Deliver Us From Evil Blu-ray Review

 

• Director : Won-Chan Hong
• Actors : Hwang Jung-Min, Lee Jung-Jae, Jung-Min Park, Moon Choi, Akuryu
• Aspect Ratio : 2.35:1
• MPAA rating : (Not Rated)
• Media Format : Dolby, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
• Run time : 1 hour and 49 minutes
• Release date : May 25, 2021
• Subtitles: : English
• Language : Korean (DTS 5.1)
• Studio : Well Go Usa
  
  
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           Genre films have a tough balance to fulfill. They have to be inventive enough to please fans who feel they have seen it all, but also must be familiar enough to provide the content audiences expect to see. As a result, we see a lot of films like Deliver Us From Evil, which feel like an amalgamation of several franchises, from Taken to John Wick, though it is also distinctly South Korean in themes. But even with all of the expected pieces, it felt like something was missing from Deliver Us From Evil.

   

          As with many South Korean thrillers and action films, the protagonist is a hired assassin who has grown a conscience over years of killing. In-nam (Hwang Jung-min) takes a dangerous final job, only to find out that his victim is the brother of a notorious gangster known as The Butcher (Lee Jung-jae). With threats of vengeance if he stays in town, In-nam has plans to flee until he gets word that a woman from his past and her daughter are in danger. Fulfilling another trope from South Korean revenge films, our hero goes on a self-sacrificial rampage in order to save an innocent girl from an underground transplant ring, simultaneously redeeming himself of past deeds.

   

          The premise may not be very original, but that typically isn’t the most important thing when choosing an action film. The action itself is fairly high-octane, though that is partially due to a stylistic way that it was filmed. But even with some explosive action in the film, much of the movie is a more of a slow burn than I was expecting. This wouldn’t be a problem if the character development was more compelling, or even just had more depth, but it mostly just ends up killing the momentum. But when the action does pick up in the last 45-minutes, it is hard to complain about what came before.

   

          Deliver Us From Evil is the third film I know of with this same title, and that is fitting given how generic much of the content is also. With that being said, there are far worse choices for an evening of mindless entertainment. The Blu-ray release comes with a couple of featurettes, including one about the filming locations and a general making-of. There is also a trailer.

   

  Entertainment Value: 7/10

  Quality of Filmmaking: 7/10

  Historical Significance:  5/10

  Special Features: 3.5/10