more images: 1, 2, 3, 4

South Korea's Park Chan-wook — whose acclaimed "Vengeance" trilogy (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance) has made him one of international cinema's premier auteurs of gorgeously orchestrated bloodshed — he crafts bravura setpieces of mayhem, gasp-inducing at their visual audacity. For many filmmakers, that would be a suitably shocking accomplishment. But Park also seemed committed to weaving these individually flashy moments into tales of profound moral complexity and tragedy, to which he is now content to merely pay lip service. His long-gestating vampire romance Thirst follows priest Sang-hyun (The Host's excellent Song Kang-ho), who contracts the vampirism virus through a blood transfusion. Attempting to cope with his affliction rationally, Sang-hyun harvests hospital blood supplies before his basic urges overwhelm him. He begins an affair with his friend's wife Tae-ju (Kim Ok-vin), and her own carnality and amoral bloodlust take the new couple's torrid relationship into outrageous realms of the senses. Kim is a primal powerhouse in her role, and once Tae-ju and Sang-hyun begin their sex-and-blood-slurp spree, Thirst soars, both literally (one mesmerizing rooftop-to-rooftop flight demonstrates Park's gift for unique compositions) and figuratively. If Thirst ultimately doesn't add anything new to the formulaic storyline, it's still an often gripping and giddy ride. —Travis Crawford

Comments

Official Site: www.thirstmovie.com

Rating:	R
Director:	Park Chan-wook
Cast:	Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun, Kim Ok-bin, Kim Hae-sook, Park In-hwan, Oh Dal-soo, Song Young-chang, Mercedes Cabral
Release Date:	July 31, 2009 (NY/LA/SF)
Running Time:	133
Distributor:	Focus Features
Producer:	Park Chan-wook, Ahn Soo-hyun
Genre:	SciFi/Fantasy, Horror, Drama
Advisory:	for graphic bloody violence, disturbing images, strong sexual content, nudity and language