Review of I Saw the Devil (2010) by Justin A — 12 Feb 2013

I think it would be fair to compare it to Oldboy since both deal with a theme of revenge and star Choi Min-sik. Oldboy, however, was a far more engaging movie that was only enhanced by Choi Min-sik's performance, and I Saw the Devil is terribly repetitious with Min-sik's performance being the only real saving grace.

This movie had me at the beginning, but at about 90 minutes in I was spent and ready to just call it quits. You know where the movie is going, it isn't going to shock you with any twists. What we get in the 140+ minutes is the same story that could have been told in 80 minutes.

This is your basic revenge picture that just happens to have some good performances and is beautifully shot. And as much as I appreciate the effort and hard work, the script easily could have been trimmed down to make this less of a marathon.

I'm not against long running movies, I'm just against long running movies that really offer nothing more after 90 minutes. Yes, there is plenty of well-shot action. Yes, it is gruesome and fun at times.

Yes, the acting is great. Yes, the direction is great. Can I recommend it? I don't know. I wanted to like it more than I do because the elements for a great movie are all there. When it's all said and done though, the movie just doesn't offer as much on the level of Oldboy and it's a forgettable film that really doesn't warrant more than one viewing.

If you enjoy Korean cinema then it's probably on your must-see list, but for me I've seen plenty of revenge thrillers in my lifetime that this one was just lost in the shuffle.