Review: Detective K: The Secret of the Living Dead
By William Pattison
For Horror Bob’s Blog
Detective K is back, not to be mistaken for the big budgeted
blockbuster Korean detective Detective D. Detective K is a far lower budget
version of D and a lot more comical. Along with his loyal associate, Seo pil, K
goes on adventures and solves mysteries in ancient Korea. In this installment
in the series K must solve a mystery involving vampires. People are dying. They
are being turned into vampires and immediately destroyed. While investigating K
and his associate meet a mysterious woman who can’t remember her past and is
more than she seems. Soon K finds himself in the middle of a situation dealing
with treason against the crown and revenge from beyond the grave.
I have to say I loved this film. Yes, it’s not a huge budget
spectacular like the films of my favorite Korean detective Detective D. But
this film had a really well done storyline and interesting characters. It also
had a lot of slapstick comedy which made up for the epic feel of the Detective
D films.
Actor Myung-Min Kim is excellent as K. I can present himself
as intelligent in one scene then go completely tongue in cheek in another
without batting an eye. Also, Dal-su Oh, who everyone remembers from the film
Old Boy is comedic genius as K’s loyal associate Seo pil. And, of course, Ji-Won
Kim is wonderful as the mystery lady.
One thing I really enjoyed was that this film didn’t over do
the vampires. The vampires rarely show their teeth and there is next to no neck
biting. There is a lot of vampire destruction and that is handled very well.
The FX in this film look top notch but don’t take over the show. The fighting
is done very well, so for those looking for that will not be disappointed.
Unfortunately, this film does not come in an American dub so you will have to
deal with subtitles.
All in all, I have to say that this film was really
enjoyable. If you are looking for scare you will be disappointed, but for
action, comedy, and just plain thrills this film delivers. I can highly
recommend Detective K: The Sectert of the Living Dead. Enjoy….
Keep on Creepin’, Horror Bob’s Blog
