across the border after having shot and killed two guards and injuring another. Lee is allowed to go between the two countries to interview the people involved, study the crime scene and study the bodies. The stories she gets from the two survivors are wildly inconsistent. As the film moves on, Park slowly reveals the truth behind the matter. What results is a touching and tragic incident involving a friendship forming between four border guards, two each from the respective countries. The story is hard to get a hold of at the beginning, but when all is said and done, it's an incredibly powerful piece of cinema. The final sequence, where we are asked to examine closely a photo we've seen taken earlier in the film, is absolutely devastating. It's the kind of film where you don't even realize how powerful it is until the right moment, when all the emotions come flooding in to overwhelm you.