During the 1970's, four friends grow up very close. The childhood companions are characteristic opposites, with the smart and shy Sang-taek and the goofy clown Joong-ho being the tag alongs compared to the rough and tumble Dong-su and Jeong-suk, with Dong-su being the group leader, his father a well known gangster in the area and Jeong-suk his second in command... As they enter the 80's and high school, the part between them deepens as Dong-su and Jeong-suk's troublesome ways begin to lead them down a seedier path in life. But, for the more timid and socially inept Sang-taek, having friends with muscle helps when it comes to fights and getting set up with girls. It is a fight one day at a movie house, where the four fiends find themselves quarreling with an entire crowd of kids from a rival school that leads the friends to part for a few years... Cut to a few years later and the college educated Sang-taek and Joong-ho return to find that both former buddies have become even more involved in a life of crime, with Jeong-suk serving time in prison to prove his gangster worthiness and Dong-su a full fledged gang member and drug addict. Sang-taek helps Dong-su get back on his feet, but things take a turn for the worse when Jeong-suk is released from prison. Unwilling to live in Dong-su's shadow or go legit, Jeong-suk takes up with a rival gang, a more dirty and corrupt group, and soon is at odds with his former friend. Things turn deadly between the two and Sang-taek and Joong-ho may be unable to save their friends from killing each other.

Friend (2001) is an extremely moving and mostly well told tale of growing up, growing apart, but still, despite all the changes, retaining that same basic love for a person. I guess the safest comparison would be to something like As Tears Go By or Mean Streets, though Friend is not as concerned with the gang culture as those two films. But, the shared theme of being unable to help a friend that is spiraling out of control and being lead down a criminal path is there. In this case, it is primarily Sang-taek, the timid youth who prospers in his education, who must watch as Dong-su and Jeong-suk become enemies- enemies who still have fondness for one another, but their priorities lie within their gangster lifestyles. The film offers up a very convincing portrait of the buddies and great period details, including a soundtrack with 80's songs like Blondies "Call Me". Even the band that plays at their school, Rainbow, is perfectly 80's authentic. The friends tell off color tales, goof off, deal with cruel teachers, trying to get girls, and Dong-su and Jeong-suk are constantly sticking up for and defending the weaker Sang-taek and Joong-ho. This latter fact leads to one of the films best sequences the aforementioned fight at a movie theater where they are literally up against and angry mob.

The plotting is nearly split down the middle, with the first half being their more youthful days, childhood and teen years, and the last half being the more mature, early twenties when they begin to distance themselves from one another and Dong-su and Jeong-suk become rivals. It is this last half of the film that features the films most heart wrenching sequences as well as its biggest stumbles. Jeong-suk takes up with the more rough gang leading to friction with Dong-su and he believes Dong-su orders a hit on him when their opposing sides disagree, his mixture of hurt and bloodthirsty anger is note perfect and the sequences very brutal. Unfortunately this is a case where the film would benefit from an additional 10-20 minutes to flesh out this last half, see more from the fortunate two as their criminal friends begin to draw themselves into a fatal fight. But, from what I know of Korean cinema, distributors frown upon films being over two hours, so since the film clocks in at just under two hours that development isn't there. And, a final crucial scene, comes off a bit cheesy, with soap opera melodrama and overacting, but the rest of the film is so great this one scene stumble doesn't harm the overall effect very much. Director Kwak Kyung-taek based the film on his own youth, with Sang-taek representing himself and appropriately serving as the films narrator. I have to say it ranks pretty well in the pantheon of autobiographical films, and certainly is one of the better examples of good Korean cinema.

The DVD: Tai Seng / Media Asia

Picture- Widescreen. Anamorphic. The film features some great cinematography, very nice visual palette, with a sepia toned look to add to the nostalgia. That said the transfer probably leans on the warm colors a tad too much. It could also be sharper, has some edge enhancement, and a few scenes that may be a tad too bright, but overall its nice to have an anamorphic DVD of the film and the transfer is decent enough.

Sound- Korean Dolby Digital 5.1 Stereo with optional white English or Chinese subtitles. Its good, capable, no problems whatsoever.

Extras- 9 Chapters--- Music Video--- Synopsis and Cast/Crew Credits--- Trailer.

Conclusion: Really a very good film. A First rate Drama. Highly recommended to Asian film buffs. The transfer is average/fair, more than acceptable and worth a purchase for the Asian film fan/those curious about the new wave of foreign film imports.