Kim Jee-Woon's 2010 film I Saw the Devil, is a relentlessly ultra-violent tale of revenge. A look into just how far a man is willing to go to hurt someone who has hurt him. South Korea seems to have an infatuation with revenge films (The Chaser, The Vengeance Trilogy, Bittersweet Life) but that's fine by the rest of the world because they do them right.
I Saw the Devil's plot revolves around secret agent Kim Soo-hyeon (Byung-hun Lee), whose wife's life is taken by a deranged serial killer Kyung-chul (Min-sik Choi). Kim Soo-hyeon and Kyung-chul play a sort of cat and mouse game throughout the film, as it is Kim's plan to instill fear through constant unexpected violent attacks.
Overall, everything about this film is done well and with precision. The fight scenes are realistic and gritty, the characters are interesting, and the plot will most certainly keep you hooked. If there is one thing that Korean cinema does correctly, it's revenge-based thrillers.
The most brutal part of I Saw the Devil is the harrowing reality in which each death is depicted. These are not flashy Hollywood film deaths. These are people getting killed in cold-blood by a man who lacks all empathy. There is no motive to his killings and it brings to light the fact that a small percent of our fellow man can be capable of evil rivaling the most prolific horror movie antagonists.
I Saw the Devil's plot revolves around secret agent Kim Soo-hyeon (Byung-hun Lee), whose wife's life is taken by a deranged serial killer Kyung-chul (Min-sik Choi). Kim Soo-hyeon and Kyung-chul play a sort of cat and mouse game throughout the film, as it is Kim's plan to instill fear through constant unexpected violent attacks.
Overall, everything about this film is done well and with precision. The fight scenes are realistic and gritty, the characters are interesting, and the plot will most certainly keep you hooked. If there is one thing that Korean cinema does correctly, it's revenge-based thrillers.
The most brutal part of I Saw the Devil is the harrowing reality in which each death is depicted. These are not flashy Hollywood film deaths. These are people getting killed in cold-blood by a man who lacks all empathy. There is no motive to his killings and it brings to light the fact that a small percent of our fellow man can be capable of evil rivaling the most prolific horror movie antagonists.
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