This is an absolutely great film, albeit hampered by some truly awful English language acting. The scenario is not very likely, but unless that bugs you for some reason, you are going to enjoy this. The feel and atmosphere of the film are fantastic, from the shimmering, breezy tall grass of the DMZ at night to the likable and hilarious banter between the four friends, and the film certainly packs a blunt and abrupt emotional punch. Highly recommended.

The centrepiece is really heartfelt, moving and gripping in which the four folks put aside their differences and become good friends. Very humanist stuff. Unfortunately either side of this great centrepiece is all a bit shabby. The investigation just makes the movie feel bogged down and unneccessarily complex when what you have at the heart of it is a beautifully simple little story, the English speaking acting is awful and Park's style is a bit rough around the edges. Still really good though.

An interesting attempt at telling a moving story about people and the artificial barriers between them. Park Chan-wook's style is evident throughout, with some hyper-stylised, dramatically powerful shots. However, as many have mentioned, the investigation, particularly the English language acting, is pretty poor. First act: mediocre thriller set-up. Second act: brilliant character drama. Third act: Very good, brutal thriller conclusion. Certainly worth your time.

Amazing film marred by some horrible English 'acting'.

Great movie. The relationship between the north and south korean soldiers is funny, real, and overwhelming.

Heavy with emotion and a sort of regret, not the film you'd expect about the two Koreas.

This film's execution is haphazard and overly melodramatic, and the scenes filmed in English are dull and wooden. However, Song turns in a fantastic performance as Oh, and the film's theme is addressed in a compelling manner, with a lot of tough stances subtly illustrated by this small group of characters. The film leans on the viewer's investment in the ongoing conflict between the two Koreas, but even if you have only a tangential knowledge of the conflict it should still prove interesting.

The English-speaking parts were cringe-inducing, and I found myself feeling like I wasn't quite following the story for a while. Then the flashbacks started, and I was sold. One of the most touching films I've ever seen--the more they showed of the friendship, the more heart-breaking it became to watch--and definitive proof that Chan-wook Park has amazing ideas and endless talent. Instant favourite.

It's been said, but the part with the woman investigator, and the elements in English, are cheap ways to engage a foreign audience in a domestic drama. That out of the way, the soldiers' predicaments are legendary in their simplicity and empathy. Kang-ho Song acts brilliantly as a North Korean soldier who thankfully shows a truly human face with more than one dimension.

The movie description is ridiculous ("Apocalypse Now" of the Korean War...). But otherwise an intriguing setting and story. I must say, this is another great Korean film.

JSA is a bizarro world political "what if" pitting the military and cultural clash of South Korea and North Korea together. Even though there's not much plausibility in the story it still sets up an intriguing mystery and runs with it. Unfortunately there's piss poor English language acting in this by what looks like part time Euro porn actors but overall it's a solid drama with an insightful look at the conflicted emotions between two "brother" countries forced to stand off against each other.

I feel like I would have liked this movie more if it were 100% piecing together the mystery, or 100% a heartwarming/heartbreaking tale of friendship across the DMZ. I understand why they jumped back and forth, and it worked quite well, but I felt that there was some more potential there.

There's just something immensely satisfying about seeing North and South Korean border guards goof off together. Everything about their story is either great or painful (in that good, drama-film way). It's just a shame that the parts about the neutral investigator are rather forgettable. Kang-ho Song is awesome as usual.

I was quite pleased with the story of the incident and the events leading up to it. Park's approach to relations between the two nations is very humanist with warm performances from the four characters involved. What didn't work well at all was the framing structure. The investigation scenes are the most clichéd and perfunctory. Also, they go away for a long time in the middle, and it's a bit disorienting when they return. But it's not a large detriment to the film, which in general is engaging.

Plenty of potential in this rather preposterous story about enemy soldiers becoming secret friends. However it didn't need the silly framing device of the neutral Swiss investigation and exploration of the crime in flashback, which felt like a clunky middling episode of JAG. The female officer's character was laughable and served no purpose. A pompous and unsophisticated film which tries to make a mature political statement but has all the subtlety of a hand grenade.