The last we heard from Chaw (South Korean; dir. Jeong-won Shin), it was in post-production and set for a 2009 release. Well, with the year on the final leg of its run, it seems there’s been action in regards to the South Korean giant pig movie.
Seems Chaw opened in Korea on 15 July and has appeared on DVD. It’s even being reviewed. Here’s a review from Twitchfilm.
You can get a fair idea of the film’s comedic horror tone from this very eccentric trailer, despite the lack of an English track:
Synopsis:
Shock and fear wash over the quiet, peaceful town of Sameri when ecologist (Soo Ryeon) discovers the body parts of a girl in the mountains. Officer Kim Kang Su (Uhm Tae Woong), newly transferred from Seoul, gets assigned to the case, but it soon transpires this is no ordinary homicide. Cheon Il Man (Jang Hang Seon), the victim’s grandfather, is convinced that the culprit is a giant man-eating boar, and more will be claimed if the beast isn’t taken down. Kim’s own mother has gone missing, and may have already fallen victim. All interested in capturing the boar for reasons of their own, Kim, Cheon, Soo Ryeon, opportunistic hunter Baek (Yoon Je Moon), and detective Shin (Park Hyuk Kwon) head into the dangerous wilds, but will they make it back out alive? (YesAsia)
Lots more images in the Gallery below.
English Language Trailer:
Gallery:
- Sources: Animal Attack; Daum TV; Cafe.naver.com; IMDb; koreanmovie.com; movieimg.nate.com. Thanks once again to Avery, who says that the title “Chaw” is pronounced 차우 (Cha-woo).
- There is a short Korean language news promo here.
Addendum: Was this the first giant pig movie?
Razorback (Australia-1984; dir. Russell Mulcahy)
Seen this film before. I loved it. I got a boot DVD (everything the Korean 2 disc version except the audio commentary). This film is brutal and I recomend it. Very awesome.
http://journalismg2km.blogspot.com/2009/12/review-chaw-2009.html
Nice article too!
Thanks for the link to your review, G2KM (aka Evan, right?). Nice one. I’ve been reading some of the negative reviews and the criticisms they make are largely the kind that make me think I’ll enjoy the film when I get to see it.
Thanks for that “G”! I had read some rough reviews to where the critics were tearing it up, but I’m never one to let them deter my interest in a film. Hell, I usually don’t agree with most of them anyways as I have unique tastes in film. It’s nice to see a positive review.
Korea does Razorback?
🙂
Yes, it is Evan. And you’re welcome. Though I might want to mention something: I have never seen “Razorback”. Oh well, all that did was make my experience with “Chaw” all the more meaningful. I just hope that studio execs thought the film was profitable enough to warrant a sequel.
And if anyone wants to republish it, go ahead. Even if you edit it, go ahead. Just give credit.
“Razorback” is much more Mad-Max-like than “Chaw” appears to be. Pretty good movie, “Razorback”, with its pre-CGI giant pig! You should check it out. There’s a nice re-mastered widescreen version available on DVD.
http://www.amazon.com/Razorback-Region-4-Gregory-Harrison/dp/B000BHN892/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1259825508&sr=8-1
Mad Max like? God, I love that trilogy (and a fourth film with Charlize Theron (spelling?) is underway right now with a return of the V8 Interceptor!) but Razorback Mad Max like? That has to be interesting. I will check it out, thanks!