Review of I Saw the Devil (2010) by Mike M — 17 Jul 2011

The (not unwelcome) stabs at black humour sometimes tip over into an outright flip, giggling approach to violence and female suffering that recalls, more than anything, Hitchcock's "Frenzy", where again we couldn't quite be sure where the director's sympathies lay.

.. There are signs that Kim is a more than capable filmmaker: in his zigzag approach to narrative, the clever casting (even when sifting through his own s***, Choi's crumpled, lived-in psycho is somehow easier to warm to than the dead-eyed hero), and the handling of the bleaker-than-bleak punchline, which has something to do with destructiveness of family ties.

Even when the concept threatens to descend into torture porn, the film will throw you a bone in the form of an unexpected switchback or flash of wit: I liked the moment where one secondary ne'er-do-well tried to pull out the screwdriver the cop has put through his hand, only for the plastic handle to come away from the metal shaft.

Compelling yet heartless entertainment, more than likely remakeable, and further proof that if Kim could only stop himself sniggering, he could be the Korean David Fincher.