A Dirty Carnival Blu-ray Review
DigiPack Biyeolhan geori | 비열한 거리 | CJ 007 | First Press Limited Edition
Score: 68
from 2 reviewers
Review Date:
Yu Ha's A Dirty Carnival is a stylish, fresh Korean gangster film with excellent Blu-ray quality, highly recommended for diverse audiences.
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Disc Release Date
Video: 66
A Dirty Carnival's Blu-ray transfer offers a pleasing 1080p resolution in a 2.29:1 aspect ratio with minor caveats like mild edge enhancement and occasional contrast boosting, yet delivers a fresh, natural color palette and fine object detail, ensuring an overall solid and satisfying visual experience.
Audio: 71
A Dirty Carnival features a robust Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that offers powerful bass, clean dialogue, an expansive soundstage, and balanced orchestration by Jo Yeong-wook. Minor subtitling errors aside, CJ Entertainment's consistent quality shines with detailed rear channel usage and refined high frequencies.
Extra: 68
The Blu-ray of 'A Dirty Carnival' offers an extensive array of extras, including multiple commentary tracks, making-of documentaries, deleted scenes with optional commentary, and various featurettes, though regrettably none come with English subtitles.
Movie: 68
"A Dirty Carnival" is a gripping blend of crime and romance that adeptly explores character relationships, societal transitions, and the complexities of balancing a life of violence with familial aspirations. The Blu-ray offers strong picture and sound quality, though extras lack subtitles, enhancing the experience for Korean-speaking viewers.
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Video: 66
The Blu-ray release of "A Dirty Carnival" comes with a 1080p resolution, encoded using the AVC codec and exhibiting a 2.29:1 aspect ratio. This region-free disc presents a commendable high-definition transfer courtesy of CJ Entertainment. The print appears almost pristine with only a singular speck detected throughout the viewing experience. Grain structure is fine and well-managed, providing good delineation and maintaining depth even in lower light conditions. However, some technical enhancements such as mild edge enhancement and occasional contrast boosting are noticeable. These adjustments sometimes detract from the overall uniformity of the picture quality but are not overly distracting.
The overall color palette is stylized with a bluey-green tint, which remains stable and keeps the visuals naturalistic. Most daylight scenes are notably sharp, while the darker scenes manage to retain shadow detail effectively without plunging into murkiness. One can observe sporadic sharpening in some softer shots, occasionally giving the impression of over-processing. Despite these minor issues, the transfer supports a wide range of colors well, with blues, greens, browns, grays, and blacks appearing fresh and natural.
Lastly, it's worth noting that subtitles appear within the frame for those with constant image height set-ups. This Blu-ray release achieves a satisfying presentation, offering an engaging visual experience despite a few technical hitches. Maintaining balance in color representation and fine object detail, this release stands as a solid effort in bringing "A Dirty Carnival" to high-definition format.
Audio: 71
The sole audio option for the Blu-ray of "A Dirty Carnival" is a Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. This lossless track is orchestrated by Jo Yeong-wook, whose work may remind fans of his score in "Oldboy". The musical presentation is rich and nuanced, characterized by light strings and wistful accordions that swell into a wide soundstage. The higher frequencies are well-balanced and do not overpower the rest of the mix, while the rear channels effectively enhance the environment, particularly during action sequences involving fights. However, some sound effects, particularly with knives, seem to be replayed from stock sounds and could feel a bit too obvious. Overall, the mix remains organic yet refined.
Dialogue is clear and natural throughout, with only a minor drop in clarity noted during a brief scene. The track shows excellent depth and cohesiveness among channels. The bass is both powerful and punchy, establishing a solid low-frequency foundation when needed. Discrete effects in the rear channels improve immersion and atmospheric presence. Importantly, no pops, cracks, or hissing were detected, underscoring the high quality of the audio track. Additionally, CJ Entertainment provides optional English and Korean subtitles that appear inside the image frame, useful for non-Korean speakers. Despite minor quibbles like a few subtitle errors, this remains a robust and impressive audio presentation by CJ Entertainment.
Extra: 68
The Blu-ray extras for "A Dirty Carnival" offer a comprehensive collection of content that significantly enhances the viewing experience, although the lack of English subtitles may be a challenge for non-Korean speakers. The extras include two commentary tracks, an insightful making-of documentary, featurettes focusing on violence and gangster mentality, and a variety of deleted scenes with optional director's commentary. Moreover, audiences are treated to behind-the-scenes footage, including the shooting of karaoke and action scenes, trailers, a music video, poster shoot sessions, and clips from a press screening.
Extras included in this disc:
- Two Commentary Tracks: Insightful discussions on movie production.
- Making Of Documentary: An in-depth look at the film's development.
- Gangster Mentality Featurette: Focuses on violence and character psychology.
- Deleted Scenes: Includes optional commentary by the director.
- Karaoke Scene Shooting: Behind-the-scenes footage of key scenes.
- Action Scenes Making Of: Detailed coverage of action sequence production.
- Trailer: Official movie trailer.
- Music Video: Thematic music video tied to the film.
- Poster Shoot Footage: Sessions from the promotional poster shoot.
- Press Screening Clips: Moments from the film's debut press event.
Movie: 68
Yu Ha's "A Dirty Carnival" exemplifies the burgeoning talent within Korean cinema, merging crime thriller elements with deeply nuanced character studies. This 2006 film, screened at the Chicago International Film Festival and later earning four Grand Bell Award nominations, centers around Kim Byung-doo (Jo In-seong), a 29-year-old gangster striving to ascend the criminal hierarchy. Byung-doo’s journey is laden with moral conflicts and personal dilemmas as he navigates his loyalty to his superiors while yearning for a more conventional life with aspirations of family.
The narrative is further enriched by a formidable cast, with Jo In-seong delivering a stellar performance as the methodical yet internally conflicted Byung-doo. Yun Je-mun excels as Sang-chul, Byung-doo’s ruthless boss, and Chun Ho-jin delivers a compelling portrayal of President Hwang, whose intellect and influence overshadow the treacherous criminal world they inhabit. The storyline intricately explores contrasting value systems, providing a keen insight into Korean societal transitions from traditional respect for authority to modern-day dynamics.
"A Dirty Carnival" benefits from Yu Ha’s directorial intelligence, transcending predictable genre conventions. Supplemented by Jo Yeong-wook’s poignant score that juxtaposes the film's brutality with nostalgic undertones, it achieves a rare blend of grim violence and subtle romance. For those new to Korean cinema or stalwarts alike, this Blu-ray is a must-have. The region-free disc features numerous extras—including audio commentaries, making-of featurettes, deleted/extended scenes, and interviews—albeit without subtitles for non-main features, though the primary content is flawlessly presented with optional English and Korean subtitles. This release is a testament to Yu Ha’s standing in the cinematic echelons as a director worth following.
Total: 68
"A Dirty Carnival," directed by Yu Ha, offers a refreshing breath amidst the often repetitive world of gangster films. This Korean thriller masterfully intertwines style and substance, navigating the dangerous underworld with a narrative that feels both innovative and gripping. The Blu-ray presentation from CJ Entertainment ensures that viewers are treated to a high-quality visual and auditory experience. The transfer showcases deep blacks and vibrant colors, highlighting the intricate cinematography that elevates the film's moody ambiance.
In terms of audio, the disc delivers a robust and immersive soundscape. The DTS-HD Master Audio track ensures that dialogue is clear and the dynamic range of sound effects and music immerses the viewer into the visceral world that Yu Ha has created. The balance of sound design accentuates the tension and emotional gravity of the storyline without ever becoming overwhelming or distracting.
Overall, "A Dirty Carnival" on Blu-ray is a top-tier presentation that will satisfy both audiophiles and cinephiles alike. With its compelling story, striking stylistic choices, and the pristine quality of its Blu-ray release, it is a must-own for fans of the genre and anyone interested in international cinema. This release effectively captures and conveys the film’s intense atmosphere and intricate details, resulting in an experience that is both compelling and polished.
Yu Ha's "A Dirty Carnival" is a moody, very stylish Korean gangster film that should appeal to a wide variety of viewers. If you crave something fresh, not another rehash of overused genre cliches, make sure to see it. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Korean distributors CJ Entertainment, looks and sounds good. It is also Region-Free. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
avforums review by Mark BotwrightRead review here
Video: 70
It is far from the most obvious, but there are scenes where it becomes more apparent than others which somewhat detracts from the uniformly solid nature of the rest of the image....
Audio: 80
The weaving together of the various channels is commendable and when the LFE does kick in it makes itself known....
Extras: 80
There appear to be two commentary tracks, as well as a making of documentary (480p – 41:00), a featurette about violence and gangster mentality (480p – 39:41), deleted scenes (480p – 8:37) with optional...
Movie: 80
The region free disc is a strong hitter, barring a couple of minor issues the picture and sound are both exactly what importers of foreign cinema demand....
Total: 80
Blu-ray.com review by Dr. Svet AtanasovRead review here
Video: 80
The color-scheme does not disappoint either; blues, greens, browns, grays and blacks look fresh and natural....
Audio: 90
When it comes to solid audio treatments, CJ Entertainment may well be one of the most consistent Asian distributors currently releasing on Blu-ray, as I am yet to test a disc they have produced that does...
Extras: 80
The supplemental features are: two audio commentaries, behind the scenes featurette, multiple making of featurettes, deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary, interviews, footage from the film's...
Movie: 80
While explaining to Min-ho the essence of gangster life, Bying-doo also shares how he and his men dealt with a lawyer who tested President Hwang's patience....
Total: 80
Yu Ha's A Dirty Carnival is a moody, very stylish Korean gangster film that should appeal to a wide variety of viewers....
Director: Ha Yoo
Actors: Zo In-sung, Chun Ho-jin, Min Nam-koong
PlotByung-du is a mid-level gangster struggling to support his terminally ill mother and younger siblings. Overburdened with debt and feeling overlooked within his gang, he seizes an opportunity to prove himself by volunteering to carry out a hit on a prosecutor who is causing problems for his boss, President Hwang. Successfully completing the job, Byung-du rises in the ranks, earning respect and more responsibilities within the criminal organization. Alongside his gangster activities, Byung-du reconnects with his old friend Min-ho, an aspiring filmmaker who is seeking inspiration for his next project. Interested in Byung-du's life, Min-ho proposes to make a film based on his experiences, which rekindles past friendships and brings back memories of their youth.
As Byung-du becomes more entrenched in the violent world of organized crime, he starts distancing himself from his family and former friends, including his love interest, Hyun-joo. The increased responsibilities and the escalating dangers of his criminal actions put a strain on his relationships and peace of mind. Meanwhile, Min-ho’s film project progresses, exposing Byung-du’s illicit activities and putting them both at risk. The clash between Byung-du’s loyalty to the gang and his yearning for a better life reaches a breaking point, leading to devastating consequences. The story unfolds with themes of ambition, loyalty, and the harsh realities of a life of crime, navigating the moral dilemmas faced by Byung-du as he grapples with his choices and their repercussions.
Writers: Yoo Ha, Jeong Moon-Joo, Ha Yoo
Release Date: 15 Jun 2006
Runtime: 140 min
Rating: Not Rated
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean