A man (Yoon Kye-sang) wakes up next to a crashed vehicle with a bullet wound in his shoulder. He is unable to remember who he is or how he got there. When he looks in the mirror, we see that his reflection doesn’t match his face. A homeless man (Park Ji-hwan) had seen the crash and called an ambulance. After the mystery man is patched up at the hospital, he heads to the address of a luxury apartment he finds in his pocket. According to some bills on a table, his name is Jee Cheol-ho, but this doesn’t seem right or familiar. He tries to get cleaned up and relax, but just as he is getting used to his surroundings, the clock strikes 12, and the room starts to morph and change. He suddenly finds himself inside a café, and starts to panic. Catching his reflection on the glass, he notices that he now looks like a completely different person. As he exits the café and looks across the street, he sees the man he used to be, but he is being snatched off the street and thrown into the back of a vehicle.

Our John Doe tries to retrace his steps to figure out what is going on, why this is happening, and how to stop it, but the only person he can trust is the homeless man he met earlier. However, trying to sell a stranger on the idea that he has become some sort of body-swapper is easier said than done. Armed with just a partial dashcam recording from the night of his crash, the name “Kang I-an” (which he believes may be his real name), and a photo of an unknown woman, the man tries to piece together his identity, what is going on, who is after him, and why. His memories are slowly coming back, but like clockwork, every 12 hours he leaps into another body. Each time, he doesn’t know where he will end up, what new danger he will face, or who is an ally. At the same time, the man is being hunted down by the police, the woman from the photo—Moon Jin-ah (Ji-Yeon Lim), who is desperately looking for her missing fiancé—and the dangerous head of drug-running organization (Park Yong-woo) and his well-trained army of suits.

Spiritwalker is an action-packed mystery-thriller, with a sci-fi twist. As the film starts off, the viewer feels the same sense of disorientation as the main character, trying to piece together who this is, who is after him, and what is going on. As the man hops from body to body, more of the story becomes clear. Some of the characters we meet along the way get revisited as the mystery man ends up taking over their bodies. He has to constantly think on his feet, quickly trying to blend in and pretend to be the person he appears to be as he tries to no only gather more information, but also avoid being caught—some of these people seem to have an inkling that he is not who he says he is, and if he fails their tests, it could be game over. It’s not until the final act of the film when the final pieces of the puzzle are finally revealed and we discover the full truth of what happened and finally understand what is going on.

The film also has a bit of a love story. I-an and Jin-ah were agents/partners and lovers before I-an went AWOL. Jin-ah is desperately searching for the love of her life, willing to take down anyone that gets in her way. Meanwhile, our mystery man believes he may be I-an, but even if he is, he looks like a stranger rather than Jin-ah’s missing lover/partner, and so she goes on the attack, thinking this man may be responsible for I-an’s disappearance. This leads to some really intense, well-choreographed action sequences, from high speed chases, to fights, shootouts, narrow escapes, and more, culminating in a massive final face-off. The film’s visual effects are really well done, especially the way the old and new worlds temporarily collide each time our mystery man changes bodies. The film’s writing is also quite clever in the way it weaves all of these characters together, and how the transformations often happen just at the right time for our hero to narrowly escape some dangerous situation (though the returning resident of his previous body may not be so fortunate). The film also adds some moments of levity amongst all the intense action and drama, usually thanks to the homeless man character, who often finds himself pulled into this body-swapping craziness as the only person our hero can safely turn to for help.

Well Go’s Blu-ray release includes both the original Korean soundtrack as well as an English dub. With these foreign Well Go releases, I always try the English dub first as this usually allows me to fully enjoy the visuals of the film without having to concentrate on the lower third of the screen reading the entire time. Fortunately, I found the English dub to be quite good, with natural-sounding dialogue and performances. The track also makes excellent use of the surround and stereo channels to enhance the score, provide a more-immersive ambiance, and add to the excitement. The Blu-ray’s video presentation is nearly flawless. I was blown away by the clean, pristine picture and colors. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought I was watching a 4K release. The detail is phenomenal, especially in faces, which have noticeable texture and definition, and a natural tone. Colors look excellent, particularly in darker scenes, such as when the main character talks with the homeless man by a gas drum fire. Daytime scenes also look great, with bright beautiful colors, especially in the film’s final showdown.

The disc is somewhat barebones when it comes to bonus material, only including a 4-minute behind-the-scenes featurette and two trailers, along with some previews for other Well Go releases. The disc comes packed in a locking HD keepcase with a cardboard slipcover.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:48:40)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Korean Stereo, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Stereo
• Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:
All remaining features lay back-to-back after starting playback for one item.

• Behind-the-Scenes (3:53)
  The cast and filmmakers discuss the film’s unique premise, shooting each scene twice with two different actors, shooting the fights and action sequences, what it was like for the cast to work with one another, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Yoon Jae-Geun, martial arts director Park Yeong-shik, and stars Yoon Kye-sang (“Kang I-an”), Park Ji-hwan (“Homeless Person”), Park Yong-woo (“Director Park”), and Lim Ji-yeon (“Moon Jin-ah”).
• Action Trailer (:53)
  Montage of some of the film’s big action sequences.
• Trailer (2:05)

Final Thoughts:

Spiritwalker is a twisty, unique thriller that blends action and mystery with a little humor to provide a fully entertaining and satisfying experience. Well Go’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds amazing, but is a bit lacking when it comes to bonus features. The film is definitely worth checking out for those looking for an action-packed thriller with a bit of a sci-fi-twist.

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Spiritwalker [Blu-ray]

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