‘The Front Line,’’ South Korea’s entry in the race for the foreign-language Oscar, is a potent anti-war movie with breathtaking battle sequences. Set during the closing weeks of the war between the two Koreas, it follows a platoon of soldiers from the south as they try to take a key hill.
With the armistice taking effect in 12 hours, their commander orders an all-out assault that’s sure to result in a high death toll. (You’ll be reminded of Stanley Kubrick’s 1957 “Paths of Glory.”) “Hell can’t be worse than here,’’ says a dying soldier — and he’s right.
Director Jang Hun mixes eye-popping battle scenes — a firefight in a thunderstorm is especially amazing — with poignant moments showing the human toll of war. A young girl who lost a hand in the war is guaranteed to melt even the hardest of hearts.
As North Korea undergoes a highly publicized change of leadership, “The Front Line’’ proves timely. In fact, one of the movie’s army commanders looks like the north’s new baby dictator, Kim Jong-un.