3 ½ stars
After watching a really good movie, it’s a natural impulse to go to IMDB.com and see what else the director has done to add to your viewing list. Discovering that The Wild is Kim Bong-ham’s debut feature was both a shock and a thrill. It’s a shock because The Wild is a complex and layered thriller delivered with a blend of style and substance that many veteran filmmakers don’t achieve. It’s a thrill because it makes whatever Kim does next a must-see.
The Wild is the story of an ex-boxer, Woo-cheol (Park Sung-woong), who has just finished serving a seven-year prison sentence for killing his opponent in the ring. Waiting for him at the gates is his best friend, Jang Do Shik (Oh Dae-hwan), a local gangster about to embark on the biggest score of his criminal career. All he needs is a little help from his newly freed friend.
Yet, this is merely the surface. The Wild is one of those rare films that keeps you on the edge of your seat, never knowing who to trust. But it’s not a cheap or forced suspense. Kim masterfully avoids leading the audience astray with red herrings. Instead, every twist and turn is earned, and ultimately, pivotal to the story.
The cast’s ability to maintain a sense of mystery, even after a significant revelation, is a testament to their skill and dedication. Their performances are a key element that keeps the audience engaged and invested in the story. Woo-cheol and Jang Do Shik are opposites; the boxer barely says a word until he has to, while the gangster never shuts up. There’s a junkie police detective (Joo Suk-tae) who gives the term “loose cannon” a new meaning and a fisherman/drug dealer (Oh Dal-su) who keeps waving a viscous-looking knife around like it’s a psychotic conductor’s baton. There’s a wide array of henchmen, some of whom get enough screentime to be memorable, and some who are only there to die in unforgettable ways. And there’s a hooker/love interest whose duplicity rivals them all.
As a first-time director, Kim makes a few questionable stylistic choices, especially his overuse of close-ups, that can take viewers out of the story at a few critical points, but he quickly gets things back on track. His eye for action sequences is evident, especially during the final battle when all the primary characters meet in the crowded hallway of a high-class bordello for a vast, bloody knife fight. The way the director ties these threads together at the end is bold and beautiful.
