BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

intreuefest Howling takes a somewhat unbelievable plot and runs like a wolf with it. The two detective protagonists do an exemplary job carrying the film... but the real hero of the film is the avenging wolf-dog. I must admit I was never bored during the shots of the beast running or staring out with piercing eyes. If this were an American film I'm sure Hollywood would have made a mess of the sexism subplot and turned the whole thing into some clumsy "message" movie. In this context the other detectives came off as jerks and one couldn't help but root for Eun-yeong & Sang-gil to solve the case before their colleagues. Once it was determined that the deceased were all "bad guys" it seemed a little odd that revenge wasn't even considered as a motive until later. The scene with final kill was sad and expertly done. That sealed the deal for me. Unless you dislike avenging wolf-dogs, you can't really go wrong with Howling.

airsnob So, this film plot is dumb. Just really dumb. It kept me engaged for the first hour , I will admit. I can't tell you why. Maybe because I didn't know yet that the "killer" was a dog. I ended up turning it off right before the big ( I assume) ending. I knew the dog killed everyone and why, but there was one more victim, that they had not found yet. I turned it off because it wasn't worth investing anymore. First of all, this movie has the most annoying characters I've ever met in my life. Not being Korean, or from Korea, I deduced that this was an inside peak at some very culturally revealing scenes and dynamics ( realism) the misogyny was disturbing. The woman drove me up a wall. She was such a wimp, and just let herself be abused by these ugly jerks in the police department. I couldn't stand that aspect of the film. I think I watched it for so long because I was waiting for this woman to get her revenge , somehow. It never came. She just kept getting slapped by her co workers, insulted and blamed for everything that wasn't her fault. Over again. At the point when she packed up her stuff, and left her desk, I said bye bye. Your plot was stupid. Your entire cast except for her and two criminals hard to look at, I hated all of the characters except for her, you suck. Korea. You suck. I did manage to get some gratitude going on for being American , which rarely happens now a days. I can't believe that Korea was OK with the release of this film. It makes them look so bad. They are almost as bad as the Islamic nations , as far as women are concerned. Well, at least you don't get gang raped if you leave your house alone. Ya. Skip this one. It's a dud. Stupid, far fetched plot. No climax, too long, and just doesn't deliver ; anywhere. It would have been cool if the woman, who was a better detective than any of the men in the department, would have gotten some sort of acknowledgment or revenge- like kick the living crap out of half those guys. Esp the jerk that got the promotion. Korea, if you're reading this, I have a huge resentment against you. Time for some changes, buddy.

trashgang I was fooled by the cover and the title. Not only that, it was filed here under horror, had to do better research before buying because this had nothing to do with horror, it's just a straight thriller.But not a bad one I must admit. The killer here is a wolf. And it never becomes cheesy or hilarious because what happened throughout this flick could really happen. Only the girl working together with the police is a bit funny because you could see it coming that she will become the hero. Still, it's watchable and not bad after all but doesn't contain much red stuff although the wolf do attack. If you are looking for an original story then this is your stuff but to say that it is suspenseful that's exaggerated.Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

moviexclusive Billed as South Korea's answer to 'The Howling'- which is in fact its English title in most, if not, all other territories, 'The Killer Wolf' proves to be so much more than your generic werewolf movie. Indeed, former poet-turned-director Yoo Ha's latest brings to mind Bong Joon- ho's 'The Host', which successfully reinvented the monster movie with sharp social commentary- and though Ha's attempt doesn't reach the heights of Bong's classic, it does successfully breathe new life into the subgenre by combining its sensibilities with that of a crime thriller.It is in the form of the latter that the movie opens, as veteran detective Jo Sang-gil (Song Kang-ho, who coincidentally is also the lead of 'The Host') is teamed up with a young female rookie Cha Eun-young (Lee Na-young making the leap from her usual staple of rom-coms) to investigate the possible self-immolation of a middle-aged male in his own car. Adding to the mystery of that individual's cause of death are the unusual bite marks on the deceased, which suggest he was bitten by some large dog, or even a wolf.With some forensic help and the requisite stakeouts, the pair of detectives manage to pin down the identity of the deceased- though a visit to his apartment unveils a much more sinister background. It turns out the victim was, together with four others, in the business of underage sex trafficking, using his apartment as a den for older men to indulge in their teenage girl fantasies. Clue by clue, Cha stitches together the pieces of a despicable criminal organisation, even as one by one the deceased's associates meet their demise at the mouth of a vicious half-dog half-wolf hybrid known simply as a 'wolfdog'.A lot of the fun in Ha's film is guessing how the many disparate pieces of the puzzle fit together, as the narrative- based upon a Japanese novel by Asa Nonami- twists and turns to reveal the origins of the 'wolfdog' as well as the reason behind its series of targeted brutal attacks. The less you know about the plot the better, and the more attention you pay to the unfolding events the wiser, given the plethora of supporting characters as well as the plot complexities. There is a lot going on, but Ha manages to keep it all together while maintaining a tight tense atmosphere throughout.But anyone who's seen Ha's previous films 'A Dirty Carnival' or 'A Frozen Flower' will know that he is not simply interested in plot but also equally in character. That explains the effort he spends setting Cha apart from the rest, painting her as the newbie ostracised by her colleagues for simply being a pretty female face but who turns out to be smarter and sharper than anyone else. Kudos to Ha for giving Cha more depth than the usual stereotype of a tough determined woman, though his execution- especially a flashback that explains her steeliness- could use a bit more finesse.Next to Cha, Jo is unfortunately sidelined as the gruff old-hand still rankling at being passed over for a recent promotion- and even a subplot very early on about his troubled relationship with a delinquent son is quickly forgotten as the events of the case take precedence. Nonetheless, despite his character's significance in the course of the narrative, it is Song Kang-ho's low-key performance that holds the movie together. There's nothing particularly challenging here for the actor of more demanding fare such as 'Thirst' and 'Sympathy for Mr Vengeance', but Kang-ho is a perfect foil against the entirely serviceable performance of Na-young.It isn't difficult to see why the actress had chosen Cha as her breakout role, but the sweet fresh-faced Na-young is sadly out of her depth here. That's particularly apparent in the scenes where she is required to imply an emotional connection between her character and that of the 'wolfdog' after the latter saves her life, which could have been more poignant in the hands of a more capable actress. Still, she isn't as bad as some reports have made her out to be, though a large part of that credit goes to her co-star Kang-ho.Arriving in the midst of much summer bombast, it's easy to overlook a smaller, less-hyped movie like 'The Killer Wolf'- especially given its rather tacky English title. Yet those looking for some good old- fashioned intrigue and suspense will find that this Korean hybrid of a werewolf movie and a serial killer thriller offers both in one taut package, and if it's something different from the typical Hollywood spectacle you are looking for, then make this your film of choice. www.moviexclusive.com