Blood. So much blood!
That should be the tagline for this audacious action horror hybrid that lives up to the hype (at least to this no-name reviewer!) that it’s been garnering. ‘Project Wolf Hunting’ takes grand guignol to stratospheric levels in a high concept ‘Con Air’/’Universal Soldier’ mash-up by way of an extreme slasher.
A huge cargo ship sets sail from Manila heading to South Korea to deliver a horde of dangerous criminals who had been on the run for various vicious crimes. Shepherded by a squad of no-nonsense cops it doesn’t take long for an orchestrated plan to let the criminals free, setting the killers loose on a bloodthirsty spree across the ship. It’s cops vs crims at sea as the police try desperately to regain control of the floating prison. Then a blood-soaked super soldier turns up, having been hidden in the bowels of the boat, and all hell really does break loose!
To say anymore would spoil the unrelenting and shocking surprises that unfold as the tanker is turned into a floating hell by an unstoppable killing machine that targets both cops and criminals. A streamlined narrative is basically an excuse for the makers to let rip (literally!) with an increasing amount of creative and elaborately violent set-pieces as the blood drenched monster soldier cuts his way through the cast. It’s intense stuff as once the carnage erupts it barely lets up and writer/director Hongsun Kim (‘The Chase’, ‘Metamorphosis’) seems to be on a mission to keep audiences’ jaws constantly agape at the sheer amount of violence inflicted upon the characters. And everyone is fair game meaning it’s not always clear who will make it. Knives, hammers and even severed limbs are used as weapons and there are even several scenes of intense firepower-based action as the cops and crims face off and then turn their attention to trying to stop the rampaging super soldier in any way they can.
The sheer amount of blood and blunt force trauma may put some off, but it’s all orchestrated with creatively heightened flair. The makers conjure an intense and propulsive energy that keeps the flick moving and engaging, mounting the action with innovative verve to deliver powerful action scenes. There’s some attempt at filling in the backstory to what the thing hunting everyone is and how one of the criminals may be connected to it, seemingly world building for a potential sequel. Yet for the most part ‘Project Wolf Hunting’ is an unashamed straightforward action film slathered in lashings of gore. Many may grumble (and it seems you have!) at the streamlined narrative but this works in the favour of the film and its concept, creating a truly hellish and thrilling ride.
It’s a dark ride for sure, many of the characters despicable and hard to warm to but the sense of urgency and creative energy on display keeps proceedings exciting and the makers should be commended for creating this much gore and dismemberment with practical effects and ingenuity. No doubt a love-it-or-loathe-it experience, if you can go with its dark propulsive vibe ‘Project Wolf Hunting’ is some thrilling artery spraying action.
Originally published on Blueprint: Review.
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