14 May 2008

Bong Joon-ho's superb 2003 Memories of Murder (Salinui chueok) demonstrated that great serial killer movies were no longer the sole province of the English-speaking film world. We've been a few years waiting for a second genre star to emerge, but it may well be here with Kim Dae-sung's Blood Rain (Hyeol-ui nu), a compellingly handled medieval tale of the hunt for a serial killer by a goverment detective.

19th century Korea, a time of feudal barons and superstition. An island community is shocked when a ship bound for the imperial courts inexplicably bursts into flames. On board was a cargo of handcrafted paper from the island's factory, a place which harbours something sinister. Detective Won-kyu is dispatched to investigate only to discover the community in the grip of terror. A series of murders convinces them a malevolent spirit is responsible, taking revenge for crimes that no-one wants to talk about, pronouncing predictions of doom when the blood rain falls. Won-kyu follows an increasingly corpse-riddled trail that not only threatens his life but also is set to reveal a dark secret that links him to the village's shameful past.

Part intriguing mystery, part murder thriller, part supernatural horror (comparisons have been drawn to The Name of the Rose and Brotherhood of the Wolf), Blood Rain is a lavishly produced but darkly devious whodunnit told with style and intelligence, but whose violence is sometimes as shocking as that in any current Asian thriller.

Blood Rain is to be released on UK DVD by Tartan on 28th July at the RRP of £19.99. The anamorphic widescreen transfer will be joined by the usual soundtrack trio of Dolby 2.0 stereo, Dolby 5.1 surround and DTS surround.