Anyone who saw the original 1973 Exorcist can probably still hear the sound of PazuzuвЂ™s potty mouth via the soul he/it tried to possess.

He didnвЂ™t expect to meet Pazuzu, the most hideous of all demons. HeвЂ™s just on a regular archeological dig, no big deal. This is an ordinary guy, digging a few ordinary graves. This is an Indiana Jones-meets-Pazuzu take on the theme of demonic possession. Meanwhile, the woman he exorcises contorts with flailing limbs and windblown hair, as she runs at him through underground tunnels. Through the successful exorcism of a colleague, he returns to a faith he had long abandoned. The complex history of a buried church monument reveals more than the priest expects. Clues about demonic presences that have killed entire armies. The first 30-40 minutes are rather contemplative as they introduce the major characters and set the stage for what follows.In this prequel to 1973вЂ™s The Exorcist, archeological digs and the demon statuette of Pazuzu lead a priest to clues. But much of the filmвЂ™s strength comes from its masterful control of mood and tempo. The opening credits even define the Catholic ChurchвЂ™s views on demons, demonic possessions, exorcisms, and exorcists for Korean audiences. ThereвЂ™s an obsession with the minutiae of the exorcism process IвЂ™ve never encountered in Western exorcist films-the demonology, the preparations, the evocations, the commands of release. Here is part of what makes The Priests so fascinating and important: itвЂ™s a Korean interpretation of a traditionally Western genre. Such fraternization of faiths may seem unthinkable in the West, but it makes perfect sense in the highly syncretic world of Northeast Asia. These are two friends united in a common cause neither question the potency or validity of the otherвЂ™s methods. They talk about his daughter, how she was born to follow in her fatherвЂ™s footsteps as a shaman, and how unfortunate it is that Father Kim was assigned such an inexperienced assistant. When their attempt fails, the shaman disrobes and casually talks shop with Father Kim. They discover a traditional Korean shaman already carrying out his own exorcism with several assistants. The key scene of Jang Jae-hyunвЂ™s exceptional The PriestsВ arrivesВ nearlyВ two-thirds of the way through where two Catholic exorcists-the disillusioned, world-weary Father Kim (Kim Yoon-seok) and fresh-from-the-seminary newcomer Deacon Choi (Kang Dong-won)-arrive at a cramped building atВ the heartВ of theВ city to cast out a demon from a high school girl. But alas, the film cannot overcome its identity crisis. One moment near the end where Wu runs in a circle smashing the shins of a group of henchmen surrounding him, like Neo in the Agent Smith fight scene in The Matrix Reloaded (2003), gave me false hope that the film was regaining some of its levity. During an early chase scene where Faye gets snatched by a group of kidnappers disguised as waiters, Wu kicks his way through the front windshield of their van as they drive down a freeway. Some of the fight scenes and stunts are excellent, if a bit too frantically edited. The film collapses into a miasma of clichГ©s and unearned dourness. He even gives a proper Andy Dufresne victory scream as a thunderstorm rages around him. WeвЂ™re even treated to a scene where Wu gets beaten to a pulp by henchman and buried in the mud only for him to dig his way back out like he was the Bride from Kill Bill. The last hour is a woefully serious drama where Faye gets kidnapped and Wu must rescue her.

The montage of Wu and Faye falling in love seems deliberately absurd and over-the-top- what else explains the soapy sequence where they drive a red sports car on the beach?В But after the first third a terrible realization hits: Song is playing all of this straight. In another, he flummoxed a prostitute hired to seduce him with a вЂњstrategically placedвЂќ scroll holder that sends her running and screaming from his room. In one scene he sits back and watches with amusement as she gets chased up and down a staircase in fast-motion by a group of thugs she tried-and failed-to incriminate against him. OnceВ hired by a wealthy businessman to act as a bodyguard for his spoiled daughter Faye Li, the film devotes many sequences to their bizarre shenanigans. When asked by his estranged brother how their martial arts master is doing, he pulls out his ashes and plops it down on the table before him seemingly out of hammerspace. We first meet its hero, the mullet-haired Wu Lin, getting urinatedВ on by a chubby child as he does splits in a city square. At first you think Yue SongвЂ™s The Bodyguard is a good-natured parody of martial arts films.

The priests 2015 trailer