Han Hyo Joo is pretty. The film stars Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, and Jung Woo-sung, and was released on July 15, 2018. Even $1 helps keeps us afloat. By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. I get CGi's and improvise locations you can't duplicate or make but at least make the story original, isn't that why you're making that movie?!?! 6 min read by Alex Khlopenko With Decay of Logos, Dark Souls affirms its role as the Diablo of 2010s. The sci-fi bit of the plot is merely veneer over the very Asian politicking. (Source: KoBiz) Edit Translation, In 2029, after the governments of North and South Korea announce a 5-year plan to reunify the country, strong sanctions by the world's powerful nations cripple the economy and lead to a hellish period of chaos. 3. Amidst this bloody struggle between two ultra-powerful institutions, rumors emerge of a secret "Wolf Brigade" being formed within the Special Unit. Instead of a badass group of killing-machines, we are stuck with the emotionless Lt. Lim (Gang Dong-won, with the charisma of a log), who is suffering from PTSD following the suicide bombing. The plodding pace does it a lot of favors, packing a lot of emotion into a relatively short film, but Illang breaks up some slower moments by adding in extra action scenes and extending others that existed in the original. But, it really feels as if the actions of any character become pointless, especially during the third act of the movie. Illang: The Wolf Brigade does have fantastic action sequences, especially the one involving the steel-clad unstoppable soldier killing his way through sewer tunnels filled with corrupt cops. "[27], As per Yonhap review, the film "spent so much time trying to recreate the world from the animated movie and remakes it into a big-scale action blockbuster that it never got the simple things right the film falls short of properly delivering the intense inner conflict felt by Joong-kyung. The film follows Kazuki Fuse, a member of a special police unit set during an alternate history of 1950s Japanese riots. A South Korean live-action remake titled Illang: The Wolf Brigade directed by Kim Jee-woon updates the setting from Japan to a dystopian South Korea, where the plot revolves around plans to unite the two Koreas. Entertaining and quite intelligent combat and action sequences throughout the movie; however, remarkably dumb reasons provided by the plot to explain the purpose of this combat. The Japanese preview of the film took place on June 19 in the Roppongi 20th Century Films theater. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. But it's been quite a while so I don't remember it that fondly. But the time we got to the bunker, the main character when from a vulnerable character we were rooting for into the predator. The end "battle" for me was a bit over the top and needed to be toned down some otherwise the action was all very well done and enjoyable. After the event, significant opposition to the Special Unit forces the group to utilize their iconic gas masks, to hide their identity as well as provide use in case of bio-hazardous threats. The first couple minutes at the protest was good. It has been relicensed in North America by Discotek Media, with a DVD released on April 29, 2014 followed by a Blu-Ray on January 27, 2015.[2][3]. The thing is like a wolf. All stories are accompa. Get our latest news, giveaways, free subscriptions and more. By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's Anime adaptations are rarely a good idea in the first place. Korean director Kim Jee-woon's latest offering is another anime adaptation, this time in the form of ILLANG: THE WOLF BRIGADE. But Illang: The Wolf Brigade isn't an addition . Fullmetal Alchemist The Revenge of Scar. Oh, Kim Jee-Woon, what have you done? I'm glad I wasn't the only one looking for where North Korea fit into the plot. Director Kim Jee-woon transplants the Japanese anime to a unified Korea, where steel-plated super-cops make a strong impression, then disappear for most of the movie. Actually, the meaning of Wolf Brigade changes midway through the movie, by which point audiences will have learned that its best not to spend too much energy attempting to follow the plot. I watched Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade a few months back, and I'm not a fan of it. Being a huge Kerberos fan (went as far as spending two whole month salaries to buy a full size set of armor back in the day) my expectations were really high The unrest generated by the political tension in Asia, economic depression, and opposition to reunification results in a domestic terror group known as "The Sect" to form. Good production value The Red Spectacles ( Akai Megane) is a 1987 Japanese science fiction directed by Mamoru Oshii and written by him and Kazunori Ito. The action in this film is so intense and epic! Sorry, but you can't access this content! Lots of netizens are surprised by union between super-hot actors and super-skilled film directors. Starring: Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, Jung Woo-sung Watch all you want. In 2024, when "political order in the Korean peninsula is shaken," following territorial disputes between China, Japan, and South Korea. His short fiction has been previously published in Three Crows Magazine, Black Denim Lit and Trigger Warnings: Short Fiction with Pictures. Fantastic and brilliant, with an intense and memorable ending. There is action in the movie, and the action scenes are (reasonably) well done, but there are large chunks of the movie where there's no action at all. Which is where, if you were looking for a movie inspired by, but uniquely different to, Jin-Roh, Illang will let you down. With the appearance of an armed anti-government terrorist group called The Sect which opposes reunification, the President creates a new police division called the Special Unit which amasses significant political power. The ending theme (Grace Omega I think it's called) is rolling in the background even as I type this. That was satisfying. In 2029, after the governments of North and South Korea announce a 5-year plan to reunify the country, strong sanctions by the world's powerful nations cripple the economy and lead to a hellish period of chaos. I highly recommend this film for action lovers, asian cinema enthusiats. The original Jin-Roh is a slow movie. Illang: The Wolf Brigade Photos View All Photos Movie Info. Visually, I get that director KIM JI HOON had deliberately or not payed a successful hommage to its Japanese predecessor albeit bit of twist in scenario to make it more To take a beloved classic and make it a big budget blockbuster and then add 40 minutes to the runtime is an even worse idea. 2. They from experience are consistent in their filmmaking efforts and for the most part this is no different. They then are not bulletproof when he shoots from the inside. 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Rowling More Grace and Listen to Her, Britain's $4 Billion Boss: ITV Chief Carolyn McCall Bets It All on Talent, 2023 Music Festivals: How to Buy Tickets to Coachella, Governors Ball, Lollapalooza and More. The show started out fairly slow and then took off with some really fantastic action. I went into this film not quite sure what to expect, but with a lot of high hopes. [8] It was subsequently shown in Cannes' March du Film, which presumably netted its early French theatrical release on November 17. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Amidst this bloody struggle between two ultra-powerful institutions, rumors emerge of a secret "Wolf Brigade" being formed within the Special Unit. Two things right off the bat: Wow. Submissions should be for the purpose of informing or initiating a discussion, not just to entertain readers. Disappointing & Forgettable. Illang: The Wolf Brigade [3] ( Korean : ; also known as Inrang) is a 2018 South Korean science fiction action film directed by Kim Jee-woon and starring Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, Jung Woo-sung and Kim Mu-yeol. He uses mostly tracking shots, following each of the players involved, highlighting the fear and desperation in the eyes of the terrorists (though the film never makes it clear if we should feel bad for them or not), and the cold, heartless dedication behind the cyborg-like the Special Unit. They are able to arrest the terrorist Gu Mi-kyung, and ask her to track down the leader of the sect so they can have evidence. The action scenes themselves are decent for what they are. (Source: KoBiz). Yes they've changed the setting but it's almost a shot to shot homage to Jin Roh in some parts, when Grace Omega started playing I immediately got frisson! Well unless you already know the Wolf Brigade because there was a Manga and an Anime. But another enemy may be lurking nearby. It had the chance to take the core concept of the original and remake it with more Korean influences and depart into a similar, but uniquely different, film or to recapture the original with live action and a few more action sequences. The endingwell you will have to watch and decide for yourself. However, the intelligence service Public Security, which sees its own influence drop, hatches a plot to annihilate the Special Unit. I was 100% on-board with this movie until about the last 15 minutes or so. Gustav Horn, Carl (2002). To revamp the family business, a young entrepreneur sets up a bold yet risky plan of importing soil from Morocco to bury his communitys deceased. The acting is decent, the effects and suits are quite good and the plot flows smootly until the end. He then committed Jin-Roh as a debut film to a trusted young collaborator, Hiroyuki Okiura, who had worked on animation movies such as Ghost in the Shell (character designer) and Patlabor 2: The Movie. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] While I am one of the first people to bemoan the seemingly endless cycle of remakes and reboots that seems to have seized the movie industry and would love to see that time, attention, and money diverted to new stories, ideas, and characters, I was still quite excited when I saw the first trailer for Illang: The Wolf Brigade, the live-action remake of the Japanese anime movie Jin-Roh. At one point, I really wanted to find out what's playing behind the scenes politically, as we see the special unit troops storm a building and nothing else after that. But everything feels like it's in slow motion: the predictable love affair, the speech patterns, they way everybody has to make weird faces to show how important their emotions are. I do recommend you give it a shot if you're looking for a decent action movie to while away a Friday evening with, but its lack of a real plot makes for a confusing viewing session. I've been waiting almost 20 years for this and thankfully it was not a whitewashed Hollywood disaster! Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is the third film adaptation of Mamoru Oshii's Kerberos Saga manga, released in 1999. Korean director Kim Jee-woon's latest offering is another anime adaptation, this time in the form of ILLANG: THE WOLF BRIGADE. Inrang: A feast for the eyes, but not the mind. It's not like it is not competently made, it just lacks that excitement off all those earlier movies. This was not the movie that I ended up watching. A remake of the acclaimed japanese anime Jin-roh this new movie somehow fails to make the impact that one might expect from this director. Thankfully, though, this is not something they abuse, and Illang does look different, though perhaps someone not well versed in the differences between Korean culture and Japanese culture might easily overlook a lot of the small nuances. Imo, the movie was doing so great as just a double agent action thriller. But another enemy may be lurking nearby. A good movie if you don't know about Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, Could've been so much better if it wasn't for the convoluted plot. A man is convicted of a robbery he didnt commit and spends six years in jail. Man I wish someone did a writing check on this bad boy film. Box 4666, Ventura, CA 93007 Request a Quote: comelec district 5 quezon city CSDA Santa Barbara County Chapter's General Contractor of the Year 2014! Sigh.. Lim is ordered to kill Yun-hee for being a Sect member and spy for the state security. I liked every aspect of this movie minus all the times that anyone was in the combat suits it was so rigid and didnt add any value to the characters. Illang: The Wolf Brigade[3] (Korean:; also known as Inrang) is a 2018 South Korean science fiction action film directed by Kim Jee-woon and starring Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, Jung Woo-sung and Kim Mu-yeol. It is a live-action adaptation of the Japanese animated film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, with the setting changed from a Japanese one to a Korean one. The state security wants to disband the special unit. The movie tries to go about the ending differently, but I just rolled my eyes at it because it doesn't add anything meaningful. Ironically, that makes Illang a rather ideal project, at least on paper. Read all Director Jee-woon Kim Writers Just wow. Pamphlet from DVD. It seems the movie didn't work well in Korea, and I remember watching the Jin roh anim as a kid and didn't like it that much. [32] The number of South Korean film admissions in July 2018 dropped by 21.4% from 2017, to 5.39 million, due to the sluggishness of this film and the absence of intermediate films to replace it. The following weapons were used in the film Illang: The Wolf Brigade: Honestly, being released on Netflix is its best hope for reaching a wide audience. Trying to dip into both pools at the same time ends up with an enjoyable, but flawed, adaptation. A lot of changes to the story made it worse. Also, there is so much talk, the movie runs for about 139 minutes, which is way too long for this particular story to be told. It was originally planned to be the third and final live-action feature film of the Kerberos trilogy, but its production wasn't possible until 1994, while Oshii was already working on Ghost in the Shell. [Edit: typo due to puppy paws hitting my keyboard]. Better simply to go with it, trusting that Kim can take whatever situation that arises as an opportunity to stage an exciting fight, chase, standoff or shootout like the one atop Seouls Namsan Tower, where an elaborate plan to capture and/or kill Lim goes awry, leading to a dazzling escape whereby our hero jumps out the window of the observation deck, scales a scarlet red fire hose the 440 feet to the ground, and proceeds to bash his way out of the parking lot in a stolen Mercedes. Privacy Policy, Now Playing: Best Netflix Releases Of October 2018: New Movies And TV Shows To Watch. In the sewers they meet Jang Jin-tae. As interesting as perfectly remaking an old anime into a live action movie might be, I was more intrigued by what changes would be implemented and how the lens of a Korean movie team would affect the narrative. Decades later, he becomes a suspect again but is he still innocent? Unfortunately the 139 minute lenght is also way too much, hopefully the new cut (soon to be released on Netflix) will make the movie somewhat tighter and more exciting. Soldier Lim Joong-kyung of the Special Forces encounters a girl carrying a bomb and wants to make her give it up. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. 2. In those finals moments, they manage to seemingly invalidate the rest of the film; it's quite literally the complete opposite of the anime. That was satisfying! The love story aspect of the movie just doesn't work, so it doesn't have an emotional crutch. If you haven't, go watch this film. When I heard this movie was coming out this year, I was very excited since Kim Jee-woon is one of Korea's big-name directors, and I had hoped this would play in U.S. theaters like several Korean movies do (typically at CGV Cinemas). However, they can't get there because the soldier who was supposed to take them there was caught and killed by the state security. For example, after the first 15 minutes, you have to wait about 50 minutes for the next real action sequence. Did the filmmakers forget, or did nothing new get produced after 2018? But another enemy may be lurking nearby. Lim meets Lee Yun-hee at the Namsan Tower. This wasn't originally in Bandai's plans for the film, but Oshii expected Kazunori It, his usual screenwriter, to reject their offer as he had previously told him that he didn't want to write a story involving dogs following his work for Jin-Roh live-action prequel The Red Spectacles, and after he did so he was offered the role. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. The main problem with it is that two and a half hours it's much too overlong and could have done with some judicious cutting, but other than that this is a solid effort. While the movie has wholly adopted Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, it does have parts of the Kerberos Saga included in does as part of giving it some . In return, she is promised remission of her prison sentence and an operation for her sick brother. The number of South Korean film admissions in July 2018 was the lowest since 2008. However, due to negative reviews from both critics and audience members, the film screened for only three weeks, and ended up attracting a total of 897,254 moviegoers, grossing US$6.2 million. Released October 19th, 2018, 'Illang: The Wolf Brigade' stars Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, Kim Moo-yul, Jung Woo-sung The R movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 20 min, and received a user score of 63 . Kei embraces Fuse and sadly recites the dialogue of Little Red Riding Hood, describing the grotesque appearance of the wolf disguised as a loved one. However, mostly the change just allows for a more fully rounded explanation of why there are protests and how the anti-terror unit came to be formed in the first place. That concept alone ought to make for a fascinating science-fiction parable, although its barely dealt with in any practical terms, other than to explain a wave of demonstrations that turn tragic on what comes to be known as Bloody Friday, when peacekeeping forces accidentally murder 15 schoolgirls, mistaking them for terrorists. The whole movie takes place in South Korea, and I was wondering when the North would be involved. Gay rights have, 23 min read TAMSYN MUIR is the bestselling author of the Locked Tomb Trilogy, which begins withGideon the Ninth, continues. The soldiers survive, but Lim shows shock. Thank You! It is a live-action adaptation of the Japanese animated film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. Later, the Wolf Brigade meet in a junkyard and Fuse is ordered to kill Kei to ensure she is never recaptured by Public Security. This docuseries delves into one of our greatest modern mysteries: Flight MH370. The main male protagonist, Im Joong-Kyung played by Gang Dong-won, is your usual super-competent combatant, and theres never really any tension about whether or not he will succeed in overcoming the obstacles in front of him so much as how he will do it. Best PS5 Headset In 2023 - Top Options For PlayStation, The design of the Special Unit is the stuff of nightmares, Too many unnecessary factions to keep track of, Convoluted conspiracy that amounts to nothing, Threads and characters get dropped out of nowhere, A central romance with zero emotional depth. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site. Failing to follow an order to execute a frightened young girl only to see her commit suicide by detonating an improvised explosive device before his very eyes, Fuse is put on trial and sent back to the training camp for re-evaluation. He praised it for the beauty of its animation and character designs and the "subtle and crafty twists" in the story, and commented that the differing approaches to production meant directors were freed from needing to appeal to a wide target audience and allowed have a much greater creative control than in Hollywood animated features, favoring the sophisticated productions anime was known for. Think of the T-60 Power Armor from the Fallout series, but make it 100 times scarier and more evil, and add terrifying round red eyes that glow with the intensity of nightmarish soldiers from hell, and you get the Special Unit soldiers. damn. And the fact that they put in a special fight at the end that wasn't in the original was really cool, especially since it was the first time a member of the Wolf Brigade fought someone on their level in skill. As such, this movie exists in a sort of limbo. Now I never read the Manga, but I did watch the Anime (Jin Roh). This generates significant backlash from the region's powers (the U.S, Russia, China, and Japan) who oppose reunification. befitting to our Korean situation and what not Perhaps if I had seen the anime version the other raters talk about, I would have understood what was going on. This is bright and vibrant action movie, filled with decent special effects and appropriately entertaining fight and chase sequences, mainly utilising super technology in the form of massive shoot-outs and the like. Yun-hee tells him she saw a puppet show of Little Red Riding Hood, but a version without a happy ending. Each of them is a one man army, with heavy duty machine guns, steel shields on their forearms capable of resisting hand-grenades, and German war helmets with gas masks covering their faces. The original was perfectly fine with letting you sit through a slow movie, though, and kept its overall length a bit short as a compensation. Overall, though, if you have heartbreaking memories of the original, this one does not deliver the same emotional punch the original possessed. If they had kept the original ending that preserved the nature of the main quote, I would have easily given it a 9/10. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. Failing to create any sense of intrigue about its futuristic world, The Wolf Brigade is one disappointing mess that carries bits n pieces of brilliance scattered here n there but the overall product is too weak & uninspiring to sustain the interest and leaves the viewers feeling rather indifferent in the end. The year is now 2029, and Special Unit forces now patrol wearing elaborate steel-plated armor. It's not their job to care if the people are innocent or should have a voice in their country's future. [7][8][9] Distributed by Warner Bros. Korea, the film had cost 19 billion won (US$17.04 million) to produce. Han Hyo-joo sure tries hard to make Yoon-hee work, but I think to really make that character come alive, Joong-kyung needs to be more dynamic, and by design, he's not. Like why can't you just flim everything the same as the originals? A talented young street-food cook pushes herself to the limit after accepting an invitation to train under an infamous and ruthless chef. Taken on its own, its a decent action movie with a little near future science fiction flavor. Anyone that has seen the original master piece before would find dissapointement in the last 15 min. Forget the special units you know - any of them. The film proceeds as the two develop a peculiar relationship. It was not to hard to follow but could have been a bit more solid. It focuses on Kazuki Fuse, a member of the elite Kerberos Panzer Corps, a metropolitan counter-terrorism unit. After hesitating to shoot the girl responsible for the blast, Lt. Lim (Gang Dong-won, the rare live-action star whos less expressive than his hand-drawn equivalent) is publicly reprimanded and sent to re-education whatever that means (other than a chance to feature a flashy training sequence in which he shoots his way through an abandoned building). One agent tries to kill Yun-hee, whereupon she joins Lim. A year after the formation of the Special Unit, an incident known as "Bloody Friday" occurs, in which the special unit mistakenly fires upon young girls in a suspected Sect compound. Illang tries for a slightly different emotional tug, but it didnt quite take the time to build it up for me the way the slower, more plodding Jin-Roh managed. The acting does no favour either as Gang Dong-Won and Han Hyo-Joo come off as boring protagonists. Ive been living in South Korea for near a decade now, and I had a lot of expectations that the movie would feel more Korean than it ended up being.