Crossing the Line

2006 1h 34m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 22

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1962, a U.S. soldier sent to guard the peace in South Korea deserted his unit, walked across the most heavily fortified area on earth and defected to the Cold War enemy, the communist state of North Korea. He became a star of the North Korean propaganda machine, but then disappeared from the face of the earth. Now, after 45 years, the story of James Dresnok, the last American defector in North Korea, is being told for the first time. Crossing the Line follows Dresnok as he recalls his childhood, desertion, and life in the DPRK.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

James Dresnok
Himself
Charles Robert Jenkins
Himself
Christian Slater
Narrator
Bruce Cumings
Self
Kim Il-sung
Self (archive footage)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Daniel Gordon
Languages: English, Korean
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 20 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Korean.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Daniel Gordon, shot by Nick Bennett. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Haddon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

James Dresnok and Charles Robert Jenkins and Christian Slater carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0473181 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 22 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Daniel Gordon directs. Nick Bennett behind the camera. Peter Haddon cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Korean.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 20 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Korean.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Daniel Gordon, shot by Nick Bennett. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Peter Haddon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6James Dresnok and Charles Robert Jenkins and Christian Slater carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0473181 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 22 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.