Disney Plus and Hulu aren’t the only streaming services that are drop content next week. Illang: The Wolf Brigade is expected to leave Netflix on Wednesday, May 23. This is unfortunate, not only because the sci-fi political action thriller is one of the best movies on Netflix, but because at the time of writing there’s no other way to buy, rent, or stream the movie in the United States.
Released in South Korea in 2018, Illang: The Wolf Brigade is I saw the devil director Kim Jee-woon’s adaptation of Hiroyuki Okiura and Mamoru Oshii’s 1999 anime film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, and it was quickly acquired by Netflix shortly after its premiere. Set in 2029, Illang follows Im Joong-kyung (Gang Dong-won), a member of a militarized police force tasked with quelling an uprising triggered by the impending reunification of North and South Korea after a disastrous economic depression.
Shocked after witnessing the death of a suicide bomber, Joong-kyung tries to get closer to the bomber’s sister (Han Hyo-joo) to find out whether or not she too works for her sister’s compatriots, and to ease his own conscience. Joon-kyung soon finds himself in the heart of a maelstrom of Byzantine political infighting and is forced to choose whether or not to continue fighting as a member of the Wolf Brigade or elope with the woman in hopes of a better life.
Photo: Cho Won Jin/Netflix
Unlike other live-action adaptations of beloved anime like the one from 2017 Spirit in the shell or that of 2009 Dragonball evolution, Illang: The Wolf Brigade is one of the few modifications that manage to live up to the standard of their predecessors. Although not nearly as wistful and melancholy as Jin-Roh, Illang this is more than made up for with blisteringly intense gunfights, heart-pounding close-up action sequences and superb practical effects and costume design, especially in Brigade’s terrifying gas mask-decorated armor suits. It’s not so much a film that replaces Okiura’s original as it is a companion piece, one that demonstrates the creative elasticity and enduring resonance of the source material.
Illang: The Wolf Brigade joins more than 80 Netflix originals that have since appeared left the platform. Some are now available on other streaming services, or to rent or purchase digitally. Others cannot be viewed anywhere legally in the United States.
Watch Illang: The Wolf Brigade on Netflix while you still can, and while you’re there, check it out Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigadecurrently streaming on Crunchyroll and Tubi with ads.