Gwoemul (2006)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Joon-ho Bong

Writers:

Chul-hyun Baek (writer)
Joon-ho Bong (writer)

Release Date:

27 July 2006 (South Korea)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

It is Lurking Behind You

Plot:

A monster emerges from Seoul's Han River and focuses its attention on attacking people.

Plot Keywords:

River | Monster | Daughter | Archery | Quarantine

Awards:

18 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Kang-ho Song	...	Park Gang-Du
Hie-bong Byeon	...	Park Hie-bong
Hae-il Park	...	Park Nam-il
Du-na Bae	...	Park Nam-Joo
Ah-sung Ko	...	Park Hyun-seo
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Joseph Anselmo	...	Donald
Martin Lord Cayce	...	U.S. Senator
Cristen Cho
Philip Hersh	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Paul Lazar	...	US Doctor trying to operate Gang-Du
Brian Lee
Kurt Leitner	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Clinton Morgan	...	Agent Yellow
Dal-su Oh	...	The Monster (voice)
No-shik Park
Brian Rhee	...	Young Korean Doctor (as Brian Lee)
Scott Wilson	...	US Doctor in Morgue
Pil-Sung Yim	...	Fat Guevara

Also Known As:

The Host (International: English title) (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for creature violence and language.

Runtime:

119 min | Croatia:110 min (DVD)

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Singapore:PG | Hong Kong:IIA | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Malaysia:U | New Zealand:R13 | USA:R | Germany:16 | Australia:M | Sweden:11 | Finland:K-15 | Argentina:16 | Norway:15 | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Philippines:PG-13 | France:U (with warning) | Brazil:14 | Peru:14 | Mexico:B15

Filming Locations:

Dong-ho Bridge, Seoul, South Korea

Company:

Chungeorahm Film

Trivia:

The event described in the beginning of the film is based on an actual event. In February 2000 at a US military facility located in the center of Seoul, a US military civilian employee named Mr. McFarland was ordered to dispose of formaldehyde by dumping it into the sewer system that led to the Han River, despite the objection of a South Korean subordinate. The government attempted to prosecute Mr. McFarland in court, but the US military refused to hand over the custody of Mr. McFarland to the South Korean legal system. Later, a South Korean judge convicted Mr. McFarland in absentia. The Public was enraged at the government's inability to enforce its law on its own soil. In 2005, nearly five years after the original incident, Mr. McFarland was finally found guilty in a court in his presence. However, he never served the actual prison sentence, and there have been no sightings of a mutant creature in the Han River--yet.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Kang-ho Song's character receives a tissue sample, there is no wound in the remaining scenes, even though he was screaming in pain.

Quotes:

US Doctor in Morgue: Mr. Kim,
[running a finger along the counter]
US Doctor in Morgue: I hate dust more than anything.
Young Korean Doctor: Oh, I will clean again.
US Doctor in Morgue: You don't have to clean up now. Why don't you dump this first?
Young Korean Doctor: That's formaline.
US Doctor in Morgue: Formaldehyde, to be precise. To be even more precise, dirty formaldehyde. Every bottle is coated with layers of dust. Pour 'em into the sink.
Young Korean Doctor: Excuse me?
US Doctor in Morgue: Just empty every bottle to the very last drop.
Young Korean Doctor: It's just - They are toxic chemicals, and the regulations state -
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-03-10)" (2007)

Excellent monster movie

This is a movie which will go straight into "best monster movies" lists; it is ground-breaking in the way humorous and horror content has been intertwined by a master film director. It was the closing film, shown last night (July 30) in the Auckland International Film Festival. There was a packed house of which about 60% were Korean people living in New Zealand. The audience was very attentive and the reception given to the movie was justly big applause. The animatronic effects have been done scrupulously well and viewers can look forward to being enthralled by the skills of those who "made the monster". We got the print which had come straight from Cannes and apparently the film opened just two days before we saw it in Auckland. There is no doubt that this movie will go on to do very big business wherever people appreciate great horror films. My inclination to rate it 10/10 was tempered only by a little doubt about the pacing of some sequences, but it is certainly worth 9/10. Look out for when it comes to a theater near you.