October 30 2026, 19:01
Hope
The police chief of a remote South Korean village is called by a group of local men to investigate the violent deaths of livestock. More reports come in of strange sightings, and it becomes clear a giant creature is running amok across the countryside.
I don’t think any more plot is needed than that. The first thirty minutes is like a really good video game, the camera following police chief Bum-seok through increasingly disturbing scenes of death and destruction, the creature causing it always a few streets away. It’s unsettling and exciting and funny in places. When fellow officer Sung-ae shows up with weaponry and in an amusingly over-the-top rage, she saves her bosses life and the creature comes into full view. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all.
The set pieces are impressive, the chases on horseback are breathtaking, but it’s a long film, and I found myself wishing towards the end that every scene was shorter. It’s taking big swings, and many pay off. Films like this don’t get made in Hollywood, so South Korean cinema, I salute you.
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