One night, while investigating a routine break in downtown, two police officers find a couple with their wrists slit in a parked car. They're rushed to the local hospital where, despite the donation of blood from three samaritans, the man falls into a coma and the woman dies. Shortly after, the three blood donors begin to suffer strange hallucinations of an apparition following their every move. Could the woman's spirit be wreaking revenge against the donors for separating her from her lover, or is there a more rational explanation for the apparitions?
I feel somewhat like a soccer journalist writing this review. Why? Well, with ten minutes to go at a soccer match, a good journalist will have all but finished his story - leaving spaces for any minor last minute incidents near the bottom - but if there's a major turnaround such as one team overturning a deficit to win, he has a problem! Similarly, seventy minutes into NEW BLOOD, I had my review and probable star rating all planned out - only for a typically Hong Kong-style confusing turn of events to send me back to the drawing board. And that's the best way of reviewing this... as a film of two halves.
The opening half is rather excellent and, despite a low budget, manages to exude style along with wit, suspense and blood (gallons of the stuff). The characters are well developed, acting is parable with top quality Korean and Japanese cinema and the storyline moves along in a fluid manner. Then, just when you think you've got a grip of events and understand what's happening, the director goes all "Twin Peaks" on us and gives us the most bizarre twenty minute finale I've seen since "Rasen: The Spiral". Shame, too, 'cos this one really had potential - ** / *****
