Movie Review – The Wailing

Chills and thrills with a heart and brain

It’s a rarity to see a generic horror film with 2.5 hours of screen time. Only cult movies like a ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ or ‘The Shining’ would fit the bill perfectly because they’re mood pieces. After getting to know that the film has got rave reviews, I thought of watching it in spite of not being a horror movie fan. In fact, both the above factor got me curious to watch the movie. When something outside of your comfort zone impresses you, it’s a great feeling. ‘The Wailing’ almost did but I couldn’t conclusively say so.

• 

The film has a typical South Korean opening with tired faces and not so beautiful setting. In fact, it very much reminds of ‘Memories of Murder’ with a tired police officer getting ready to go a murder spot. I’ve said time and again, the humor that Koreans induce in their films are terrific. Especially the sarcastic ones. Even though it’s a murder spot for which Jong-goo (Kwak Do-won) gets ready to go. He’s interrupted first by his wife, then by mother and then by kid who want him to eat, do household chores and get even excited about the murder because being in a village its something different for them from their routine.

Next up they see a naked woman in front of police station and go for another killing. This time its more horrific than the first one. Except for one woman with no name who keeps on throwing stone at them, there isn’t any clue which they get. She identifies the Japanese man as the ghost. Meanwhile a local hunter tells a story similar to that of what comes in Jong-goo’s dreams where he sees a man with red eyes eating a deer, raw.

Jong-goo and Hyo-jin (Kim Hwan-hee) along with his nephew, a Japanese-speaking deacon named Yang I-sam (Kim Do-yoon) go the Japanese strangers (Jun Kunimura) house to investigate. The environment is chilling. We get to know that he in fact would have done all the murders. On the way out they even spot Jong-goo’s daughter Hyo-jin’s (Kim Hwan-hee) shoe there which gets Jong-goo tensed. He leaves a fierce warning to the Japanese man to leave the place. That’s where the film looked like it intentionally got lengthier. Why couldn’t he just make him move out of there. The photos look like enough evidence to do so. He keeps telling him in spite of the Japanese man insulting him by not answering and burning the photographs.

But thanks to him, there is enough thrill moments. The first one involving the dog and the second one where Jong-goo’s gang come to kill him. Both are superbly shot adrenaline rushing moments. Add to it, the shaman scene was brilliant. May be for people in the west, all these could have been a cultural experience but being Indians, these are beaten to death concepts in our horror comedies. In spite of that, the scene still worked, thanks to the making and sound.

That shaman part comes at a good one hour before the climax. It’s only post that the film becomes monotonous. It’s understandable that they do not want to give a typical ending where all the forces act upon but what happens post that is a mundane man vs evil fight which at no point looks like something man would win.

The last part involving Moo-myeong (Chun Woo-hee), Il-gwang (Hwang Jung-min) and the Japanese stranger is a bit confusing as to who is whom and indeed becomes a fight amongst ghosts than between man vs ghost. The confusion I guess is intentional because till the end, I couldn’t identify who’s the real wrong doer. Also, I couldn’t identify Moo-myeong to be the girl who threw stones initially so I was surprised by her appearing all of the sudden. If I had known of that, the film would have been a still better experience.

Movie Review – Steel Rain

Blood Rain

This is one movie which is hard to find but for anyone who watches, it would right away go into their all-time favorite list. Such is the intensity of the film. And only Koreans can do it. Koreans are master storytellers aren’t they. We always associate Korean film for its Point Blankness and raw appeal but Koreans can be great at humor too. Both slapstick and wry. Even though an action movie, it oscillates between tension and humor effortlessly. And to top it, it has some fine acting, on the lines of more famous ‘Parasite’ wonder, Song Kang-ho.

The film effortlessly talks about geo politics, internal politics as well as external politics. And the beauty is that even if you don’t want to concentrate and know everyone of it, it still works. Thanks to the fantabulous action sequences. Guess the fight in the hospital would be right up there as one of the greatest hand combats. Editing is near perfect, with every movement, there is a gunshot, except for the one shot where Captain Choi Myung-Rok (Jo Woo-jin) tries to stab the North Korean Number One, all other shots were as brilliant as it could get. The tension is palpable, right in the league of the sauna fight in ‘Eastern Promises’.

The film is tense right from the start, when a former agent of the North Korean Special Forces is assigned a task to kill the Supreme Guard Commander, Gwang Dong-Park, and the minister of the State Security Department, Du-won Kim by RBI chief Ri Tae-han (Kim Kap-Soo). On the other hand, even though divorced from his wife, South Korean senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs and national security Kwak Chul-woo (Kwak Do-Won) lives better off. Partly due to his own attitude, because he’s a carefree man. Meanwhile in Pyongyang, Eom gets into an accident to kill the minister. Eom is then given another task but before the action we see what a dedicated man he is to the country. His house is in shambles and he could do nothing much than do the job he’s assigned to. So much happens even before we get to the story in entirety, thus letting us know that a lot more is going to happen going forward.

Then a huge chaotic event happens. The idea looks far fetched but the making makes us buy it. It was one of the intense crossover screenplays where a lot of events happen in parallel and gives the desired result in a grand fashion. The beauty of it is, it’s the scene through which the audience know what the titular significance is. In that way its so impactful and if not already serious, makes up sit upright in the seat and watch the proceedings even more carefully. The shootout is one of the best. Blood and gore are something Koreans do beautifully but the way they had made this scene would melt even the strongest of heart. In addition to it, its choreographed superbly too because its not easy to shoot a scene with so much extras.

The idea of having a president on the run is again far fetched but works conclusively, thanks to crisp making. It doesn’t feel like all magic like a Michael Bay film. Screenplay is tout, so even if it feels all coincidental, it still works. When we feel that it’d be a film where Eom would be on a run and Kwak would chase him, we get a twist when they both meet. The film becomes more political. A lot of politics happens on who wants what. In short there is a group which wants war, call them the bad ones and another group which wants to prevent it, call them the good ones. Both the parties are not restricted to one part of the region so it’s humanity vs evil in the end.

Both Eom and Kwak join hands to avert the war and devise as much strategies as possible. Even though it succeeds, the ending is a bitter sweet one. The way the chemistry builds between them too is terrific. Especially, there is a scene in car where they ridicule a pop singer based on South Korea. They two are terrific in that. Especially Kwak, he was a bundle of energy even in such serious film, which is great to see.

‘Steel Rain’ may be not as famous as a ‘Memories of Murder’ or a ‘Parasite’ but in spite of being a Netflix film, it has a great production film and right up there as one of the best Korean thrillers.