Notable Cast: Yoon Kye-sang Park Yong-woo, Lim Ji-yeon, Yoo
Seung-mok, Park Ji-hwan, Lee Sung-wook, Hong Gi-jun, Seo Hyun-woo, Ju Jin-mo
Although it may often be known as the Freaky Friday
premise due to the popularity of that film - and its various remakes, the idea
of body swapping is a fairly familiar trope within cinema for a variety of
reasons. Oftentimes, as in the case of the newer Jumanji films as an
example, it’s ripe for comedy to see people of a particular physical appearance
play completely against type for comedic effect. In the case of Freaky,
it’s the final girl and the slasher killer that swap bodies. Horror comedy
ensues. Further proof that it’s a concept that continues to work decade after
decade.
Now, what if it was an action thriller that used that
body-swapping concept? And not in the way that Face/Off swapped faces,
but what if the “soul” of a person was forcibly placed into another body? Would
that still work? These are the questions being asked by Spiritwalker,
the latest film to cross over the ocean from South Korea to the United States.
In this iteration, there’s a few more rules to the entire event and almost no
comedy to be derived. Instead, the film focuses on how disjointed that
experience would be and how it could both enhance and deter a quest for
revenge.
Feel free to walk this way, Spiritwalker.
Now, the story of Spiritwalker features a man who
hops bodies every 12 hours and he needs to solve his own potential murder to
figure out who is still trying to kill him, even though he’s in another
person’s body. It’s a science-fiction style of an idea presented in the most John
Wick-ian manner possible.
Yes, the concept is gimmicky and yes, it is a bit hard to
even explain in the film - although Spiritwalker does its damned finest
to try and give legitimate reasoning to the entire ordeal in the third act.
However, who cares? There is a sense of mystery in its first two acts though
that is so provocative in its unveiling that, even when the reveal happens and
it’s a s.t.r.e.t.c.h., the film had already built enough momentum that it
couldn't quite possibly derail the entertainment.
That’s because, like so many South Korean action flicks and
thrillers, the execution of the film is top-notch material. Director Yoon
Jae-geun, although mostly known as a writer rather than a director, ably
balances a lot of different tonalities and elements throughout. The core of the
film is in the action thriller realm, a hitman on the run who is gunning for
revenge ala the previously mentioned John Wick or (more aptly) an 80s
Hong Kong gun-fu flick, and it’s here that the film finds the most success. The
action is crisp and impressively choreographed, featuring some tense gun fights
and a finale worthy of the comparison to 80s Hong Kong Heroic Bloodshed. The
final act truly escalates the entire film to a heartfelt action extravaganza
with some brutal moments to punctuate its emotional release. If Spiritwalker
had one purpose, it’s to deliver that revenge motif in spades.
Yet, the body-hopping mystery and gimmick do not detract
from its purpose or betray the tonality of its characters. Spiritwalker
features just enough of a science fiction slant to give its concept weight and
reason, but it doesn’t undercut the rest. Nor do the moments of levity provided
by the comedic relief of a homeless character that befriends and helps our
hero. The multiple tones, while eclectic, work to drive the film forward and
never feel at odds with one another.
With some solid performances to anchor it and an ensemble
cast that must repeatedly shift personalities as the lead character body hops
throughout the film to relative success, Spiritwalker has just an
interesting enough angle that it makes the relatively blue-printed revenge
formula feel refreshingly entertaining and fun. Sure, the overall story can be
muddled by its gimmick, but Yoon Jae-geun handles it with relative ease and
delivers a grounded hyper-reality that packs all the right punches with both
action and idea.
No comments:
Post a Comment