The Film:
As the fascination and popularity of Asian cinema continues to soar in the West, we get more and more releases, all vying for your attention. Once Upon A Time In High School is no exception. Written and directed by Hu Ya who has a very slow moving directing career with this being only his third film since his debut On A Windy Day We Go To Apgujeong in 1993, and with a cast existing of relatively unknown actors including Sang-woo Kwone (Volcano High, My Tutor Friend), Jeong-jin Lee (Bloody Beach, Love Story In Harvard) and Hyo-jun Park (Orora Gongju), the real question you need to ask yourself, is if this film is worth your attention?, or if it should be dumped in the bargain bin with some of the other releases simply 'cashing in'.
The film is set in 1978 in the Gangnam area of Seoul, Korea and follows Hyun-soo (Kwone), a shy boy who has moved into Gangnam in his mother's attempt to make money on rising property prices, as he starts schooling at Jungmoon High School which is run by the military and is notoriously violent. Even for very slight mistakes made in the classroom, severe punishment is carried out by the teachers with canes. When he starts school, he becomes friends with the most differing students in the class, yet you can still relate to having someone similar in your classroom. First off, there is Woo-sik, the fighter of the school who uses his martial arts skills before he uses his brain. Secondly there is Hamburger, the one who sells pornography to his classmates to pay for his tuition. Together, they become unlikely friends. Outside of school, Hyon-soo studies martial arts from his father and watches Bruce Lee, unknown to his friends. His life soon takes a drastic turn however when he meets and falls in love with Eun-ji (Han Ga-in) on the way home and helps her get her bag back from bullies on the bus. Eun-ji however, starts extra curricular activities with Woo-sik, devastating Hyun-soo's self worth. As problems in the group escalate, battles ensue, with the technique's used by Bruce Lee saving the day.
I can honestly say, that this film is recommended to fans of martial arts films from Asia and although it doesn't have as many fight scenes that are as well choreographed as, say, a Jackie Chan film, the fights are brutal and hard-hitting. The story is your typical love triangle which is nothing that we haven't really seen before, but this film brings action to the mix, making it slightly different to similar films. Considering the cast aren't the most experienced, and this is only Hu Ya's third feature film, I was quietly impressed with their abilities. It wasn't Oscar winning acting by a long shot, but it won't win any Razzies either. All in all, this is an exciting film well worth the watch for both the story and the action.
The DVD:
Video:
Premier Asia have given us a nice looking picture presented at 1.78:1. Colours are vibrant and easy on the eyes, and there was no colour bleeding. There were a couple of problems though. The film suffered from minor grain throughout which I wouldn't really expect on such a recent film (though it's only really noticeable if you're looking for it), and one scene, with a teacher speaking out, suffers from abysmal picture on his chequered shirt that really should be fixed. All in all, the picture is adequate, but it could be better.
Audio:
There is only one soundtrack included on the disc but thankfully it's the original one: a solid Korean dolby digital 5.1 track. Surrounds were used to good effect with music coming across atmospheric and sound levels consistent. The LFE wasn't really used as much as it could have been but the track is more than reasonable. Optional English subtitles have also been included, and they are nothing short of excellent, being clear and easy to read at all times and moving at a nice pace.
Extras:
The World Of Supporting Role: Interview With Supporting Cast - The extra features kick off with a longish selection of interviews with various members of the supporting cast including Hyo-jun Park and Jeong-jin Lee. They talk about various aspects of the film, what it's like to be working with each other and more of the usual back-slapping affair. Interesting but a bit long at 16:41.
A Martial Arts Textbook: Interview With Action Director Shin Jae-Myung - From the rather explanatory title of this extra, I don't really need to go into to much detail, as it's exactly what it says on the tin. Shin Jae-Myung goes into detail about the work that goes into choreographing and directing a fight scene.
Outtakes - Unfortunately, the outtakes seem to lose appeal in the translation between cultures as I didn't find that any of them bought on a smile, but more of a groan as I clockwatched to see how long it would be for the outtake to finish. We have six outtakes in all with no play all section:
- Worse Than Disgusting (1:34)
- Assault Republic (2:02)
- Professional Or Amateur (3:43)
- Fucking Emabarassing (1:45)
- Types Of Nouns (1:48 )
- Hamburger Show (1:57)
The Rest - The remainder of the extras consist of a bonus trailer gallery where each film has a page with the synopisis and a trailer gallery for this film consisting of a UK promo trailer and the original theatrical trailer:
- Crying Fist (2:44)
- Ong-Bak (2:10)
- Brotherhood (1:59)
- Volcano High (2:11)
- Champion (2:04)
- The Grudge (2:04)
- Bang Rajan (2:19)
- Warrior (1:50)
- UK Promotional Trailer (1:49)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (1:56)
