Director: Kim Sung-hoon
Notable Cast: Hyun
Bin, Jang Dong-gun, Lee Sun-bin, Kim Eui-sung, Jeong Man-sik, Seo Ji-hye, Jo
Woo-jin, Jo Dal-hwan, Kim Tae-woo
There was a strangely empty place left after the
massive international success of Train to
Busan. This may have to do with how different the film industry in South Korea is from Hollywood, but if a film like that had dropped here in the US there
would have been a saturation of the market in similar zombie films – which has been the
case since the release of The Walking
Dead, but I digress. Yet, in terms of zombie films from South Korea, the
international releases have been relatively non-existent. That is, until Rampant. What makes Rampant such an intriguing film is that instead of doubling down on
the familial core and traditional zombie tropes like Train to Busan, this film aims to be
more a genre mash up of a lot of very popular South Korean genres. Rampant is not just a zombie film. It’s
a political thriller and it also features plenty of sword clashing action set
pieces that would be comfortable in a wuxia style period film. This is where Rampant becomes the ambitious film that
it is. It’s a brilliant blend of genres, powered on charismatic performances,
and layered with some great set pieces which makes Rampant one of the most unique cinematic experiences in 2018.