Review of I Saw the Devil (2010) by Alexander C — 06 Sep 2012

An utterly-gripping and gut-wrenchingly violent suspense thriller; One of the Greatest Stories on Revenge ever told! The movie is consistently uncompromising and merciless.

Here, Revenge is not just 'eye for an eye' or just end the life of the person who caused the pain. It is of going to the depth of torturing the person and not letting him die, making him endure the pain again and again, until he has suffered enough. There's no good guy in this movie. To hunt and kill a monster, one has to become a monster himself.

The movie takes your mind to a lot of dark places; shows the madness which every human being is capable of.

Kim Ji-woon (from 'A Tale of Two Sisters') spectacularly directs another Korean Masterpiece. The screenplay is tight and gripping, and the action sequences are well-executed and well-shot.

Choi Min-sik (from 'Oldboy') gives another power-packed performance as the ruthless and inhumane Serial-killer Kyun-chul. And the other lead, Lee Bung-hun (from 'The Good, The Bad and The Weird'), is terrific in the role of the widowed Secret-agent, Soo-hyun, seeking revenge. Their bloody action-packed interactions are a real treat to watch.

The cinematography and background score are brilliant as usual; it's common in most good Korean thrillers.

Note: People with a weak stomach for blood and gore, or who are new to the genre of Korean revenge thrillers should abstain from watching this movie. This movie is not for everyone.