Review of I Saw the Devil (2010) by I Don't Know W — 22 Oct 2011

Look away and cover your ears.

A serial killer, and to a lesser extent his son, methodically travel the countryside selecting beautiful women to hack to pieces. One inauspicious evening the father kidnaps a pregnant woman, and despite her pleads, slices her body into numerous pieces and scatters her across a lake. The woman was the wife of a secret agent who will stop at nothing to obtain revenge.

"I don't know what pain is. Fear? I don't know that either.".

Kim Jee-woon, director of A Tale of Two Sisters; The Good, The Bad, and The Weird; and one of the installments of 3 Extremes II, delivers I Saw the Devil. The storyline for this picture seems like a classic revenge plot but it is executed in a methodical and conniving manner from multiple angles. The gore and action scenes are brilliant and the acting is excellent. The cast includes Lee Byun-Hun (Storm Shadow in the recent GI Joe movie) and Choi Min-sik (Old Boy).

"Why do you look like you just stepped in shit?".

While at New York Comic Con we came across the Magnet Movie Studio booth with an array of DVDs for sale. They informed us that they would provide us with an autographed movie poster if we purchased two DVDS. We then asked which movie posters they had, and they had two that grabbed our attention, Hobo with a Shotgun and 13 Assassins. When they unrolled 13 Assassins, Takashi Miike had signed the poster in gigantic Japanese characters. Well, I purchased this film (which was highly recommended by the studio) and Let the Right One In (one of the best vampire movies in the last 10-15 years).

I can tell you if you enjoyed Old Boy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Ishi the Killer, or Audition, you will love this movie. This movie has brilliant gore, fascinating kill sequences, and an intriguing story worth following. The plot has an awesome villain and a hero worth rooting for (honestly, you may find yourself rooting for both sides). Overall, if you are a fan of this genre, this is a must see movie and an excellent picture for this holiday season!

"Some bastard hammered his balls.".

Grade: A.