Blood Rain

Set on a remote island off the Korean coast during the early 19th century, filmmaker Kim Dae-seung's unusual police procedural kicks off when a tribute ship for the king—carrying paper from a local mill—is destroyed by an arsonist, after which imperial investigator Lee Weon-gyu (Cha Seung-weon) is dispatched to find the culprit. But a series of gruesome murders diverts Lee's attention, and before long it becomes apparent that the killings are tied to a tightly-held secret regarding the brutal execution seven years earlier of the mill operator and his family, allegedly for practicing Catholicism. Are the new deaths the work of ghosts or one of the many living suspects? A satisfyingly old-fashioned whodunit (with bursts of violence) dressed up in exotic trappings and quasi-supernatural elements, Blood Rain boasts remarkable period detail and lovely widescreen cinematography that beautifully captures the striking locations. Recommended. (F. Swietek)