"I Saw the Devil" - Directed by Jee-woon Kim
More than any other genre or sub-genre the serial killer movie faces comparison with those that tower mightily.
Every movie with a serial killer is going to be compared to "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Se7en".
(There's marketing for you- sixteen years after release and I still write 'Seven" as Se7en')
This is exactly why I have not married Jennifer Connelly- it would not be fair to any other woman who follows her.
Yes... that's why.
One thing that Korean movies of late have in their favour is a willingness to go further than their Western counterparts.
And so along comes "I Saw the Devil" with a reputation as a seriously violent and insane thriller.
It has an intriguing angle on the genre too.
A cop loses his pregnant fiance to a serial killer and sets about tormenting him as revenge.
It had me at serial killer but throw revenge in and that was a ticket purchased right there.
I love revenge movies.
Love 'em but with one caveat....
No soul searching by the vigilante.
No- "Oh what has happened? I have become like the men I am seeking revenge on" change of face in the final act.
This is why I will defend to the death the Thomas Jane version of Marvel's "The Punisher".
Frank Castle does it right in that movie.
He doesn't care if you're straight, gay, white, black, Mexican or John Travolta - you kill his family- you die.
I have faith in director Jee-woon Kim not to wuss out and he doesn't.
What we have here is a seriously messed up piece of cat and mouse gruesomeness.
Byung-hun Lee plays the cop- actually he is referred to as a special agent so presumably he has a few extra skills at his disposal- handy.
This is nice casting because apart from possessing the physicality needed for the role he brings a wide-eyed, innocent look and it really works well.
Min-sik Choi is best known for the superbly nutty "Oldboy" and here he gives a brutally gutsy performance as one sick son of a bitch.
His character likes to cut women up while they are still alive and in the case of the cops fiance likes the fact that she is pregnant too.
So we won't be bringing our grannies to a screening of this any time soon then will we?
It is loaded to the gills with in your face violence with a healthy amount of profanity and a decent dose of nudity too.
This one earns that R18 nicely- or I should say- nastily.
There is real pleasure in watching our hero go after the killer.
His first contact results in a broken wrist, a golf ball sized lump on the noggin and plenty of lost blood for the killer.
But he lets him live because he is not finished yet.
The second bout is even better and had the audience squirming.
All I will say is scalpel.
And achilles tendon.
Add in a second nutter (arguably the total would be three with the cops behaviour factored in), some cannibalism, messy bowel evacuations and a bit of parkour and this thing is roaring along.
And then it starts to go a bit wrong.
The main problem is that it is two hours and twenty minutes long and this is about forty minutes too long.
This could have been a really lean, fast paced thrill ride but instead it's excessive running time gives the audience time to grow impatient with the hero and start to think "Oh, just kill him."
We don't ever develop any pity or sympathy for the killer (which would have been interesting) but we do lose some for the hero.
Of the two elephants in the auditorium only Se7en really comes to mind with this movie stealing quite liberally from it in terms of tone and even a couple of shots and plot devices.
It's not too much but once David Fincher's glorious masterpiece pops into your head "I Saw the Devil" suffers by comparison.
Despite the lengthy running time the movie still manages to do some dis-service to peripheral characters that deserve better. I am talking about the Father of the murdered fiance and her sister.
The dreaded soul searching doesn't really happen and for once it might have actually been a good thing.
When all is said and done the hero pretty much becomes as sick as the man he is seeking revenge on. His efforts are single minded and he doesn't seem to give crap one about anyone else who gets caught up in it- innocent or not.
Ultimately it is a good time at the cinema and a worthy addition to the crowded genre but it is far from one of the greats.
But I guarantee you will shake your head at the screen at least half a dozen times and say to yourself - "This is some seriously screwed up stuff right here."
And that counts as a recommendation in my book.
Rated R18 for some very gruesome violence, general sordidness, full nudity and profanity.
Every movie with a serial killer is going to be compared to "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Se7en".
(There's marketing for you- sixteen years after release and I still write 'Seven" as Se7en')
This is exactly why I have not married Jennifer Connelly- it would not be fair to any other woman who follows her.
Yes... that's why.
One thing that Korean movies of late have in their favour is a willingness to go further than their Western counterparts.
And so along comes "I Saw the Devil" with a reputation as a seriously violent and insane thriller.
It has an intriguing angle on the genre too.
A cop loses his pregnant fiance to a serial killer and sets about tormenting him as revenge.
It had me at serial killer but throw revenge in and that was a ticket purchased right there.
I love revenge movies.
Love 'em but with one caveat....
No soul searching by the vigilante.
No- "Oh what has happened? I have become like the men I am seeking revenge on" change of face in the final act.
This is why I will defend to the death the Thomas Jane version of Marvel's "The Punisher".
Frank Castle does it right in that movie.
He doesn't care if you're straight, gay, white, black, Mexican or John Travolta - you kill his family- you die.
 |
| Director Jee-woon Kim |
What we have here is a seriously messed up piece of cat and mouse gruesomeness.
Byung-hun Lee plays the cop- actually he is referred to as a special agent so presumably he has a few extra skills at his disposal- handy.
This is nice casting because apart from possessing the physicality needed for the role he brings a wide-eyed, innocent look and it really works well.
Min-sik Choi is best known for the superbly nutty "Oldboy" and here he gives a brutally gutsy performance as one sick son of a bitch.
His character likes to cut women up while they are still alive and in the case of the cops fiance likes the fact that she is pregnant too.
So we won't be bringing our grannies to a screening of this any time soon then will we?
It is loaded to the gills with in your face violence with a healthy amount of profanity and a decent dose of nudity too.
This one earns that R18 nicely- or I should say- nastily.
 |
| Cop |
His first contact results in a broken wrist, a golf ball sized lump on the noggin and plenty of lost blood for the killer.
But he lets him live because he is not finished yet.
The second bout is even better and had the audience squirming.
All I will say is scalpel.
And achilles tendon.
Add in a second nutter (arguably the total would be three with the cops behaviour factored in), some cannibalism, messy bowel evacuations and a bit of parkour and this thing is roaring along.
And then it starts to go a bit wrong.
The main problem is that it is two hours and twenty minutes long and this is about forty minutes too long.
 |
| Killer |
We don't ever develop any pity or sympathy for the killer (which would have been interesting) but we do lose some for the hero.
Of the two elephants in the auditorium only Se7en really comes to mind with this movie stealing quite liberally from it in terms of tone and even a couple of shots and plot devices.
It's not too much but once David Fincher's glorious masterpiece pops into your head "I Saw the Devil" suffers by comparison.
The dreaded soul searching doesn't really happen and for once it might have actually been a good thing.
When all is said and done the hero pretty much becomes as sick as the man he is seeking revenge on. His efforts are single minded and he doesn't seem to give crap one about anyone else who gets caught up in it- innocent or not.
Ultimately it is a good time at the cinema and a worthy addition to the crowded genre but it is far from one of the greats.
But I guarantee you will shake your head at the screen at least half a dozen times and say to yourself - "This is some seriously screwed up stuff right here."
And that counts as a recommendation in my book.
Rated R18 for some very gruesome violence, general sordidness, full nudity and profanity.
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