With Project Wolf Hunting, director Hong-seon Kim delivers what may be the goriest film of the year. Set on a cargo ship full of criminals, chaos erupts when they’re aided in an escape attempt, leaving the police and guards to fight for survival aboard the ship. It’s a very simple premise that could have been an action fest in the vein of The Raid but turns into somewhat of a slog that’s bogged down by entirely too much plot. There are side plots, backstories, and flashbacks that all take away from the compelling kill-or-be-killed action taking place on the ship. Throw in an undead supersoldier and things get really wacky. 

Every single kill — and there are dozens — is drenched in buckets of blood and gore. Geysers of red liquid erupt from every wound, making sure the walls, floors, and ceilings are literally dripping. If an arm is hit, it’s severely broken, if not completely severed, and used to finish killing someone. When the gore is at this insane level, you could toss in Frankenstein’s monster and I would believe it, but I don’t need a 30-minute backstory telling how he got there.

The intensity and gore-fest are so prolonged that, after two hours, I was definitely feeling that run-time. A more focused story on the cat-and-mouse game between inmates and guards would have been sufficient, but all this excess really sinks the ship.

After catching its premiere at Fantastic Fest last year and watching it again for the home release, there is a fondness that grows for its commitment to the over-the-top action and gore, the craft on screen may be overwhelming at times, but it’s drenched in love.

3 out of 5

The action-packed thriller will be available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD on February 14th.

Featuring an all-new dub and the following behind-the-scenes bonus content –

Special Features:

• Original Korean and all-new English dub tracks
• Making the Alpha – Featurette
• Behind the Scenes – Featurette
• Original trailer

Available now for pre-order and hitting shelves 2/14/23