(aka "The Coast Guard" or "Hae anseon" )

 

directed by Ki-duk Kim
South Korea 2002

 

Jeong-hak Kim is the poster boy for the coast guards, a military squad guarding the border to the north against spies and invasions, a born killer, completely indoctrinated by his own sense of purpose, patriotism and a military hard-on. When he kills a civilian, believed to be a North Korean spy, he is given a medal and send on vacation, but is left alone with his guilt and trauma of having killed another human being. Returning to the base, he is found unfit to serve and is discharged.

The last in Kim’s trilogy of male identity, The Coast Guard is a flawed, yet powerful examination of duty versus conscience. As the insanity of the soldier escalates, the story equally becomes more absurd towards each action becoming an abstraction for Kim’s motifs, ending with Jeong-hak Kim standing guard within Seoul.
 

Henrik Sylow

Posters

Theatrical Release: November 14, 2002 (Pusan International Film Festival)

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DVD Comparison:

Korea Pictures/Enter One - Region 3 - NTSC vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Martin Norefors and Henrik Sylow for the Screen Caps!

(Korea Pictures/Enter One - Region 3 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Korea Pictures/Enter One Region 3 - NTSC	Tartan Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:35:10	1:35:22
Video	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.52 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 4.76 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:   Korea Pictures/Enter One
Bitrate:   Tartan
Audio	5.1 Dolby Digital Korean, DTS Korean	2.0 Dolby Digital Korean, 5.1 Dolby Digital Korean, DTS Korean
Subtitles	Korean, English, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Korea Pictures/Enter One Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Audio Commentary by Kim and Jang • Making of (36:53) • Music Video (4:24) • TV Spot (0:31) • Trailers (1:20, 2:11) • Stills Gallery DVD Release Date: March 17, 2003 Keep Case Chapters 20	Release Information: Studio: Tartan Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Introduktion by Kim Ki-Duk (1:14) • Breaking Down Borders (3:54) • Music Video (4:24) • Original Theatrical Trailer (1:20) • Tartan Trailer Reel   DVD Release Date: July 24, 2006 Keep Case Chapters 11

 

 

Comments

Comparing Enter One to Tartan, the latter has a - perhaps too - heavy dose of contrast boosting, edge enhancement, and generally its share of compression artefacts. Additionally, the image lacks sharpness in detail and is a PALified version of their NTSC transfer. As with their release of Address Unknown, this is another substandard release from Tartan.  - Henrik Sylow

 

 

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DVD Menus
(Korea Pictures/Enter One - Region 3 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

 

 

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Screen Captures

(Korea Pictures/Enter One - Region 3 - NTSC - TOP vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
Subtitle sample - Capture is resized from 1016px to 605px

 

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