The
Wailing (2016/Well Go USA Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B+ Extras: B Film: B+
In
a quiet remote Korean village, when a series of gruesome murders has
the police stumped, as the town people begin to talk, rumors begin to
grow. Everything started when a Japanese man came to town. A
policeman finds himself personally involved when his daughter gets
'possessed'. He hires a shaman to exorcist the demon, but is he
there to help or only piss off the demon even more? Thus begins
Hong-jin Na's 2.5+ hour terror epic The Wailing (2016).
When
a series of murders go unsolved, rumors, gossip, paranoia, and fear
become the enemy of the police. These rumors of supernatural forces
are blamed when the police can find more bodies than answers.
Between a mysterious woman, Korean shaman and Japanese man, each one
blames the other, but who is the real culprit? As the policeman
become more desperate to find a cure for his daughter, he will do
anything save her (and her sanity). But is the man they suspect
really guilty or innocent? And will he stop the witch hunt ...or join
them?
This
was your typical supernatural horror movie, albeit one that somehow
justifies its length. In a remote town, something happens and police
are powerless, a paranoid mob can sometimes be just as dangerous if
not more of a killer when it becomes a witch hunt. It teaches people
not to superstitious or to be ignorant, specially if you are a
cop/man of the law, of you care/dare to believe.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image is pretty good
throughout if not always stunning, but the Korean/Japanese DTS-HD
Master Audio 5.1 mix is really smart, articulate and active, which
increases the impact of the story. Extras include the Beginning
of the Wailing,
a Making of the film featurette and trailers.
-
Ricky Chiang
