Playing out like a pulpier, more violent Con Air, Project Wolf Hunting is a gloriously dumb affair. A plan to extradite a large number of prisoners from the Philippines to South Korea requires transportation. The solution - a giant tanker. And of course once these crims are on board they take over the boat, killing most of the police officers on board. But in the depths of this tanker lies a threat far worse than any of the vile criminals now free. And of course, it’ll get involved in proceedings as this film rushes forward.
This plot is certainly ridiculous. But, really, Project Wolf Hunting isn’t particularly interested in narrative depth or character arcs. This a work of unrelenting action, with the film propelling from brutally effective fight to brutally effective fight, in a way that hasn’t been felt since something like The Night Comes For Us. The blood that flows in this film is at a quantity that can’t quite be measured. The red stuff gushes, flows and erupts from wounds made by hand and weapons, and it is in these moments that Project Wolf Hunting thrills and elates.
The weakness here is the narrative the violence hangs on. It’s slight, vaguely ridiculous and can sap the momentum when it's brought into focus, which is why this work doesn’t quite hit the heights of The Raid or even The Night Comes For Us (which is on Netflix and is absolutely worth your time). The characters are threadbare stereotypes, which makes their pulverization thrilling on a base level but lacking in true impact as we have no real emotional engagement with them. At a push, Park Ho-san is compelling and Seo In-guk is suitably vile, and gets close to stealing some moments from the rest of the ensemble.
But just as the film threatens to become a single note, the last act spices things up and Project Wolf Hunting ends in a glorious fashion. This is a ridiculous action romp, a perfect fit for a Friday night. But there’s all the depth of a puddle of blood here, and all that really lingers is the gore. So much gore.
This plot is certainly ridiculous. But, really, Project Wolf Hunting isn’t particularly interested in narrative depth or character arcs. This a work of unrelenting action, with the film propelling from brutally effective fight to brutally effective fight, in a way that hasn’t been felt since something like The Night Comes For Us. The blood that flows in this film is at a quantity that can’t quite be measured. The red stuff gushes, flows and erupts from wounds made by hand and weapons, and it is in these moments that Project Wolf Hunting thrills and elates.
The weakness here is the narrative the violence hangs on. It’s slight, vaguely ridiculous and can sap the momentum when it's brought into focus, which is why this work doesn’t quite hit the heights of The Raid or even The Night Comes For Us (which is on Netflix and is absolutely worth your time). The characters are threadbare stereotypes, which makes their pulverization thrilling on a base level but lacking in true impact as we have no real emotional engagement with them. At a push, Park Ho-san is compelling and Seo In-guk is suitably vile, and gets close to stealing some moments from the rest of the ensemble.
But just as the film threatens to become a single note, the last act spices things up and Project Wolf Hunting ends in a glorious fashion. This is a ridiculous action romp, a perfect fit for a Friday night. But there’s all the depth of a puddle of blood here, and all that really lingers is the gore. So much gore.