The Killer Wolf Yoo Ha The story: A man mysteriously bursts into flames and dies in his car. Sang Gil (Song Kang Ho) is assigned to the case and he reluctantly takes on rookie female detective Eun Young (Lee Na Young). Another unusual killing occurs and they soon discover that the deaths are linked. There are bite marks on both bodies and they speculate that a wolfdog – a cross between a wolf and a dog – is responsible for the killings. Lassie, the celebrated home-coming dog, has nothing on the lupine-canine star of this film. If you think that a dog finding its way home is impressive, wait till you see what the wolfdog Jilpoong does for its owner here. Like Jilpoong, the movie is something of a crossbreed as well. On one hand, there is the crime thriller aspect as detectives chase after clues and hunt down suspects. On the other hand, the film is also clearly aimed at animal lovers as Eun Young strikes up a bond with Jilpoong and there are long and adoring shots of the wolfdog bounding along on the road. Writer-director Yoo Ha had previously helmed the neo-noir mob drama A Dirty Carnival (2006) as well as the racy period drama A Frozen Flower (2008). With his latest, he continues to elude easy categorisation. He has also added a few other interesting elements to the story though not all of them lead to a satisfactory pay-off. Lee Na Young (Maundy Thursday, 2006) gets to act tough here as the rookie cop battling blatant sexism while trying to crack a puzzling case. Not only does Eun Young have to endure barbs and insults from her chauvinistic colleagues, she also has to endure kicks and punches in the line of duty. Given that the behaviour of the cops borders on villainy, the actual bad guys are painted an unambiguous shade of black as they are guilty of the most heinous crime of child prostitution. Added to the mix is Song Kang Ho (The Host, 2006), often hailed as one of Korea’s best actors. He once again plays a detective nine years after 2003’s excellent Memories Of Murder (2003). The comparison to the understated and gripping Murder only shows up how gimmicky The Killer Wolf is. But the twist of a serial-killer animal is unusual enough to pique one’s interest and keep one watching to find out how and why the murders were committed and who the mastermind behind them all is. Given the premise, you would be barking up the wrong tree if you were expecting subtlety here. (ST)