Joint Security Area

"Your shadow is over the line..."

2000 1h 48m KO

🙌

7.8

BANGER

🍅

88%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

7.7

IMDB

★7.8TMDB · 888🍅88%Rotten Tomatoes●58Metacritic★7.7IMDB · 37,133

DramaThrillerMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Your shadow is over the line...”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Lee Young-ae
Maj. Sophie E. Jean
Lee Byung-hun
Sgt. Lee Soo-hyuk
Song Kang-ho
Sgt. Oh Kyeong-pil
Kim Tae-woo
Pvt. Nam Sung-shik
Shin Ha-kyun
Pvt. Jeong Woo-jin
Herbert Ulrich
Capt. Persson
Christoph Hofrichter
Maj. Gen. Bruno Botta
Lee Han-wi
Major Kang

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Park Chan-wook
Writers: Park Chan-wook, Kim Hyun-seok, Jeong Seong-san
Languages: Korean, English, German, French
Countries: South Korea

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

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Korean, English, German, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Park Chan-wook, shot by Kim Sung-bok. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bang Jun-seok. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kim Sang-bum 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

Lee Young-ae and Lee Byung-hun and Song Kang-ho carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Your shadow is over the line...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0260991 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Park Chan-wook directs. Kim Sung-bok behind the camera. Bang Jun-seok scores. Kim Sang-bum cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in South Korea. Dialogue in Korean, English, German, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

126 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Korean, English, German, French.
3Directed by Park Chan-wook, shot by Kim Sung-bok. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Bang Jun-seok. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Kim Sang-bum shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Lee Young-ae and Lee Byung-hun and Song Kang-ho carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Your shadow is over the line...".
8IMDB entry: tt0260991 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Released under 16 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Kim Sung-bok
Original score: Bang Jun-seok
Editing: Kim Sang-bum
Production design: Kim Sang-man
Costume design: Park Sang-hoon
Makeup / hair: Shin Jae-ho
VFX supervisor: Jang Seong-ho
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $12,500,000
Box office: $20,300,000
Return: 162% of budget
Original language: KO
IMDB: Joint Security Area (2000)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 58/100
IMDB rating: 7.7/10 · 37,133 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

22 wins & 16 nominations total

Also by

Park Chan-wook

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

tmdb154355192021-04-21
★ 8/10
A gripping tale about an unlikely ally in a personal, inner war. A conflict and history that is much too complex for a feature film, but this makes a good attempt.

Production companies