Thursday, February 16, 2012
Michael Allen
Writer: Hoon-jung Park (screenplay).
Cast: Byung-hun Lee, Min-sik Choi and Gook-hwan Jeon.
This reviewer is not an expert on Asian cinema by any means. A brief experiment in the genre a few years back introduced this reviewer to Gozu, Ju-on and Ringu to some unsettling affect. Now, a few years later, this film fan found an opportunity to watch Korea's I Saw the Devil. Essentially, this is a revenge thriller that puts a security agent on the trail of a serial killer. He catches him, then releases him only to catch him again. This causes pain for both characters.
Byung-hun Lee (The Good, The Bad and The Weird) plays the secret agent, Kim Soo-hyeon. He loses his fiancee to Kyung-chul (Min-sik Choi), a sexual predator and opportunitist. The next two hours are spent focusing on Lee as he tracks down Chul again and again. The robbers, other serial killers, rapes, murders and dismemberments are all just distractions between the core conflict between Lee and Chul. Lee wants revenge and Chul wants to continue his psychopathic ways even if that means hurting Lee's family.
There are so many strange situations in this film that it might be best to focus on themes. The movie's primary theme is revenge. You have seen this element lead to more and more pain in films like The Crow, I Spit on Your Grave and many others. In this film, it is hard to say who is experiencing more pain: Lee or Chul. Both are physically brutalized, but Lee loses almost everyone in his life. Is the revenge worth it? This is what the film would like you to ask yourself. A secondary theme would involve the prevalence of violence or character's and viewer's? vulnerability to violence. At least in media, there is always the presence of violence, at least in the films this reviewer watches. However, this is generally a safe world and seeing how violence effects characters can make one appreciate the safety each of us generally enjoys. Lee does not get to experience such rewards and this leads him to face a violent cinematic world with more violence. Was there another solution?
There probably is no path of return for the serial killer, Chul and watching the perpetrator of such random violence beaten again and again seems cathartic on some level. Lee is purging that presence of chaotic violence, in the film at least. And he basically beats on Chul for two or more hours. If Chul is drinking with his psychopathic friends, then he can expect a beating later that night. If Chul is attempting his fourth rape of the film, then he is likely going to have some body part amputated or severed. Does he ever learn his lesson? The answer to this question is no and Chul only seems like a human being when begging for his life. But by this time, this reviewer was giving the thumbs down as if Caesar in the arena. His time is up.
Unfortunately, this is the only Asian horror or thriller that this reviewer has seen from 2011. So, it is difficult to compare this film with others in the genre. As a stand alone film, I Saw the Devil is a great film with a positive message: revenge hurts the victim and the perpetrator. This film is full of gory action scenes and film fans looking for something unpredictable should pick this one up (available since May, 2011). The film's strong narrative is for mature audiences and should be watched by a critical audience who can enjoy the violence, while understanding this is just a film and thankfully, not a realistic portrayal of culture.
Overall: 8 out of 10 (a long film at 2.5 hours, gory, difficult subject matter, interesting characters, strong themes and a message).
Another review of this film at DVD Verdict (Patrick Bromley):
I Saw the Devil Reviewed at DVD Verdict
The film's fan page:
I Saw the Devil on Facebook
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Posted in: 2011 release,asian horror movie preview,devil,i saw the devil,korea,movie review,violence
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