For many, usually of a slighter older demographic, there’s a certain romance regarding travelling by ship. Although that notion was somewhat tainted when Covid jumped on board, turning the vessels into virtually ships of death. But hey, if you look up into the night sky, you still might catch the Northern lights.

This bonkers film from South Korea is also a good advert for other modes of transport, when a freight ship is chosen to be used to transport unusual cargo – humans.

When the transportation of some prisoners being extradited by plane from the Philippines to South Korea goes wrong, the South Korean government decide a few years later to try again, but this time by using a freight ship.

So a number of police officers are tasked with accompanying some seriously dangerous criminals on a journey scheduled to take three days.

But when they get outsmarted by them, they find themselves in a tight spot when a riot breaks out on board.

Little do they know that these killers are the least of their worries, as there is something far more sinister lurking in the bowels of the ship that they aren’t aware of. Yet...

For a country that is 99 times smaller than the USA, South Korea has a hugely productive film industry. But it’s not just the amount of films it produces, but the high quality and diversity of the projects that really impress. And director Hongsun Kim’s latest is no exception.

In a way, Project Wolf Hunting is a throwback to the violent action flicks of the eighties; it has a story that you just know was constructed simply to have a lot of mayhem take place on board a ship. And there is mayhem aplenty.

It’s the type of film where you may struggle to catch your breath, as soon as the ship sets sails, it gets bloody really quick. In fact, if you fancy the perfect drinking game, taking a shot for every death would probably have you seeing double within the first ten minutes.

It is deliciously gruesome, playing out like a Battle (ship) Royale, as one crew member after the next finds themselves propping up Davy Jone’s Locker, or whomever the South Korean version would be.

And as exciting and thrilling as it is, the film takes another turn halfway through, throwing in a harder curveball. There’s no denying the film gets a lot sillier, with a heavier dose of sci-fi horror, but it doesn’t stop it from being any more entertaining.

In fact it’s unlikely that you’ll see a bloodier gorefest this year, hell, maybe even in your lifetime.

Kim’s film is brimming with mindless violence, with some brutal set pieces and a cast that do well holding it all together for as long as they last.

It’s the perfect date film, if you intend to have your date’s fingers digging into your flesh throughout as you try not to let out a little squeal of pain.

It is a truly visceral experience, with every scene dripping with blood, so if you can handle senseless, gratuitous acts of violence, welcome aboard.