The Front Line

Set near the end of the Korean War, as ceasefire talks drag on, South Korean and North Korean units keep fighting over a hill that would help decide the new border. Control of the slope changes hands repeatedly, and each side pays a heavy price for ground that shifts by metres. Lieutenant Kang Eun-pyo is sent to the front to look into a quiet case tied to the battalion holding the hill. There he meets Kim Soo-hyeok, a friend he had believed dead, whose time in the war has changed him profoundly. Their reunion unfolds amid the pointless slaughter of a battle driven by distant strategy rather than human reality.

Jang Hoon directed, following his 2010 film Secret Reunion; A Taxi Driver came later, in 2017. Park Sang-yeon wrote the screenplay, and Shin Ha-kyun and Go Soo lead a cast of 26 credited performers, among them Lee Je-hoon, Ryu Seung-su, Ko Chang-seok and David Lee.

Released in July 2011, the film runs 133 minutes. Made for about 10 million US dollars, it took roughly 16 million worldwide. On TMDB it holds 7.2 out of 10 from 208 votes, while a critics' rating of 6.3 from 16 reviews sits below the audience figure.