JSA (Joint Security Area) was not Chan-Wook Park’s first film, but it was his first film that made any sort of impact. I had not seen it until after I had explored his “Vengeance Trilogy” and was desperate for more of his work. What I found was a Rashomon-esque tale that explored the political upheaval at the infamous border-crossing between North and South Korea.
The film follows Swiss Major Sophie E. Jean who is brought to the security area between North and South Korea to investigate a double murder of 2 North Korean Soldiers, on the Northern border side by a South Korean. Sgt. Lee Soo-hyeok has confessed to committing both acts, but that is there the stories diverge. The North claims he crossed the border illegally and killed them, while the South claims he was kidnapped and murdered his way to escape.
Major Jean is a neutral investigator called in to check the facts of the case and determine what happened. We then get flashbacks that detail the relationship between Lee, his friend another South Korean private, and the 2 North Korean guards who were apparently friendly. This was apparently a hot-button depiction in South Korea at the time as it showed the humanity in North Koreans to people who were not readily willing to accept that.
Arrow Video have released the film to Blu-ray this month, and not a moment too soon. While the film is certainly not perfect, or close to Park’s best. It is a significant film is his oeuvre, and should be scene in the best quality possible (though I’ve been notified there is a 4k release in South Korea). Park’s visual style seems to have been developing at this early point, so was not as strong as it would be, but it still is showing through. The major downside is the interrogation scenes which are done in badly done English, and detract from the performances themselves. Aside from that, this is a very solid character piece and a very strong film from Park that really shows the power he’d be able to bring to the table in a few short years.
JSA hits Blu-ray with a solid 2:35:1 transfer that really improves on the ancient DVD release. Detail is solid, grain is mostly natural, but quite thick at times. During some darker bits I did notice some minor pixilation. The audio is presented in 5.1 and 2.0 HD tracks that sound great and have zero issue. Extras include a commentary track by Simon Ward, a documentary about the Park’s career by Jasper Sharp, and a load of archival extras including documentaries and music videos. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED