- A veteran female detective, So-Young, and her rookie assistant are investigating a recent series of bizarre and horrifying murders. All of the victims seem to have died due to an acid unleashed inside of their bodies. As the two detectives discover more about the case, they soon realize the serial killings may have something to do with a death that occurred ten years ago in a salt house. Before lo
Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: R
Street Date: 03/05/02
Wide Screen: yes
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
Language: ENGLISH
Foreign Film: noSubtitles: no
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: no
Re-Release: no
Packaging: SleeveWhen a military officer (Jet Li of Romeo Is Bleeding and Fist of Legend) miscalculates and causes the explosive death of dozens of children on a school bus--something you'll never see in an American movie!--he leaves his position to become a bodyguard for an egomaniacal movie star named Frankie (Jacky Cheung from Bullet in the Head and A Chinese Ghost Story 2, doing a satirical parody of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee). The star claims to do all his own stunts, but in fact Li has become his stunt double. An investigative reporter (Chingmy Yau, Naked Killer) catches them switching places and decides ! to do an exposé. From this point on, Meltdown (also kn! own as < I>High Risk) turns into a Hong Kong version of Die Hard, with terrorists taking over a skyscraper in order to steal valuable jewels, as well as a couple of young lovers, a villainous kung fu master who wants to challenge Frankie, and a hip-hop soundtrack. Meltdown is a delirious romp, crammed with as much low comedy and high-powered action as three Hollywood flicks. Despite (or partly because of) some clumsy special effects, logical absurdities, and cheesy plot developments, the movie is hugely entertaining, and Jet Li is in fine charismatic form. However, be warned: though the movie's tone is light, there's some extremely graphic violence. --Bret FetzerStudio: Tai Seng Entertainment Release Date: 12/14/2004 Run time: 99 minutes(Asia Extreme/Horror) A veteran female detective, So-Young, and her rookie assistant are investigating a recent series of bizarre murders. All of the victims seem to have died due to an acid unleashed inside of their bodies.! As the two detectives discover more about their case, they soon start to realize that the recent serial killings may have something to do with a mysterious death that occurred ten years ago in a salt house. Soon, So-Young becomes plagued by nightmares in which the dead girl appears. And the killings continue.Made during the 2006 horror boom in South Korea, Arang is a stylish and well-made variation on the theme of the vengeful ghost that has proved so popular in Asian genre films. Horror fans should note, though, that the supernatural element is the least interesting aspect of writer-director Ahn Sang-hoon's feature; anyone who's seen the Japanese or American versions of The Grudge or The Ring will be disappointed to find here yet another take on the long-haired, water-logged female ghost with painful revenge on her mind. Instead, it's the framing device that catches the most interest; the discovery of the ghost is precipitated by the horrific murder o! f two young men, which leads hardboiled detective So-yeong (Yu! n-ah Son g) and her rookie partner (Dong-wook Lee) to the scene of a forgotten rape and murder from years ago. The crime has particular resonance for So-yeong, who is the survivor of a similar attack, and this subplot adds a layer of drama and realism to an attractively photographed but otherwise by-the-books Asian horror title. The DVD includes commentary by Sang-hoon and members of his cast, and the filmmaker is surprisingly candid about what works and what doesn't in his movie. A small selection of deleted scenes, as well as two behind-the-scenes featurettes and the theatrical trailer, round out the extras. --Paul Gaita
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