Member whitesnake Posted March 26, 2012 Member Share Posted March 26, 2012 One reviewer on Amazon has this to say about the American release dvd of Yellow Sea: "This is a horribly edited, watered down version of the film. Apparently Fox Studios thought it was too much for American audiences to handle so they literally edit and completely take out some of the films most defining, and intense scenes. This film is NOT worth owning with this cut. They basically take the movie from NC-17 to PG-13. I know it's R, but they even dumb down some of the dialogue to not make the movie be so grim. This is a non-Western action movie, and it's very obvious. So much so, Fox EDITED out everything that makes Korean films Korean." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yakuza954 Posted March 28, 2012 Member Share Posted March 28, 2012 y'know, it's a very disturbing trend lately that every Asian movie which gets released over here seems to be edited in some form or fashion. Soundtrack changes are lamentable but really there's no excuse for cutting out violence, altering the story, or trying to make a film "friendlier" than it really is. the easy solution is to just boycott such releases. seriously, fox, why even bother releasing it? This is not a mainstream property. The kind of people who are gonna wanna see Yellow Sea outside of Korea anyway are either a) movie buffs who want to see the original or action junkies who are gonna be into exactly all the stuff that is being removed. cutting it down fails to appease anyone but the dumb studio heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted March 29, 2012 Member Share Posted March 29, 2012 So the UK version is uncut??? If it is, that is awesome because I just ordered it, lol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kingofkungfu2002 Posted March 29, 2012 Member Share Posted March 29, 2012 I received my bluray today, and it says on the back that it's the director's cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kingofkungfu2002 Posted March 29, 2012 Member Share Posted March 29, 2012 Here's a review of the UK bluray: http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Yellow-Sea-Blu-ray/26697/#Review Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted April 7, 2012 Member Share Posted April 7, 2012 Damn some of the knife fights in this movie are brutal as fuck!!!! I liked this more than The Chaser only the fact that the guy who played the serial killer in that movie is now the good guy in this movie... What a great actor this guy is.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted May 4, 2012 Administrator Share Posted May 4, 2012 Here's a review of the UK bluray: http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Yellow-Sea-Blu-ray/26697/#Review I was hoping to pick up this BD eventually, but in this review it mentions this... "Note: The Blu-ray release contains the film's director's cut, which runs at approximately 140 minutes. A longer version of the film, running at approximately 156 minutes, was screened theatrically in its native South Korea." I watched the 157 minute version, and I don't want to see this with 17 minutes missing! Dammit. Damn some of the knife fights in this movie are brutal as fuck!!!! I liked this more than The Chaser only the fact that the guy who played the serial killer in that movie is now the good guy in this movie... What a great actor this guy is.. I agree. I think this was better than THE CHASER, which I liked a lot. I think some people might feel that the deliberate pacing in the first hour is too slow, but personally, I thought it played perfectly. You really get to know the main character, and you almost feel a documentary sort of vibe. I also enjoyed the minimal dialogue, and felt that by the time things start really kicking into high gear, you are totally committed to the character. Some of the action is extremely brutal. Crunchy... and splashy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted June 12, 2012 Moderator Share Posted June 12, 2012 I got through watching this one earlier today, and what an intense, bloody, tension filled, and somewhat confusing ride it is. Before even watching the movie there is some confusion as to what version to see, as like far too many Korean movies of late, it frustratingly comes in a couple (possibly more) of versions, both of which contain different scenes. There is the 157 minute original version, and the 140 minute International version....and yet the 140 minute version actually contains scenes not in the 157 minute version, which either way, is not available with English subtitles. However thanks to fellow forum member KUNG FU BOB, I was able to view the longer version with some custom made subtitles, so it's this version I'll be referring to here, a direct comparison of both can be found at this website for those that are interested - http://wildgrounds.com/2011/06/22/yellow-sea-theatrical-cut-vs-directors-cut/ 'The Yellow Sea' has shades of Derek Yee's 'One Night in Mongkok' in its story about about a fish out of water, in this case a North Korean living in China, being sent to the big city, in this case Seoul, to assassinate somebody. However 'The Yellow Sea' has a lot more going on than what seems like a relatively straight forward plot, and it's in these finer details that the not so sharp viewer (eg - me when I watched it at 2:00am after a long day in work) might find themselves scratching their heads at exactly what's happening....but I'll address some questions I have later in the hopes that someone can help! But all in all, these details are very minor gripes. 'The Yellow Sea' is a 2:30+hrs thrill ride of a cinematic experience, and while it might not be as tight as the directors previous effort, 'The Chaser', it more than makes up for it in some nail bitingly tense chase sequences (the directors specialty?) & various scenes of pretty shocking violence. 'The Yellow Sea' pretty much establishes the axe as the new hammer of Korean cinema, then throw in knives, bones, and just about anything else the characters can get their hands on, and every scene is given a desperate & raw edge that adds a certain impact rarely seen in movies these days. This is not the movie to watch while having your dinner. After a perfectly paced slow boiling first hour, the remaining 90 minutes are pretty relentless in their assault on the senses as we get dragged into the down & dirty world of Seoul's underbelly, this is the type of movie that makes you want to take a shower after seeing it, and that's a compliment. Director Na Hong-jin might make a few stumbles along the way in the epic scope of his tale, but all in all they can easily be overlooked based on the pure energy that he captures of a man who has nowhere to turn and nowhere to go, strongly recommended. *** Spoliers - these questions are strictly for people who have seen the movie, so if you haven't please don't read on! > I was confused over Goo-nam's wife. He finds the Japanese restaurant fish seller who might have dated with her & beats him, then finds her apartment....then it's on the news that the same fish seller killed a North Korean woman. But in the final shot of the movie, it's actually his wife at the train station? So who did the fish seller kill? > The actual person who ordered the hit was the targets wife? I think it's revealed in the final few minutes that she's having an affair with the bank clerk that Goo-nam finds the business card of? These details are probably more obvious to a fully awake person, but somehow I missed them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member razorclam Posted September 3, 2012 Member Share Posted September 3, 2012 I just watched this Saturday night. What a great movie. I love the excessive use of hatchets. Korean cinema is blowing away the competition these days. They have some stinkers, but compared to the recent efforts coming from Japan and China, they are kicking butt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gwai LO Posted April 25, 2014 Member Share Posted April 25, 2014 I want to buy this dvd but I want to make sure it is the "uncut" NC-17 version.. Can anyone confirm where to order the correct copy. R1 with English subs? Thanks for the help in advance guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mpm74 Posted April 25, 2014 Author Member Share Posted April 25, 2014 I just watched this Saturday night. What a great movie. I love the excessive use of hatchets. Korean cinema is blowing away the competition these days. They have some stinkers, but compared to the recent efforts coming from Japan and China, they are kicking butt. Out of all the badass cinema coming out Korea, this director is my favorite (He also made Chaser). I’m glad you liked it! As far as versions, no idea. As long as it's not the U.S. version, I think you should be ok (as far as cuts). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted April 25, 2014 Moderator Share Posted April 25, 2014 I want to buy this dvd but I want to make sure it is the "uncut" NC-17 version.. Can anyone confirm where to order the correct copy. R1 with English subs? Thanks for the help in advance guys! This movie is a little messy when it comes to how many versions there are of it. To my knowledge there are 3: - 157 minutes: The Korean Theatrical version, only ever released in Korea on DVD with no English subs. - 140 minutes: The Directors Cut version, which is available with English subs on Region 2 UK DVD & Region 4 Australian DVD. - 137 minutes: A completely re-edited version of the movie by Fox which was made for the US Region 1 DVD release. It's a shame how this movie has been treated, almost all Korean DVD's have English subtitles, however because Fox bought the distribution rights for the US, they struck a deal with the Korean distributor to not include English subtitles on the native release so that if people in the US wanted to buy it, they'd have to wait for the domestic release. What they didn't mention was they they were going to cut the movie to shreds and not provide any option of watching either the Korean Theatrical Version or the Directors Cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mpm74 Posted April 26, 2014 Author Member Share Posted April 26, 2014 It's a shame how this movie has been treated, almost all Korean DVD's have English subtitles, however because Fox bought the distribution rights for the US, they struck a deal with the Korean distributor to not include English subtitles on the native release so that if people in the US wanted to buy it, they'd have to wait for the domestic release. What they didn't mention was they they were going to cut the movie to shreds and not provide any option of watching either the Korean Theatrical Version or the Directors Cut. And then the studios wonder why people torrent... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gwai LO Posted April 26, 2014 Member Share Posted April 26, 2014 We'll I think this movie has inspired me to buy a region free blu ray player Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted April 26, 2014 Administrator Share Posted April 26, 2014 This movie is a little messy when it comes to how many versions there are of it. To my knowledge there are 3: - 157 minutes: The Korean Theatrical version, only ever released in Korea on DVD with no English subs. - 140 minutes: The Directors Cut version, which is available with English subs on Region 2 UK DVD & Region 4 Australian DVD. - 137 minutes: A completely re-edited version of the movie by Fox which was made for the US Region 1 DVD release. It's a shame how this movie has been treated, almost all Korean DVD's have English subtitles, however because Fox bought the distribution rights for the US, they struck a deal with the Korean distributor to not include English subtitles on the native release so that if people in the US wanted to buy it, they'd have to wait for the domestic release. What they didn't mention was they they were going to cut the movie to shreds and not provide any option of watching either the Korean Theatrical Version or the Directors Cut. Thanks for this great guide to the various versions. This will help a lot of people interested in the film. We'll I think this movie has inspired me to buy a region free blu ray player Yes, go for it. Multi-Region players are the best investment for Asian cinema fans. My first, and favorite ever DVD player is the Malata 540. It was so fantastic, I eventually bought a second one. They no longer manufacture that model, and after nearly two decades and thousands of plays (I really babied them), they both become fidgety and problematic. I finally had to replace them. At this point I recommend getting a Multi-Region Blu-ray player, as you will have all options covered since they also play DVDs that way. I picked mine up from this site and they treated me well: http://www.220-electronics.com/blu-ray-dvd/region-free-blu-ray-player.html?gclid=CNX9ovqU0bwCFfNj7AodCCcAxQ Here is the one I have: http://www.220-electronics.com/sony-bdp-s5100-region-free-blu-ray-dvd-player.html There are better, higher-tech, and much more expensive units out there, but this one does everything I want it to, and was within my budget. It's 3D, plays Standard DVDs from Any Region (1-8), plays Blu-Ray Discs from Any Region (A, B, & C), is Zone Free, and offers both PAL & NTSC Playback. Word of warning though- for it to be fully Multi-Region you must choose an option which is an additional $50.00 more than the price listed at the top. You definitely need that though. I tested a wide variety of different kinds of discs/regions, including DVD-R and DVD-DL, and it played everything I put in it without a hitch. Personally, I am thrilled with this player and would recommend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gwai LO Posted April 26, 2014 Member Share Posted April 26, 2014 Wow that is a very reasonable price. 135$ I've seen region free players for 600+.. My b-day is in less than a month so I think your same DVD player moved to the top of my wish list As for this dvd "yellow sea" the UK version (140 mins) can be found in region free copies on amazon.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted April 27, 2014 Administrator Share Posted April 27, 2014 Wow that is a very reasonable price. 135$ I've seen region free players for 600+.. My b-day is in less than a month so I think your same DVD player moved to the top of my wish list As for this dvd "yellow sea" the UK version (140 mins) can be found in region free copies on amazon.uk Don't forget what I said- Word of warning though- for it to be fully Multi-Region you must choose an option which is an additional $50.00 more than the price listed at the top. You definitely need that though. So it's actually $185.00 for it to be fully Multi-Region. Hope you get this for your B-Day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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