After losing his father at a young age in a terrible accident, Yong-hu (Park) abandons his Christian faith and chooses to only believe in himself. Now as an adult, Yong-hu is a champion fighter and has everything he has ever wanted, that is until a mysterious wound appears in the palm of his hand. And he himself in the middle of a dangerous fight against otherworldly evil forces seeking to wreak havoc on the human world.
A father takes his adorable son Yong-hoo to church on the promise of Chinese food afterward. The father recalls to his young son how his mother died in childbirth and after the two share a heartfelt moment, he is called into work for traffic duty. During a routine stop, an inebriated suspect with his girlfriend in the passenger seat refuses to get out of their car to perform a sobriety field test. The suspect steps on the gas and looks at the officer with a red-eyed morphing face then drags the officer to his death. At his funeral, the young son relinquishes his faith in God and tosses a crucifix at the priest in attendance.
Yong-hoo (Park Seo-joon) is all grown-up, now an MMA fighter, popular and feared in the UFC circuit. His opponent is conveniently adorned in Christian symbolic tattoos which frightens and enrages him. After pummeling his competitor and hopping on his private jet, Yong-hoo begins having nightmares that are all too real. During one intense dream, a wooden crucifix catches fire scorching his hand and when we wakes up, the wound is still there. In a great scene, he meets with a psychic boy whose diagnosis is, “you’re screwed, and you’re covered in demons.” After meeting the boy, Yong-hoo crosses paths with Father Ahn (Ahn Sung-ki), an unorthodox exorcist who could use some help with the increasing number of possessions. Their first exorcism was fun to watch, while some effects look better than others, I enjoyed it nonetheless. I admire the frightful premise yet sometimes the action got a tad redundant. The story kicks into gear when Yong-hoo realizes the demon that killed his father is the proponent of the evil-doings occurring.
South Korea has been exporting countless original stories while the West, for the most part, is foolishly trapped in a strictly for-profit movie model based on prior intellectual properties. Even if it’s not the best writing, I relish an original story and characters. It was enjoyable to watch holy water, crucifixes, and other familiar artifacts used to fight the demons. High flying stunts are commonplace in martial arts films but it’s much more suitable in the supernatural setting.
Director Joo-hwan Kim and his DP exhibit stunning cinematography among well-balanced lighting. There’s one scene, shot at night, where a gangster is threatening his henchman near a car wash and I’ve never seen a car wash look so superb with its lights and water blending into a remarkable image. The finale, which features a set made up of lights and mirrors, feels somewhere in between the influential “Enter the Dragon” and the polished chicness of “John Wick.” Overall, I think the story could’ve been edited down a bit but for a relatively new director, this feature shows a promising future.
Available on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and Digital November 19th
