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. CA License # A-588676-HAZ / DIR Contractor Registration #1000009744 Illang: The Wolf Brigade 2018 | Maturity Rating: 16+ | 2h 19m | Sci-Fi Movies In 2029, the elite police squad Illang combats a terrorist group opposing reunification of the two Koreas. Inside, Lim discovers a poster of Little Red Riding Hood. The windows in the car he hijacks are obviously easily smashed, but bulletproof when he reverses and gets shot at. The action in this film is so intense and epic! GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site. That was satisfying. Interesting what the Korean Scriptwriters think about Super Powers meddling into Reunification of the Republic of South Korea and the Democratic People's Nation of North Korea. The majority of the story beats and the characters personalities, however, are lifted the whole cloth from the original. Behind all of this, frequently peeking through to the forefront, is an almost political thriller of two government agencies trying to discredit and overpower the other. Yes, Scream VI Marketing Is Behind the Creepy Ghostface Sightings Causing Scares Across the U.S. David Oyelowo, Taylor Sheridan's 'Bass Reeves' Series at Paramount+ Casts King Richard Star Demi Singleton (EXCLUSIVE), Star Trek: Discovery to End With Season 5, Paramount+ Pushes Premiere to 2024. I can't explain it, but it hit it's marks and hit them perfectly. Illang: The Wolf Brigade: Movie Review - DungeonsandDeepSpace The goal of /r/Movies is to provide an inclusive place for discussions and news about films with major releases. It is a live-action adaptation of the Japanese animated film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. Together they go to the bookstore that Yun-hee owns. had to be impartial due to my upbringing in the States. Yun-hee tells him she saw a puppet show of Little Red Riding Hood, but a version without a happy ending. Sci-Fi Movies | Netflix Official Site 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. Anyone that has seen the original master piece before would find dissapointement in the last 15 min. I felt entertained. Yun-hee sits down with her brother as the train departs. Very Stylish ( South korean A+ Movie) My Ratings 10/10, what a piece of work it is a tour de force work from the director (just watched couple hours ago_. [20], Webtoon writer Yoon Tae-ho penned a prequel titled Illang: Prequel, which took place five years before the events of the film. After the Dragon King steals his staff, the Monkey King sets off on a mission to get it back. It is also the only animated adaptation, the animation done by Production I.G.. Read Jin Roh The Wolf Brigade Blu . That inexplicable something a story (in any medium) can have. [27][30] After five days of release, Illang: The Wolf Brigade earned a total of US$5.29 million. His short fiction has been previously published in Three Crows Magazine, Black Denim Lit and Trigger Warnings: Short Fiction with Pictures. The Warner Bros logo is bright red against a black background. Illang: The Wolf Brigade Photos View All Photos Movie Info. 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. Hachiroh Tohbe explains to Kei that the Wolf Brigade has used the Public Security Division's plan to flush out those who were most active in trying to eliminate the Kerberos Corps, and eliminate them in turn. All Rights Reserved. [11] Helen McCarthy in 500 Essential Anime Movies called the anime "a must-see" and praised the score and the design, commenting on "some breathtakingly composed scenes". Three Crows Magazine is a reader-funded publication and your support keeps us operational and independent to continue paying our authors for the best fiction and non-fiction possible. The Wandering Earth. Haunted by an unsolved murder, brilliant but disgraced London police detective John Luther breaks out of prison to hunt down a sadistic serial killer. Thank You! 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. Illang: The Wolf Brigade (2018) Stream and Watch Online A Rare Dud From Kim Jee-woon. There is zero emotional depth to the characters (or actors who can convey any emotion), and together they make for a boring and shallow couple. 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. By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. At first the new ending started making me think they were going to tie the plot into something regional/macro, but instead it was some happy ending crap. The opening sequence is straight out of the 1999 anime, with a confrontation between the Sect and the Special Unit inside sewer tunnels. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Why? [4], Okiura favored traditional animation, and thus the film was almost completely drawn by hand, requiring 80,000 cels. From his friend Han Sang-woo, Lim receives a diary that is said to have belonged to the deceased girl Lee Jae-hee. Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? She also cannot blame Lim for her death. This generates significant backlash from the region's powers (the U.S, Russia, China, and Japan) who oppose reunification. Ironically, that makes Illang a rather ideal project, at least on paper. [1][17] Filming began on August 16, 2017 in Studio Cube, a South Korean filming complex, and completed on March 23, 2018. 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. The world seems to be overwhelmed by wars and political forces but during the moie none of them are desplayed or even implied a little. Then he meets Lee Yun-hee (Han Hyo-joo, also wooden), who claims to be the dead girls sister. Didn't feel anything for the characters or their romance. 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. [8] It was subsequently shown in Cannes' March du Film, which presumably netted its early French theatrical release on November 17. There are decent action scenes and some stunning set pieces. They encounter the fully armored Fuse, who slaughters them all. This page was last edited on 28 January 2023, at 21:03. As he proposed the project to Bandai Visual at a meeting they instead asked him to direct Ghost in the Shell but green-lit the series for pre-production. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. The film proceeds as the two develop a peculiar relationship. The stories focus on the aftermath of one of the unit's members who froze when confronted with a particularly young terrorist and couldn't perform his duty of killing her. We are told through a 5-minute-long prologue that fears of an impending war over a territorial dispute between Japan and China caused the two Koreas to launch preparations for unification. Writer/director Kim Jee-woon clearly has an eye for intriguing thrillers and electrifying action, but he doesnt seem to know what to do with the movie's bad actors, and his idea to take a relatively simple story and add 4 different subplots was misguided. The first couple minutes at the protest was good. 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. That whole movie. However, the film's "slow, deliberate pace" is criticised. This time however he disappointed me even if his new feature is not nearly as bad as its initial korean reputation would suggest. A must-watch! After reluctantly giving up the directorial role, Oshii originally thought on Patlabor 2: The Movie animation director Kazuchika Kise, but he had no interest in chief direction at the time. The music video brings together the best moments from Kim Ji Woon's fantasy action movie "Illang: The Wolf Brigade" (Inrang) of 2018. 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. That concept alone makes for a fascinating science-fiction film, but unfortunately, its all setup that is immediately abandoned. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. Fearing the possibility of war, North Korea and South Korea agree to re-unify for the sake of survival, with a five year interim put in place as preparation for the reunification. Kim knows how to direct and edit frenetic chase sequences but the narrative here is so unconvincing and bland that it is just not enough. After that I didn't care who was fighting who. The movie tries to go about the ending differently, but I just rolled my eyes at it because it doesn't add anything meaningful. 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. poorly it was received in Korea this summer. While I am (sort of) glad I watched the movie, I can say with confidence that it isn't for everybody. But I found it stylish satisfying and at times genuinely scary! The film was financed by Union Investment Partners, with production being announced in 2013. [Edit: typo due to puppy paws hitting my keyboard]. The film's musical score was composed by Hajime Mizoguchi. That just eluded me. I would argue that the conflict between the special unit and the public security division isn't well established, as we just see this illustrated in people talking and a few shootouts. The story ends with the wolf eating Little Red Riding Hood. And, in truth, this was my biggest disappointment with the film. 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. There is also the weird use of the 2029 setting when the futuristic tanks and helicopters from the opening sequence are quickly abandoned in favor of modern technology. The premise was funny in the beginning about reunification. The film stars Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, and Jung Woo-sung, and was released on July 15, 2018. Well unless you already know the Wolf Brigade because there was a Manga and an Anime. About the Author Michael Kellichner is writer and poet from Pennsylvania currently living in South Korea. That wouldn't be so bad had the dialogue been interesting or thought-provoking, but for the most part it comes across as really dull stuff you've heard in many other movies before. [Spoilers] Let's talk about "Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade" - reddit An incident involving the death of innocent teens causes the Special Unit to become ruthless killing machines, hiding. But another enemy may be lurking nearby. The film stars Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, and Jung Woo-sung, and was released on July 15, 2018. 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. The events prompt Japan to remilitarize, and the U.S. and Russia to ramp up military interests in the area. [9], An early comment on the film was given by Blue Sky animator Andr Mazzone, who was shown the film in May 1999 as part of a delegation from the studio to Production IG's headquarters. While Illangs additions are generally good, the film chipped at the originals emotional core to make the film have more action. However, they can't get there because the soldier who was supposed to take them there was caught and killed by the state security. In 2024, when "political order in the Korean peninsula is shaken," following territorial disputes between China, Japan, and South Korea. The story of the original is more or less the story of the remake. It was released on Netflix on July 25, 2018. It's not their job to care if the people are innocent or should have a voice in their country's future. 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. Netflix supports the Digital Advertising Alliance Principles. The movie is certainly pretty to look at. But the time we got to the bunker, the main character when from a vulnerable character we were rooting for into the predator. Forget the special units you know - any of them. Secondary characters like Cheol-jin and Mi-kyung get thrown into the story and exit without adding any substance. The production values are top-notch with excellent cinematography and fight coreography but the final product somehow feels like an unremarkable and hollow action movie without that spark that made Bittersweet life such an unforgettable experience. After the attack (and the fun), the film starts getting complicated. Contents 1 Summary 2 Plot 3 Cast and Characters 4 Awards In 2014, a plane with 239 people aboard vanishes from all radar. Some of the same setups are in Illang, but they lost the threads throughout the film, and the payoff doesnt arrive with as much force. 3. Korean director Kim Jee-woon's latest offering is another anime adaptation, this time in the form of ILLANG: THE WOLF BRIGADE. The acting does no favour either as Gang Dong-Won and Han Hyo-Joo come off as boring protagonists. Three Crows Magazine Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine, REVIEW: The Game Weavers by Rebecca Zahabi, Tamsyn Muir Interview: There is a lot of blood on my dance floor., REVIEW: Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James, Marvel Presents Northstar Vs the Straight Gaze by O F Cieri, Screenplay: Kim Jee-woon, Jun Chul-hong, Lee Ji-min, Park Jong-dae (based on the oriinal story written by Mamoru Oshii and its animated feature Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade directed by Hiroyuki Okiura), Main cast: Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Mu-yeol, Han Ye-ri, Choi Min-ho, Heo Joon-ho. Imo, the movie was doing so great as just a double agent action thriller. Fantastic and brilliant, with an intense and memorable ending. Floor Coatings. 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. Yun-hee is a former member of "The Sect" who is supposed to trap Lim for the State Security. The issue is that there are only two action scenes, and they are buried beneath 139 minutes of convoluted storylines and melodrama. If you have, I'm sure this will be less of a discussion and more reminiscing about how dropped our jowls were by the end credits. I genuinely enjoyed it. Meanwhile, Yun-hee lures Lim into a trap. Trying to dip into both pools at the same time ends up with an enjoyable, but flawed, adaptation. 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. First, they get a chance to track down and all-but-eliminate a terrorist group called the Sect (although its never quite clear what these rebels oppose, or whether were supposed to be rooting for or against them), before an incident involving an underage suicide bomber forces the authorities to pull the plug on the program. (Also in San Sebastian film festival.) Netflix and third parties use cookies and similar technologies on this website to collect information about your browsing activities, which we use to analyse your use of the website, to personalise our services and to customise our online advertisements. You can change your cookie preferences. For example, after the first 15 minutes, you have to wait about 50 minutes for the next real action sequence. Fullmetal Alchemist The Revenge of Scar. The stories focus on the aftermath of one of the units members who froze when confronted with a particularly young terrorist and couldnt perform his duty of killing her. 6 min read by Alex Khlopenko With Decay of Logos, Dark Souls affirms its role as the Diablo of 2010s. In 2029, the elite police squad Illang combats a terrorist group opposing reunification of the two Koreas. The film picks up five years later, as conditions have drastically worsened. You can also change your preferences at any time by clicking Cookie Preferences in the footer of each page. Also, Illang is based on a Japanese anime " The Wolf Brigade (1999)" of Mamoru Oshii . Inrang: A feast for the eyes, but not the mind. As such, this movie exists in a sort of limbo. The year is now 2029, and Special Unit forces now patrol wearing elaborate steel-plated armor. While I do think that this Korean movie does work enough for me to give it a recommendation, at the same time I thought it had some issues, issues that might make some other viewers look on it less kindly than I am. I thought the escaped Sect leader would play a major role in this story, but that gets quickly wrapped off at the end (on a news channel scene). "Werewolf"), also known as Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade in its American release, is a 1999 Japanese action political thriller[1] anime film directed by Hiroyuki Okiura (in his directorial debut) and written by Mamoru Oshii. on October 24, 2018 at 3:41PM PDT. About that car and the rest of the surrounding production details: Despite all the energy spent establishing how much Korea has changed between now and 2029 (a vision that calls for customized cars and tanks early on), about half an hour in, Kim either forgets that the film takes place in the future, or simply assumes that audiences will just carry on believing that premise, reverting back to what looks indistinguishable from the present day. EDIT: cause I screwed up my numbers, apparently. Read Next: CAA Signs Industry, Rye Lane Star David Jonsson (EXCLUSIVE), 2023 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Live Action Review: Brevity Proves a Blessing in a Year of Overlong Oscar Nominees, 2023 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Animation Review: The Boy and His Ilk Mark a High-Water Year, Ttem Review: Secrets Are Made and Truths Revealed at an Unforgettable Family Gathering, Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan Actor, Dies at 61, Reality TV Star Stephen Bear Jailed for 21 Months Over OnlyFans Sex Video, Jonathan Majors Confronts Those Terrible Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Reviews: It Doesnt Change How I See Myself, New Alien Movie Starts Filming in March, Reveals Cryptic Synopsis and Full Cast, Why Sylvester Stallone Is Not in 'Creed 3', Michelle Yeoh Says Hollywood Questioned If I Even Spoke English After 1997 Bond Film: I Didnt Work for Two Years Due to Stereotype, Woody Harrelson Slams COVID Set Protocols as 'Nonsense,' Urges Hollywood to 'Stop' Forcing 'Vaccination': Thats 'Not a Free Country', Idris Elba Says Backlash Over Not Calling Himself a Black Actor Is Stupid: Where Am I Denying My Blackness?, Ke Huy Quan Lost His Health Insurance Right After Filming Everything Everywhere All at Once: Nobody Else Wanted to Hire Me, Harry Potter Star Evanna Lynch: I Wish People Would Give J.K. 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. Actually, they come off like college art-house films, which is probably why these films aren't well regarded. The ending theme (Grace Omega I think it's called) is rolling in the background even as I type this. [33][34], San Sebastin International Film Festival, 66th San Sebastin International Film Festival, "KIM Jee-woon's Sci-fi Action INRANG Starts Shooting in August", "(Yonhap Interview) Director Kim Jee-woon: Che Guevara inspires me to constantly challenge myself", "Warner Bros. and KIM Jee-woon Team Up Once More on JIN-ROH Remake", "Summer box-office preview: the 5 most highly anticipated Korean movies", "KIM Jee-woon's Sci-fi INRANG Arms Up for July Release", "Director Kim Jee-woon's 'Inrang' unveiled to media", "Hotshots in film industry team up in sci-fi-themed 'The Wolf Brigade', "Korean cinemas earned more despite fewer admissions this summer", "How 'Illang' went from blockbuster to major box office flop: Warner Bros. Korea's summer release failed to please audiences", "Kim Jee-woon's 'Wolf Brigade' advances to San Sebastian film fest", "The English Cast and Crew of Illang: The Wolf Brigade, the South Korean live action remake of #JinRoh, now available English dubbed on Netflix", "Rookie Ok Ja-yeon to star in "Illang: The Wolf Brigade", "Netflix Picks Up Kim Jee-woon's 'Wolf Brigade', "KIM Jee-woon's Sci-fi Action Drama INRANG Completes 8 Months of Filming", "S. Korea's largest film studio opens doors to support 'hallyu', "Korean special makeup artist works for 'Darkest Hour', "MOSS, INSIDE MEN Writer Pens ILLANG: PREQUEL Webtoon", "Netflix Picks Up Kim Jee-woon's Action Thriller 'Illang: The Wolf Brigade', "Netflix acquires distribution rights of South Korean action-thriller", "Gang Dong-won and Han Hyo-joo to make public appearance next week after dating rumors", "Despite star power, 'Illang' can't meet high expectations: Local adaptation of a Japanese hit film fails to satisfy movie critics", "(Movie Review) 'Illang: The Wolf Brigade' eventually loses its way", "[fn ] "'', .. ", "Korea Box Office: 'Mission: Impossible' Beats 'Wolf Brigade', ""'' "..7 10 ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Illang:_The_Wolf_Brigade&oldid=1135526482, This page was last edited on 25 January 2023, at 05:34. The main plots complexity makes early portions a bit sluggish but sets up for a lot of twists and betrayals later on. I give it a B-. I highly recommend this film for action lovers, asian cinema enthusiats. Whatever. Illang: The Wolf Brigade picks up five years into the unification plans. It's a futuristic fable in which a new Cold War leads to a reunification attempt between North and South Korea. Certainly, Illang has some random explosions that dont make sense outside of a movie universe, but the fight sequences are mostly easy to follow, while still being dynamic and exciting. The new instruction is to go into the sewers together with Yun-hee. Rafael Motamayor By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. But another enemy may be lurking nearby. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. site . I liked the quality of the movie action scene, simple and without CG. The use of light and shadow to build suspense as the sewers suddenly go dark and multiple red eyes start to glow will send chills down your spine. Archived post. In the last scene, Yun-hee's brother is seen sitting in a train looking out at a man sitting on a bench. I watched Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade a few months back, and I'm not a fan of it. The acting is decent, the effects and suits are quite good and the plot flows smootly until the end. This was not the movie that I ended up watching. 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 . These are among the scariest non-Nazi soldiers ever to be put on screen. [5] Oshii considered him the most able candidate among the younger staff of the studio and both Production IG and Bandai Visual, knowing about his directing ambitions and his interest in creating a serious drama, wanted him to do his debut for them. The old sergeant solemnly compares Kei's fate to the demise of Red Riding Hood and the triumph of the wolf. In-between the action, there is a lot of talk. The director of this movie is one of my personal favourites who previously made such modern classics as Tale of two sisters, Bittersweet life and I saw the devil. She detonates a bomb in front of him, but only kills herself. While I enjoyed the film, I found myself caught between the contradictory feelings of wanting the film to have changed more while also wishing the film had adhered more to the original. Reminder: Skip the convoluted plot and jump to 01:05:00 to watch the gunfight scene. I hope he makes a truly great film again, because I was disappointed despite going into it with lowered expectations. I am so glad that betraying sonovabitch Henmi ate shit. Honestly, being released on Netflix is its best hope for reaching a wide audience. The following weapons were used in the film Illang: The Wolf Brigade: I thought all of the fighting and firefights of the movie were incredibly unique and interesting as far as movies go, the setting was also something that I enjoyed. The only one good thing are the action moments of shooting and fights which keep the audience awake. While there are some franchises that I have completely abandoned because I dont want to watch another origin story and meet the same cast of familiar characters all over again, a twenty-year gap between the original incarnation and a remake seems like a fair enough deal. "Illang (2018 Film)" Cast & Summary - Kpopmap He stands up to instructor Jang Jin-tae. "Illang aka JinRoh: The Wolf Brigade " is going to start shooting in the end of July, 2017, and is released in summer 2018. Starring: Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, Jung Woo-sung Watch all you want. Illang: The Wolf Brigade (2018) - Illang: The Wolf Brigade (2018 - IMDb However, he refuses, seeing no need for her death. EDIT 2: I have no idea why the numbers are screwy. The original Jin-Roh is a slow movie. Lucid Dream. It was not to hard to follow but could have been a bit more solid. From the very beginning the audience is thrown into a plot which is rather vague and confused. If they had kept the original ending that preserved the nature of the main quote, I would have easily given it a 9/10. [17][22][23], The film was selected to compete at the 66th San Sebastin International Film Festival, which was held from September 2129, 2018. Lots of netizens are surprised by union between super-hot actors and super-skilled film directors. (Source: KoBiz). But, it really feels as if the actions of any character become pointless, especially during the third act of the movie. JUNG_E. The main characters, of course, are caught up in, and pivotal to, this inter-agency conflict. The action scenes themselves are decent for what they are. However, the intelligence service Public Security, which sees its own influence drop, hatches a plot to annihilate the Special Unit. 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. But Illang: The Wolf Brigade isn't an addition . Mamoru Oshii had wanted to do what ultimately became Jin-Roh several years prior. Even the action scenes all feature some guy thinking a lot before getting shot stupidly a second later. Illang: The Wolf Brigade - Wikipedia The film is generally too slow for the duration with small bursts of action at the beginning and end where it recovers a lot, but the beginning and the end are exceptions because the in the almost three hours of duration is boring for the most part, then it is too confusing and it makes struggling to figure it out.