Film: Woochi – The Demon Slayer
Year of production: 2009
UK Release date: 25th April 2011
Distributor: Cine Asia
Certificate: 15
Running time: 115 mins
Director: Choi Dong-hun
Starring: Gang Dong-won, Kim Yun-seok, Lim Su-jeong, Yum Jung-ah, Yu Hae-jin
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Fantasy
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country of Production: South Korea
Language: Korean
South Korean fantasy comedy Woochi – The Demon Slayer was a box office sensation when it was first released in its home country at the end of 2009 - attracting the highest opening-day attendance for any film that year. Now Woochi fights its way onto UK home video courtesy of Cine Asia, but will the film hold the same appeal?
Loosely derived from a Korean folk tale, the film centres on undisciplined wizard-in-training Jeon Woochi (Gang Dong-won) and his exploits. Along with his trusty man-dog sidekick Chorangyi (Yu Hae-jin), the pair cause mischief during the 16th century Chosun Dynasty, much to the annoyance of Woochi's master (Baek Yun-shik), who is mindful of the evil that exists - chiefly, the goblins accidentally unleashed by three foolish Taoist Gods.
Adopting human form, said Taoist Gods now associate themselves with corrupt king Hwadam (Kim Yun-seok) who is searching for two halves of a magical pipe that will grant him ultimate power. Hwadam murders Woochi's master in the name of searching for the second half, although it is Woochi who is the one who’s punished, imprisoned in a scroll for 500 years.
Half a millennium passes and the three Taoists are forced to release Woochi and his helper, Chorangyi, from their scroll prison in order to combat the goblins that are now running amok in 21st century Korea. But when it is discovered that Woochi has the second half of the mysterious pipe, Hwadam inevitably shows up...
It has to be said that, while there is plenty of fun to be had, there is something preventing Woochi from being a sure-fire international hit. Much of the narrative's fantasy logic is based on culturally specific mythology, which will likely pass by foreign audiences with little resonance. Things are made worse by the fact that there are moments of Woochi that, to put it bluntly, are confusing as hell, regardless of cultural barriers – and they really shouldn’t be.
Bad guy wants a magical object that will make him powerful. Good guy has said object and prevents the bad guy from having it. What's not to get? The problem is that writer/director Choi Dong-hun spends very little time establishing the rules and limitations of his fantastical universe. If magic and wizards are common place, why is Woochi – an apprentice – so important in the great scheme of things? Does Chorangyi have the ability to assume human form on his own to disguise the fact that he is really a dog, or is that a courtesy granted by Woochi's powers? One scene sees Chorangyi turn into a horse for Woochi to ride - did Woochi do that? How important are Woochi's talismans (pre-made magic spells written on small pieces of paper) if he is still able to use magic without them, provided that his soul is sufficiently “empty”? Said talismans are stolen at one point - is that a big deal? Where has Hwadam been for the intervening 500 years? Is he immortal? How much power do the three Taoist Gods have, considering that they need the help of an apprentice wizard to defeat the goblins? Why are the goblins there anyway and how powerful are they? What does this have to do with the pipe? Is this story about Woochi defeating the goblins, or about Woochi stopping Hwadam from getting the pipe?
Things are complicated further with the inclusion of subplots whose impact on the overall story is difficult to discern. A link is made between a 16th century widow and a 21st century make-up artist for reasons beyond simply giving Woochi a love interest, but its overall bearing on the story is barely explained - are they ancestors? A kiss from Hwadam gives make-up artist Seo In-kyung (Lim Su-Jeong) temporary superhuman power. Why? It’s alluded to that she may be a godlike entity, but it never really gets explored. Another unrealised subplot involves Woochi looking for a special magical knife, under the pretence that it will make him more powerful, and has the ability to turn Chorangyi into a real human. Such an artefact seems to become very important by the film's end, but for reasons that aren't wholly explained. One gets the feeling that all the answers are there in Woochi, but are hidden away with the assistance of some confusing storytelling. What is initially interpreted as dream is in fact reality and vice versa, and some scenes act as the prelude to scenes that have already played out (particularly during the first half), leading to further bewilderment.
However, regardless of how confusing the storytelling is, it serves as a valid pretext for a variety of far-fetched action set-pieces, which, for the most part, work wonderfully. For a production with an estimated and relatively meagre budget of around $12 million, Woochi offers plenty of bang for your buck. Fight sequences have ample opportunity for gravity defying mayhem and deliver in abundance. Due to the magical nature of the characters involved, anything goes, and writer/director Choi Dong-hun revels in the possibilities of having his protagonist multiply into dozens of Woochis for a particularly memorable brawl in a city backstreet. The sparingly used CGI is well integrated with the live-action stuff, although the goblins – when seen in their true form – can look a little ropey. Also, the execution of certain action sequences lack geography, rendering the results a flurry of noise and movement with little presence and, ultimately, meaning.
Performances on the whole are rather good for a film of this style; sufficiently fun and laid-back, but not too hammy or overcooked. The comedic interchanges between Woochi and the bumbling Taoists are quite pleasing, as is the insecurity of Chorangyi, who feels frequently put-upon due to his master's inadequacies. Kim Yun-seok makes for a decent and strangely likeable villain whilst Lim Su-jeong, if a little underused, is a solid love interest.
Woochi's ability to make what should be a straightforward, fantasy-soaked romp into a baffling and illogical cinematic excursion is somewhat of a detriment to the overall experience. However, it also proves to be one of the wilder rides you'll likely encounter on DVD this year. Incoherence aside, Woochi is still a good – though not quite great – way to spend an afternoon. Worth a look. MP
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