[7][8][9] Distributed by Warner Bros. Korea, the film had cost 19 billion won (US$17.04 million) to produce. Also, Illang is based on a Japanese anime " The Wolf Brigade (1999)" of Mamoru Oshii . 2. 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. 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. Inside, Lim discovers a poster of Little Red Riding Hood. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is the third film adaptation of Mamoru Oshii's Kerberos Saga manga, released in 1999. In 2029 an elite police squad combats a terrorist group that opooses the reunification of the two Korean states. And it's a shame because the initial idea was not bad. EDIT 2: I have no idea why the numbers are screwy. 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 director shines in these scenes. There's certainly a lot going on plot-wise, and the movie doesn't juggle the material well. 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. Based on Mamoru Oshiis Kerberos Panzer Cop manga whose 1999 anime adaptation, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, serves as a direct blueprint for this films stunning opening and climax Illang transposes the story from Japan to Korea, where political and economic pressure have forced the divided country to consider reunification. The events prompt Japan to remilitarize, and the U.S. and Russia to ramp up military interests in the area. Get our latest news, giveaways, free subscriptions and more. Secondary characters like Cheol-jin and Mi-kyung get thrown into the story and exit without adding any substance. But the time we got to the bunker, the main character when from a vulnerable character we were rooting for into the predator. 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. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. It was not to hard to follow but could have been a bit more solid. They then are not bulletproof when he shoots from the inside. The acting does no favour either as Gang Dong-Won and Han Hyo-Joo come off as boring protagonists. Illang: The Wolf Brigade picks up five years into the unification plans. But Illang: The Wolf Brigade isn't an addition . Jin-Roh (, Jinr, lit. Amidst this bloody struggle between two ultra-powerful institutions, rumors emerge of a secret "Wolf Brigade" being formed within the Special Unit. Furthermore, Illang is not a direct remake of the animation and is rather an adaptation that borrows heavily from the original. He inquires about Lim. After that I didn't care who was fighting who. They encounter the fully armored Fuse, who slaughters them all. The new instruction is to go into the sewers together with Yun-hee. Visiting the grave of the suicide, he meets Kei, the girl's sister, who does not hold him responsible for her demise. The Red Spectacles ( Akai Megane) is a 1987 Japanese science fiction directed by Mamoru Oshii and written by him and Kazunori Ito. 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. Anyone that has seen the original master piece before would find dissapointement in the last 15 min. But, it really feels as if the actions of any character become pointless, especially during the third act of the movie. "[28], Jason Bechervaise from Screendaily wrote that the film "contains moments of stylistic brilliance through some compelling set-pieces. Kim Jee-woons script cant handle the mystery without a lot of heavy exposition and needlessly complicated doublecross-on-doublecross. One agent tries to kill Yun-hee, whereupon she joins Lim. Kei is eventually revealed not to be the suicide bomber's sister, but a former bomb courier coerced into acting on behalf of the Special Unit's rival division Public Security. While I am (sort of) glad I watched the movie, I can say with confidence that it isn't for everybody. Yun-hee sits down with her brother as the train departs. 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. Illang: The Wolf Brigade 2018 | Maturity Rating: 16 | 2h 19m | Action & Adventure In 2029, the elite police squad Illang combats a terrorist group opposing reunification of the two Koreas. The show started out fairly slow and then took off with some really fantastic action. This movie just damn. The love story aspect of the movie just doesn't work, so it doesn't have an emotional crutch. It's a futuristic fable in which a new Cold War leads to a reunification attempt between North and South Korea. The majority of the story beats and the characters personalities, however, are lifted the whole cloth from the original. Illang (2018 Film) Information 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. 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 . 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. In 2029, the elite police squad Illang combats a terrorist group opposing reunification of the two Koreas. In the last scene, Yun-hee's brother is seen sitting in a train looking out at a man sitting on a bench. Lim is supposed to take out the state security in the sewers. That was satisfying. Action Drama Sci-Fi Set in the distant future where both North and South Koreas agree to establish a joint government, which has been in preparation for a duration of 7 years, the plot focuses on political uprisings on opposing sides which grow fierce when a special police unit is formed to stop the. The number of South Korean film admissions in July 2018 was the lowest since 2008. 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. any information helps. 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. 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. This could explain why Jin-Roh is much more grounded and easier to follow than The Red Spectacles and StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops, which don't really feature the iconic armor. Or maybe no new cars were made, buildings modified or fashions introduced after 2018. 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 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. Yoon-hee claims a lot of things over the course of the movie, and sooner or later, one would do well to stop believing her, since shes the rebel/spy/love-interest/damsel-in-distress on whom the movies unnecessarily convoluted plot pivots at least three too many times. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. had to be impartial due to my upbringing in the States. 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. [10][11] The film competed in the San Sebastin International Film Festival for the Golden Shell, becoming the second South Korean film to do so.[12]. Some okay action and fighting scenes. Didn't get the emotional connection that Korean movies usually have. So not two minutes ago the credits rolled. The training part in the building was also lackluster, the action was more over the top but there was no strategy to it, no teamwork and we didn't get to see Fuse (Lim) get re-trained like he did in the original. You can also change your preferences at any time by clicking Cookie Preferences in the footer of each page. [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". However, the film's "slow, deliberate pace" is criticised. However, fans of the original might find that there are either too few changes to merit watching this over the original, or they might feel that there were too many changes and the film moved too far into action and away from the emotional core that made the original so memorable. Illang: The Wolf Brigade Photos View All Photos Movie Info. But his greatest enemy proves to be his own pride. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. 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. 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. About the Author Michael Kellichner is writer and poet from Pennsylvania currently living in South Korea. It was developed by Kakao Pages and Daum Webtoon and was released on June 27, 2018, beginning a weekly run of chapters that led up to the film's release on July 25. The special unit is able to track the fleeing members to the sewers and hunt down some members there. words that have to do with clay P.O. He ultimately still found the experience frustrating both through the tiping ("The moment you write, you want to direct") and after realizing the result would unavoidably be much different from what he pictured in his head. Lucid Dream. While Illangs additions are generally good, the film chipped at the originals emotional core to make the film have more action. This leads to the emergence of a terrorist group named Sect, which opposes the joint government of South and North Korea. Director: Kim Jee-woon Writer: screenplay by Kim Jee-woon adapted from Mamoru Oshii's Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. From his friend Han Sang-woo, Lim receives a diary that is said to have belonged to the deceased girl Lee Jae-hee. 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 old sergeant solemnly compares Kei's fate to the demise of Red Riding Hood and the triumph of the wolf. 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. Soldier Lim Joong-kyung of the Special Forces encounters a girl carrying a bomb and wants to make her give it up. Kang Dong Won looks out of place in such an action role. However, another enemy may be lurking nearby. A man is convicted of a robbery he didnt commit and spends six years in jail. Jee-Woon's films 'I saw the Devil' and 'The Good the Bad the Weird' are among my favorite Korean films (and favorite films in general). The original isnt great but the script is thight and know exactly what it is and how to tell it but the new one is just a mess. My excitement dimmed after I read about how poorly it was received in Korea this summer by both audiences and critics. Gay rights have, 23 min read TAMSYN MUIR is the bestselling author of the Locked Tomb Trilogy, which begins withGideon the Ninth, continues. Starring: Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, Jung Woo-sung Watch all you want. 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. However I really enjoyed this movie, yeah the romance part might a bit long but also has some purpose in building the final climax. 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. 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. She says he didn't even shoot her and they were just opponents on different sides. Learn more about our use of cookies and information. IPv6 Ready. The sniper? What is the English language plot outline for Illang: The Wolf Brigade (2018)? The biggest improvement in this regard is Han Hyo-joos character, Lee Yoon-heeIllang takes Jin-Rohs Kei Amemiya and does a better job of getting into the characters backstory. There, it may find a cult following, considering that the sharp-looking film boasts some of the most spectacular set pieces including a stunning climactic showdown in which a steel-clad killing machine blasts his way through sewer tunnels crawling with dirty cops that audiences are likely to find on the streaming service this fall. Jin-Roh was first seen in the early 1999 film festival circuit, including the 49th Berlinale and the 19th Fantasporto in February. That being said, there were some big changes that made the film more enjoyable for me. Good production value Summary: In 2029, an elite police force combats a terrorist group opposing Korean reunification. Starring: Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, Jung Woo-sung Watch all you want. Why? That inexplicable something a story (in any medium) can have. Having just watched this, I can say that it's a relatively faithful adaptation of Oshii's source material, improving in some ways and worsening in others. [6], The film was released on July 25, 2018. As the credits were rolling, I realized what I had really wanted was to see a Korean take the Jin-Roh idea, the extrapolation from the same starting point but divergent from the original in a way that the new film would only make sense to set it in South Korea. Illang: The Wolf Brigade is a 2018 South Korean science fiction action film. 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. 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. 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. 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. In the sewers they meet Jang Jin-tae. Why do so many Korean movies feel like they're in slow motion. Of all the Kim Jee-woon films I've seen (The Quiet Family; The Foul King; A Tale of Two Sisters; The Good, the Bad, the Weird; I Saw the Devil; The Last Stand; The Age of Shadows), this is firmly his worst. But another enemy may be lurking nearby. I can't explain it, but it hit it's marks and hit them perfectly. Due to civil unrest within South Korea (Japan in the original), an elite anti-terror unit is formed. Han Hyo Joo is pretty. 2. But thats not the end of the road for Illang, which will next head to Netflix in all other territories. But I found it stylish satisfying and at times genuinely scary! [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] For example, after the first 15 minutes, you have to wait about 50 minutes for the next real action sequence. If you haven't, go watch this film. site . 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. The film's musical score was composed by Hajime Mizoguchi. 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. 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. 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. The storyline was a little sketchy with some holes and jumps. The balance between the realistic locations and the futuristic technologies like iron armor and diverse guns was very impressive. Epoxy Flooring UAE; Floor Coating UAE; Self Leveling Floor Coating; Wood Finishes and Coating; Functional Coatings. Email news@gamespot.com. The film premiered on November 17, 1999, in France, and Bandai Entertainment and Viz Media licensed the film for an English-language release in North America and Europe. An incident involving the death of innocent teens causes the Special Unit to become ruthless killing machines, hiding their faces--and the last traces of their humanity--behind elaborate steel-plated armor and helmets. During a large demonstration at Gwanghwamun Square, the sect shows itself by bombing the police. This movie just. As the filmmaker wasn't able to produce two films in the same time but didn't want someone else to direct his final episode, Oshii decided that the third episode would be an anime instead. Film Review: 'Illang: The Wolf Brigade' Reviewed at Busan Film Festival, Oct. 6, 2018. 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. Some rebel fighters try to prevent it but are outmatched by an army of gas mask-wearing armoured super-soldiers who cut through anything in their path. As such, this movie exists in a sort of limbo. I am so glad that betraying sonovabitch Henmi ate shit. But another enemy may be lurking nearby. Hyo-Joo does a fantastic job bringing her characters confusion, conflict, and desperation to life, and her performance was by far the most enjoyable part of the film for me. 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. Read our extensive list of rules for more information on other types of posts like fan-art and self-promotion, or message the moderators if you have any questions. "[29], On the first day of its release, the film attracted 274,525 admissions. [4] [5] The animation is good for its time, and while it flirts with interesting ideas, it moves at such a slow pace and features such a dull main character that I found myself frequently bored. Both are able to escape and are instructed by the special forces instructor Jang Jin-tae to go into hiding. Later, Kei reveals her role in the deception and suggests they leave together, but Fuse decides to stay. 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. Meanwhile, Yun-hee lures Lim into a trap. 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. Read all Director Jee-woon Kim Writers Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Kim and lead actor Gang Dong-won were set to attend the event. No country needs a Special Unit as scary as this, but its a compelling starting point for an action movie that promptly disbands the group one scene after theyre introduced. But another enemy may be lurking nearby. It was released on Netflix on July 25, 2018. I just hate Anime live series. I was very excited for this film, but what a let-down! 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. Fullmetal Alchemist The Revenge of Scar. If you are someone who has only a passing knowledge of Jin-Roh (or better yet, no knowledge at all), you are set up to enjoy this film the most.