Joint Security Area
Seen it?2000 | 108 min | Drama, Thriller, Mystery
Saturday SpecialWhy it’s a Saturday Special
It earned strong reviews (88% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences rate it highly (7.8 out of 10), despite soft box office. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who likes to be kept guessing. If you loved The Manchurian Candidate, start here.
- The mood
- Tense.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 48 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in Korean, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
Two North Korean soldiers are killed in the border area between North and South Korea, prompting an investigation by a neutral body. The lead investigator (Lee Young-ae) receives differing accounts from the two sides.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
88% on Rotten Tomatoes, 58 on Metacritic
- AudiencesStrong
7.8 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$20 million worldwide on a $13 million budget
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 152K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Park Chan-wook
- Lee Young-aeMaj. Sophie E. Jean
- Lee Byung-hunSgt. Lee Soo-hyuk
- Song Kang-hoSgt. Oh Kyeong-pil
- Kim Tae-wooPvt. Nam Sung-shik
- Shin Ha-kyunPvt. Jeong Woo-jin
- Herbert UlrichCapt. Persson
- Christoph HofrichterMaj. Gen. Bruno Botta
- Lee Han-wiMajor Kang
- Koh In-baeRi Sun-hye
- Lee Dae-yeonSgt. Hwang