23:59 (2011) (Blu-ray Review)
Directed By: Gilbert Chan
Starring: Tedd Chan, Stella Chung, Philip Hersh
Rated: R/Region: 1/1×85/1080p/Number of disc: 1
Available from Magnolia
During a routine march at an island military training camp, an army recruit is found dead at exactly 23:59. This mysterious and gruesome incident unearths a terrifying dark secret of the haunted island, forcing the soldiers to confront their deepest fears.
Here we got a movie that does indeed gather a talented group of actors to play the roles of this doomed platoon and the dread is certainly hanging over the head of everything about this one as it gets started. There is a creepy atmosphere and it does have some good looking gore and horrific images to go with everything else. If the film had a fault it would have to be the fact that the movie does seem to pack a much better style than it does substance, but that isn’t to say that there isn’t something for you to see here. I for one didn’t mind the plot and thought it was clever, especially with the army touch of it.
The movie also stands out in the HD transfer of the Blu-ray. Colors look good and it seems to really bring out the mood of everything around the film. I do think there were some parts of the movie that did seem a little done before or typical at the end of the day. This could hurt a few people watching it that might have seen many other foreign films that somewhat use the same methods. For others, however, that may not have seen all those other films, they will probably like this the most.
– Making of Feature
– Trailer
