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Joint Security Area
Subway Cinema

Joint Security Area reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 58 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
9.5 out of 10
based on 7 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 2 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring Yeong-ae Lee, Byung-hun Lee, Kang-ho Song, Tae-woo Kim, Ha-kyun Shin, Christoph Hofrichter, Myoeng-su Kim, Tae-hyeon Kim, and Herbert Ulrich

Joint Security Area is the "Apocalypse Now" of the Korean War -- a shimmering, hyper-real epic that charts the spiritual fallout of international politics. (Subway Cinema)


GENRE(S): Drama  |  Foreign  |  Mystery  
WRITTEN BY: Seong-san Jeong, Hyeon-seok Kim,
Mu-yeong Lee,
Chan-wook Park and
Sang-yeon Park (novel DMZ)
 
DIRECTED BY: Chan-wook Park  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: July 12, 2005 
Theatrical: June 15, 2005 
RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: South Korea 
LANGUAGE(S): English / Korean (with English subtitles) 

Original title "Gongdong gyeongbi guyeok JSA"

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75
Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
Suspenseful and psychologically rich.
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70
The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray
The new English track is predictably clumsy, but the story and images overcome it.
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70
The New York Times Dana Stevens
This warm, sorrowful film plays like a downbeat variation on an old World War II picture from Hollywood.
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60
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
A blockbuster hit in Korea, Park's feature debut is a beguiling mix of the generic and the unfamiliar, and it ends on a shot that's nothing short of heartbreaking.
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50
New York Post V.A. Musetto
Scenes of the probe are less successful. They feel contrived, and actress Lee Yeong-ae is not especially effective as Major Jang.
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50
Variety Derek Elley
Despite its merits, is neither an art movie nor an out-and-out, propulsive actioner like "Shiri."
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40
Village Voice Chuck Stephens
Politically, psychologically, and aesthetically schizophrenic.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Owen B. gave it a10:
Fantastic. Moving, stylish and original.

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