I SAW THE DEVIL

I Saw The Devil Movie Review

Special agent Kim Soo-hyeon (Byung-hun Lee) seeks revenge on Kyung-chul (Min-sik Choi), a serial killer who rapes and murders Kim's pregnant wife Joo-yeon (San-ha Oh); however, this isn't a simple case of seeking out the killer and killing him instantly--instead, Soo-hyeon opts for a capture, torture, release, repeat method. This 2010 South Korean film was released to much fanfare, and, unlike some other hyped-up films I have seen lately, this one actually delivers. This film manages to take a clichéd basis (avenging the death of a loved one, and because that's not cliché enough, she's also pregnant) and take it in new directions, in the process delivering a fascinating story. The tone is a very dark one right from the beginning, the violence is unrelenting, and the movie feels so...real. You later find out that, as if being a rapist and serial killer isn't bad enough, Kyung-chul is also a cannibal, possibly leading one to recall an old joke (presented here, updated, of course, to fit this film): What did they find in Kyung-chul's bathtub?

....

Aside from a really interesting story, the movie is also carried by the acting skills of both Lee and Choi--Choi's performance makes Kyung-chul one of the most despicable, resilient, memorable villains in recent film history, and Lee makes Soo-hyeon a sympathetic victim while teetering on being a ruthless sadist himself. At almost two and a half hours this is a long movie, but it maintains a steady pace the entire time--it's rare for me to see a movie this long and find myself wishing it would continue, but alas, it's what I experienced watching this. The movie is not without it's shortcomings--the dialogue leaves a bit to be desired, and you may find yourself using the word "bastard" quite a bit after watching this. It also comes a bit too close to being a Steven Seagal movie a time or two, but manages to pull itself back before drifting too far. These minor details aren't enough to suck the awesomeness out of this movie, though the inevitable American remake will undoubtedly be.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 8

I Saw The Devil Movie Trailer