‘Project Wolf Hunting’ Is A Disgusting Voyage Soaked In Blood [Review]
It’s hard to surprise a lot of us horror fans. With so much of our time spent searching for the next terrifying film to haunt our dreams, it feels like we’ve seen it all. But, then, there’s a film that throws you for a loop and knocks you off your feet with the sheer force of its arterial spray. Such is the case for director Kim Hong-sun’s new film, Project Wolf Hunting, a mean, gory, and claustrophobic journey on the high seas. Part Con Air, part Resident Evil game, Kim creates a gonzo action-horror film that builds to an incredible reveal that sends the narrative spinning into the depths of hell.
Project Wolf Hunting begins in the Philippines as a group of Korean convicts is loaded onto a cargo ship. They’ve been captured by authorities and are being extradited back to Korea to be charged with their crimes, which range from selling drugs to rape and murder. Each criminal is introduced quickly but effectively, establishing just how dangerous they are. This ship is a powder keg primed for a massive explosion.
Yet, Korean authorities believe they have it under control. After a bombing during their previous attempt to extradite criminals back to Korea, they believe they have an air-tight plan for transporting their charges without incident. But oh how the road to hell is paved with good (and misguided) intentions. Almost immediately after the ship leaves the harbor, a riot breaks out and this plethora of dangerous criminals are let loose as the small group of cops assigned to the ship fight for their lives.
But that’s not all. As the prisoners, led by the disgusting yet scarily charismatic Jong-du (Seo In-guk), wreak havoc, there’s something hidden deep in the bowels of the ship. Something that looks like a perverse attempt at Frankenstein’s monster, complete with maggots wriggling in its mouth. Tied to a hospital bed covered in ice, the humanoid thing is somehow alive as heart monitors and other medical equipment beep and hum, indicating life reverberating through its body.
As prisoners shoot and slice their way through cops, staining the metal walls with blood, the creature awakens. This is no longer a prison riot; it’s a massacre. It’s no longer cops versus criminals, but humans versus something running rampant on the dank ship. Twist after twist reveals government conspiracies and Japanese atrocities committed against Korean prisoners of war as viscera piles up higher and higher with each passing minute.
With a 121-minute runtime, Kim never slows down. Project Wolf Hunting starts with an explosion and never loses that kinetic, chaotic energy for its entire duration. It’s an adrenaline rush injected into your eyeballs that keeps your heart racing until the credits roll. Is it ridiculous? Of course! That’s why it’s such an incredible horror experience. And that’s precisely what this is: an experience. This is a film that’ll have you gasping, screaming, and cheering with each limb torn off a body or each head smashed into a bloody pulp.
Project Wolf Hunting is a film of many endings. And while that often makes a film feel overly long, here it works. Kim leans into the ridiculous and over-the-top to deliver an adaptation of Resident Evil that gives Paul W.S. Anderson a run for his money. Just when you think the film is winding down, another twist is revealed or another set piece gets started, once again only adding to the gnarly cinematic experience that is Project Wolf Hunting.
Lee Cronin may boast about the sheer amounts of blood used in the upcoming Evil Dead Rise, but Project Wolf Hunting gives him a run for his money. The human body is merely playdough for Kim, a malleable sack of flesh and bones to be used to deliver some stunning kill sequences. It may not be for the faint of heart, but Project Wolf Hunting is one of the goriest films we’re getting this year.
Project Wolf Hunting comes to digital, Blu-ray, and DVDÂ on February 14, 2023.
