Woochi: The Demon Slayer

"World beware. The wizard is coming."

2009 2h 16m KO

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 148

AdventureActionComedyFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Spanning four centuries in Korea, this epic action-adventure concerns a powerful pipe and a trio of wizards who will do anything to protect it.

“World beware. The wizard is coming.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Gang Dong-won
Jeon Woo-chi
Kim Yoon-seok
Hwa-dam
Im Soo-jung
Seo In-kyeong
Yoo Hai-jin
Chorangyi
Song Young-chang
Buddhist Monk
Ju Jin-mo
Shaman
Kim Sang-ho
Priest
Sun Woo-sun
Female Doctor / Goblin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Choi Dong-hoon
Writers: Choi Dong-hoon
Languages: Korean
Countries: South Korea

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Choi Dong-hoon, shot by Choi Young-hwan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jang Young-gyu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Shin Min-kyung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

AWARDS

Did you know

Gang Dong-won and Kim Yoon-seok and Im Soo-jung carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "World beware. The wizard is coming.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1274293 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Choi Dong-hoon directs. Choi Young-hwan behind the camera. Jang Young-gyu scores. Shin Min-kyung cuts. Produced in South Korea. Dialogue in Korean.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 17 years ago.
2Directed by Choi Dong-hoon, shot by Choi Young-hwan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Jang Young-gyu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Shin Min-kyung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Gang Dong-won and Kim Yoon-seok and Im Soo-jung carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "World beware. The wizard is coming.".
7IMDB entry: tt1274293 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Choi Young-hwan
Original score: Jang Young-gyu
Editing: Shin Min-kyung
Production design: Cho Hwa-sung
Costume design: Kim Hui-ju
Makeup / hair: Shin Jae-ho
Runtime: 136 min · 2h 16m
Status: Released
Budget: $12,000,000
Original language: KO
IMDB: Woochi: The Demon Slayer (2009)

Also by

Choi Dong-hoon

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Dali Parton2017-02-09
★ 3/10
(spoiler free) I've watched a lot of Korean movies over the years - from the silly (Sex is Zero) to the sublime (Oasis) and enjoyed most of them, even some of the more marginal titles like Spygirl and A.F.R.I.K.A. But for me, and the group of people watching it with me, Jeon Woochi was a big bust. The biggest problem I had with this movie was the terrible pacing, especially in the first 30 minutes of the movie where the timeline was not linear and the director did practically nothing to inform the audience that he had made a jump in time until wrapping up the scene and rejoining the main timeline. Other problems included a major lack of funny - there was so much opportunity for "fish out of water" jokes, but the writers barely even tried. And it wasn't like the comedy was too subtle either, much of the humor in the movie was just too ham-fisted to laugh at. There were also way too many fast cuts during action sequences - it made it difficult to enjoy the biggest feature of the movie: the excellent CGI. The director barely gives the audience a chance to focus on the contents of a shot before cutting to a new camera angle. I recognize these fast cuts are a modern Hollywood style, but it is still a terrible one to emulate. The story itself was, as expected, fairly simple. But even then, the telling of it was too convoluted - due mainly to the confusing timeline. I haven't given any examples to illustrate my criticism because I wanted to avoid spoilers as much as possible but still provide a counter-point to the misleadingly high rating (7.0 as I write this) and the other 5 or so reviews which all gave the movie exceptional scores. It was on the basis of that rating and the other reviews that I purchased the korean blu-ray and would strongly recommend that no one else waste their time or money the way I did. I suggest watching the older Arahan which has a similar "wizardry in the modern city" plot. I had a lot more fun watching Arahan despite its flaws. Also, watch out for the korean blu-ray. It is poorly mastered - the black levels are elevated making the picture look washed out and hazy unless you have a fancy display that can correct the problem.

Production companies