Illang: The Wolf Brigade (2018) User Reviews

Inrang: A feast for the eyes, but not the mind

[Platypuschow · 6/10 · 5 April 2019]

Out of all world cinema I have to say Korea may well be the one I've always had the best relationship with. They from experience are consistent in their filmmaking efforts and for the most part this is no different.

A Netflix live action adaptation of a Japanese anime series of movies, I went in unfamiliar with the source material. I now look forward to giving the three movies my time as this was interesting stuff.

With a complex plot that's frighteningly realistic, true to life and believable it looks like a AAA Hollywood movie. It is quite frankly a feast for the eyes, the incredibly structured action sequences, cinematic visuals and cinematography. A feast for the mind however? Less so.

I'm not saying this is a brainless action flick because it's really not, in many ways it might be considered too smart for its own good and the plot is hard to do justice in little over two hours.

I would however recommend this to those into their action/martial arts films over anyone really wanting something to get their teeth into. It looks fantastic, the cast deliver but I feel they undershot a tad.

The Good:

Strong soundtrack

Some decent writing

Looks fantastic

Very well choreographed action

The Bad:

Scale isn't done justice

Best Netflix's Live Action So Far

[josevacis · 7/10 · 22 October 2018]

The adaptation of Mamoru Oshii's "Jin-Roh" of 1999 is quite good, it retains the essence of the original animation film directed by Hiroyuki Okiura. I highly recommend this film for action lovers, asian cinema enthusiats. The movie doesn't deviate that much from a possible reality of a reunified north and south korea. The acting is decent, the effects and suits are quite good and the plot flows smootly until the end. Anyone that has seen the original master piece before would find dissapointement in the last 15 min. The raw and "bestial" ending was changed for a more "humane" one. If they had kept the original ending that preserved the nature of the main quote, I would have easily given it a 9/10.

Not what I expected from Kim Jee-woon.

[pinoko · 6/10 · 16 October 2018]

The director of this movie is one of my personal favourites who previously made such modern classics as Tale of two sisters, Bittersweet life and I saw the devil. This time however he disappointed me even if his new feature is not nearly as bad as its initial korean reputation would suggest. A remake of the acclaimed japanese anime Jin-roh this new movie somehow fails to make the impact that one might expect from this director. It's not like it is not competently made, it just lacks that excitement off all those earlier movies. 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. Kim knows how to direct and edit frenetic chase sequences but the narrative here is so unconvincing and bland that it is just not enough. The acting does no favour either as Gang Dong-Won and Han Hyo-Joo come off as boring protagonists. The only bright spot is newcomer Kim Moo-Jeol as the villain wearing a badass leather coat who manages to breath some fresh air into the mean economics of the movie. Unfortunately the 139 minute lenght is also way too much, hopefully the new cut (soon to be released on Netflix) will make the movie somewhat tighter and more exciting.

Solidly entertaining

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 21 October 2018]

Korean director Kim Jee-woon's latest offering is another anime adaptation, this time in the form of ILLANG: THE WOLF BRIGADE. 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. It's a futuristic fable in which a new Cold War leads to a reunification attempt between North and South Korea. 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. 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. It certainly holds together better than other Netflix anime adaptations I've watched recently like FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST

A Rare Dud From Kim Jee-woon. Disappointing & Forgettable.

[CinemaClown · 25 October 2018]

Failing to create any sense of intrigue about its futuristic world, The Wolf Brigade is one disappointing mess that carries bits n pieces of brilliance scattered here n there but the overall product is too weak & uninspiring to sustain the interest and leaves the viewers feeling rather indifferent in the end. An unfortunate misfire, Kim Jee-woon's latest is also his weakest film to date.

A good movie if you don't know about Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

[phanthinga · 7/10 · 21 October 2018]

I love every movie I've seen from director Jee-woon Kim and the fact that bring back the iconic action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger in his American debut The Last Stand (2013) so when I heard he about to direct the live action adaptation of Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade I can only imagine how awesome the famous incident in the sewers scene on the big scene or the special police unit armor would look like with real people but what I don't know is Jee-woon Kim also bring back home the Hollywood treatment for foreign movies for Illang.I don't mind the change in the story for it to fit the current state of North Korea and South Korea but what I do mind is how much different the two main characters in Illang to their Japanese counterpart in Jin Roh.There so much more action in Illang so for people that think Jin Roh is boring without the action it definitely a plus but for me the four short action scene in the original are still superior thank to how emotionally attached I am to the characters and the ending make me have no desire to watch it again

Good.

[thefox-37761 · 7/10 · 27 October 2018]

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. I thought all of the fighting and firefights of the movie were incredibly unique and interesting as far as movies go, the setting was also something that I enjoyed. But, it really feels as if the actions of any character become pointless, especially during the third act of the movie.

Well....

[faithless4734 · 7/10 · 10 April 2021]

Pretty good not great. The show started out fairly slow and then took off with some really fantastic action. The storyline was a little sketchy with some holes and jumps. It was not to hard to follow but could have been a bit more solid. 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. The ending...well you will have to watch and decide for yourself.

The 1999 Anime was much better...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 29 November 2018]

Alright, well why would Korean take on remaking "Jin Roh: Wolf Brigade"? That just eluded me.

Regardless, I found this movie on Netflix while perusing through their Asian section. Having seen the animated movie back during my late teenage years, of course I had to give a live action movie a view, without a doubt.

So how was it? Well in all honesty, I can say that it wasn't all that impressive. Sure, the visual effects and the armors were great, and there were a couple of good gun fights. But the storyline was just so mediocre that it was hard to get immersed into the movie, into the universe and into embracing the Korean remake.

The acting in the movie was fairly good, taking into consideration the horribly weak script they had to work with.

Sure, the movie was adequate for what it turned out to be, and it was entertaining for sure. I had just expected somewhat more from a live action movie based on the classic "Jin Roh: Wolf Brigade" anime. But for viewers not familiar with the 1999 anime, then I am sure this is a mighty fine and dandy movie. But for us already well familiar with the 1999 anime, not so much...

Solid tribute to Jin Roh but that ending...

[endiessraln · 6/10 · 28 October 2018]

I was a big fan of the Jin Roh name. Storytelling at its best. The beginning of the film felt just like watching the anime but in live action. The extra action is welcome but felt a bit redundant after awhile. But the ending. Why the happy ending? The original is still far superior due to the tragic and realistic ending. Didn't care for that at all really...

Very disappointing, and oh-so-slow...

[paulclaassen · 5/10 · 10 April 2019]

Oh, Kim Jee-Woon, what have you done? Why? 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). I was very excited for this film, but what a let-down!

My first issue with the film was the running time, and how the film simply dragged at times. If they were to cut the film by at least 20 minutes, it would have been faster paced. Well, maybe a bit. The film moves at such a slow pace at times that it actually becomes boring. To add to my dismay, the characters (and actors portraying them) had very little enthusiasm. Gang Dong-won stars as Im Joong-kyung, who is the film's protagonist, but he is the most passive protagonist I've seen in a while. He was simply dull and boring.

The film also can't decide whether it wants to be a romance drama or an action thriller, and falls flat on both genres. It offered very little suspense when it should have and the action scenes felt theatrical. The sound effects were also bad and the score was bland and slow, and certainly did not enhance the action scenes.

Nothing about the film was convincing, from the plot to the characters to the dialogue. It did nothing for my senses, except maybe feeling...I felt the fast-forward button...

By the time the film resorted to full throttle action, I was beyond bored and it didn't really matter anymore. (Although the actions scenes are impressive). There's far better action thrillers around than this...Next!

Much better than I thought.

[minatotomodachi · 8/10 · 22 October 2018]

It seems the movie didn't work well in Korea, and I remember watching the Jin roh animé as a kid and didn't like it that much. However I really enjoyed this movie, yeah the romance part might a bit long but also has some purpose in building the final climax. I liked the quality of the movie action scene, simple and without CG. A really good action movie with an intriguing setup. I felt entertained.

Give it a chance!

[sadiqm900 · 7/10 · 7 November 2019]

I didn't know much about this movie, it was suggestion from Netflix and I really enjoy it.

Confused!

[angeladenis · 3/10 · 5 November 2018]

Perhaps if I had seen the anime version the other raters talk about, I would have understood what was going on. I was very confused regarding the motivation of each main character.

A little bit waste for this topic

[kooktro · 6/10 · 17 January 2019]

Actually they did well in the technical,clothing and fighting scenes. I disappointed about too much political , as we all know the movie are adapt by a japan animation movie. The story between Sect and Wolf Brigade would be a tension topic, however the political replace combat, and it become a movie around bureaucracy.

Passable, but should have been better

[Wizard-8 · 6/10 · 2 March 2019]

While I do think that this Korean movie does work enough for me to give it a recommendation, at the same time I thought it had some issues, issues that might make some other viewers look on it less kindly than I am. To be fair, part of my partial disappointment may be that the movie was more or less advertised as a full-on actioner, and that is what I was expecting. There is action in the movie, and the action scenes are (reasonably) well done, but there are large chunks of the movie where there's no action at all. For example, after the first 15 minutes, you have to wait about 50 minutes for the next real action sequence. In-between the action, there is a lot of talk. 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. Also, there is so much talk, the movie runs for about 139 minutes, which is way too long for this particular story to be told. The movie looks great, from the cinematography to the locations, so there is some eye candy to savor during the slower moments. While I am (sort of) glad I watched the movie, I can say with confidence that it isn't for everybody. I'd only recommend it to those who are deeply into Asian and Korean cinema, and who also have a lot of patience.

Could've been better

[rodrigorossi300 · 6/10 · 11 November 2018]

Very atmospheric and interesting premise, but unfortunately lacks a good script. Main problem is that neither the story nor any of the characters held a grasp of my attention. Characters' motivations are confusing and I could care less about what would happen to any of them. But, at least, it compensates the lack a good plot with brillantly and very creative action scenes; if not a bit too unrealistic sometimes - the accuracy of those guys rivals the Stormtroopers'. In the end, the impression that was left in me is that it could have been much, much better.

Was surprised for a Korean film

[yxvbkqq · 7/10 · 2 January 2021]

Just a Aussie looking through Netflix and have a liking to these type of genre films and have to say was impressed and struggle finding ones similar to this , I do not know the previous history of his movie from the past but the action was good although they needed to put some more in there but over all a easy pleasing film

Confusing

[marziniccolo · 4/10 · 13 June 2020]

A very confusing movie. From the very beginning the audience is thrown into a plot which is rather vague and confused. The world seems to be overwhelmed by wars and political forces but during the moie none of them are desplayed or even implied a little. And it's a shame because the initial idea was not bad. The only one good thing are the action moments of shooting and fights which keep the audience awake.

Why do so many Korean movies feel like they're in slow motion?

[siderite · 6/10 · 30 March 2021]

This is a film about political machinations and twists and turns in how people betray each other. The sci-fi bit of the plot is merely veneer over the very Asian politicking. But everything feels like it's in slow motion: the predictable love affair, the speech patterns, they way everybody has to make weird faces to show how important their emotions are. Even the action scenes all feature some guy thinking a lot before getting shot stupidly a second later.

Now, this was not a very bad movie. I watched it to the end and I enjoyed some of the concepts in it, but frankly the idea presented at the very beginning in a short animated sequence was much more interesting than the rest of the film: the two Koreas reunite, not because they're one people, but because they have to band together against the muscle flexing of the big superpowers. The entire conflict in the movie is explained as sponsored by these shadow players who fear the unification and strengthening of Korea. Great start, mediocre everything else.

Didn't get it

[phd_travel · 3/10 · 23 April 2020]

Some okay action and fighting scenes. Didn't get the emotional connection that Korean movies usually have. Didn't feel anything for the characters or their romance. The premise was funny in the beginning about reunification. After that I didn't care who was fighting who. Han Hyo Joo is pretty. Kang Dong Won looks out of place in such an action role. Not worth watching.

I've been waiting almost 20 years for this and thankfully it was not a whitewashed Hollywood disaster!

[purifier-1 · 9/10 · 19 October 2018]

Being a huge Kerberos fan (went as far as spending two whole month salaries to buy a full size set of armor back in the day) my expectations were really high Yes they've changed the setting but it's almost a shot to shot homage to Jin Roh in some parts, when Grace Omega started playing I immediately got frisson! If you're a fan of the saga you'll enjoy every single minute of this, even though someone could dislike the alternative finale...

Don't really enjoy it

[misyelhasanah-06139 · 18 October 2019]

I don't know which part is wrong that makes me did not curious for the storyline. It just flat with nothing special. It was different from typical korean movie thought

KILLZONE ?

[BatuhanEnizToprakman · 7/10 · 21 October 2018]

I like the movie, but why did the special team team escape from a computer game called killzone?

Tedious

[Matt_bobco · 4/10 · 7 October 2019]

A few quite nicely shot sequences can't overcome the tedious, glacially paced, utterly derivative plot, and 'dramatic' scenes that barely rise above a third tier soap opera. The cast were... present during filming but that's as high as one can put it. A sound final act can't offset the tedium of what preceded it. Watch it towards the beginning of a movie night and follow it up with something better.