I can just picture myself now, sitting in the room when this movie was pitched.

“Okay, so picture the worst criminal degenerates known to humankind, being transported from Manilla in the Philippines to Busan in South Korea on a boat”

:So,,, an aquatic equivalent to Con Air?”

“Yeah… yeah! Only bloodier… and bigger. These crims are seriously fucked”

“Okay. sure. What else have you got?”

“Well these guys turn the tables and take command of the vessel…”
“So, a bit like Under Siege?”

“Kind of, but don’t forget, it’s gory as hell. So, anyway, just when you think things can’t get more fucked up, the passengers find out that there is something much darker and disturbed lurking in the ships bowels. Human experimentation of epic proportions on a war veteran that made him superhuman and relatively indestructible”

“So, something like Universal Soldier meets Resident Evil”

“Will you stop with the movie references and remember? This movie is gonna be bloody violent and pushed to the extremes of sensationalism purely for the entertainment value.”

“Yeah I get it. Sounds perfect for the midnight crowd wanting to be pushed to the edge. I’ll buy it.”

That’s essentially Project Wolf Hunting in a nutshell. It’s extreme because it can be. And it doesn’t hold back on going beyond the realms of reality for the sake of balls to the wall action. There are those that may find the nonsense approach to ramped up storytelling, a huge turn off. But then again, they’re probably not the right audience for this kind of film.

With supposedly 2.5 tons of blood used in the production of the movie, you can cement a picture in your mind of the tone that director Hongsun Kim was aiming for and he definitely doesn’t hold back. 

The film doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the characters involved either, with most of them blacker than black, crooked or corrupt and willing to bend the rules to gain the upper hand in this volatile world. Even those with slightly redeeming characteristics aren’t spared the grace of survival, leaving one to question just who or what deserves to thrive in this landscape?

When push comes to shove though, this is immaterial as only the fittest and the smartest will rise out of the quagmire of fury and even then, their chances of living to tell the tale is slim. The audience will care little for this though, as it is the relentless action that they would have paid money to see, and this is where the director doesn’t fail to produce.

The Prognosis:

Strap yourself in for a bloody, insane and gory ride on a boat filled with criminals on a war path to destruction and damnation.

This film is jam-packed with mindless fun with kills coming from every direction.

I’m a sucker for insane action flicks and Project Wolf Hunting is ridiculous to the extreme without falling short of pleasure on every level.

The adrenaline will propel you to the film’s conclusion and is the most entertained I’ve been in some time. 

• Saul Muerte

Project Wolf Hunting is due for theatrical release in Australia from Oct 13th courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.