"I Saw the Devil" is a film that grabs you by the throat from the first minute and will never let go. Choi Min-sik makes you never want to look away from the screen. The way he portrays serial killer Jang Kyung-chul is out of this world. He owns the role.
On the other side we have Kim Jee-Woon regular Lee Byung-hun as Kim Soo-hun, a secret agent who want revenge for the murder of his pregnant fiancee. After the first meeting between the two, he stalks his pray and the cat and mouse game begins.
For more than 2 hours I was glued to the screen. This beautifully shot film with brutal gore and action, which made me look away from the screen at times because of how invested I was, flew by.
I'm still processing what I just saw....All I can say is, don't skip this one!
This is definetely not a horror movie, and given its weak and predictable storyline, not a good thriller either. It is, however, a rather decent slasher/action film.
Also, despite being quite entertaining, the movie is extremely violent and overly long. The main story of vengeance gets diluted by the unnecessary scenes of killing and raping, to the point that the argument becomes an accessory rather than a guiding line, or point of reflection.
Do not expect much from it.
Torture. Release. Repeat. A good premise but ultimately way too repetitive.
Also, the melodramatic score was just bad and stole a lot of the emotional impact. Skip this and watch The Vengeance Trilogy by Park Chan-wook.
Amazing crime drama. Be prepared for emotional devastation and lots of gore.
Team Kim Soohyeon forever.
Alright. This doesn’t have enough meat on the bones given its runtime. The plot’s pretty generic and barebones, and none of the characters are particularly interesting or fleshed out. The action and gore/shock value are the two aspects that make it memorable. It can at times be cruel and sadistic, not entirely unlike a Saw film, but comparatively it’s not as over the top, cheap or desperate to pander to edgy teenagers. I’d also argue that the filmmaking is generally pretty well done, it looks stylish and the music stands out at times. All in all, I think it does just enough, but stretches of it are dull because so much of it is about the surface.
5.5/10
The best I can give this is a "Meh" rating. I had high hopes for it after reading reviews on Rotten Tomatoes but this overly-long (2hrs 22 minutes) revenge flick just really had very little going for it. For fans of torture and gore, they'll probably get their jollies out of this one but for those who are looking for a story to accompany this movie, this one fell short. They could've turned this into a 30-minute YouTube and still had ample time to tell what little story there was; instead, they drug this out wayyyyyyy too long, and IMO glamorized the sick freaks who prey on innocent victims. The most glaring error of all was the highly anti-climactic ending; when I looked at the timer and saw I had 20+ minutes of run-time left, I felt sure there would be some long, drawn-out scenes of brutality, pain, dismemberment, payback, etc.... but all we got was a blathering diatribe from an egomaniacal sick mind who has no remorse at all. The closing scene was so far removed from the rest of the movie that I felt nothing at all except extreme joy that this stinker had finally ended and the closing credits were running. Had it not been for a few really gory scenes, this would have rated a "Poor" but I bumped it up simply because of the violence factor. If that's what you're into, you'll find it here; otherwise, there's absolutely nothing to see.
"I wish you suffer even after you die."
Just as brutal as the first time I watched it. Talk about a crazy revenge story. Why is it that Choi Min-sik scares me? He plays such a crazy bad guy. A lot of moments where I wanted to look away but at the same time I couldn't get enough.
I agree with what he did! He just should have done it sooner. THat whole hunter prey game was uncalled for. Handing him out to the police isn't right, because they'll treat him like a human being, which he's not. Death is what he deserves.
I couldn't agree with flex more. was quite excited about this film due in part to the fantastic cast but equally the director.
Unfortunately I was left a little disappointed in the lack of any real depth to the story. I get the revenge genre (from Oldboy to I Spit on Your Grave to Lady Snowblood) but usually they have a half decent story driving them along. This just seemed a dumbed down version, only a notch above the torture-porn genre Hollywood has been checking out for some time.
I hardly make any comments on any movies. But this movie made me do one. Man oh man! Amazing is all i can say about it
Hmmm i don't get what's so good about this movie.
It's stupid and contains useless blood. This isn't even sad.
A thrilling action horror film that will exhilerate you while it wiggles under you skin. What makes this film unique is its willingness to take the protagonist beyond the point most of its predecessors. For some, this will be a flaw, but in an industry that has become nearly void of risk I Saw The Devil shines.
I thought this would be way better. The film you should watch instead is Dark Figure of Crime.
This is kind of like the rogue's gallery of Korean serial killers (lol), and the actions of a secret agent getting revenge...at his own pace. It was so violent and gory, but the blood splatter, flow and pooling effects were so realistic, they were amazing to watch. The sound effects as well were really good. Acting was decent, too. No one in this movie is good. I just didn't see the point of it. It's basically a serial killer slice-of-life.
K-pop John Wick mourns his brutally murdered girlfriend by having an eternal revenge fantasy where other innocent people are collateral because hey manly pain feels. Much violent violence but no story to back it up except the most lazy revenge flick framework.
I liked the plot...
The characters are not bad...
And the fight scenes, I liked them....
Only that at times the progress was slow...
Kyung chul (the killer), when he kills Joo yeon, was a little more graphic, than what is shown with his other victims.
The scene where he goes after one of the suspects and finds him jerking off.... Lol
There were times when the performances of the victims are good....
The one that had moments where he could have let him die, like in the cannibal's house.
It was very weird moments and hence there were several people as collateral damage, like yeon (the sister) and his father.
But the last moments I think it could have been done more, tortures and others like cutting the tendon of his foot, I understand that he was not a murderer or psychopath, but I think the script could have helped...
The final scenes were dramatic, but the ending is worth it....
The death by guillotine and the presence of the parents added something to it....
What to say about that scene of him crying...
9/10
Because I think it could have been better in terms of torture.
not me thinking I was watching the director's cut bc it was 2 n a half hours long & felt like 4
Too many useless scene about "Who is good and who is bad", if you do something to someone close to me I am in the RIGHT to do wrong things to you and you MUST stay quiet and suffer, but yeah, good film
I Saw the Devil is violent, graphic, and horrific. There are some great ideas here but some problems as well - specifically in the writing. Although well acted, the main characters are far too one-demintional and the secondary characters are convenient, unintelligent, and flat.
Beautifully shot, BRUTAL, terrifying as hell, great plot (the way things kept escalating... Jesus Christ), good action, super realistic practical effects, and top-notch acting from everyone involved. Especially from Choi Min-sik, who played his part a little too well lmao, and Lee Byung-hun, whose character journey was so interesting to watch.
This has been on my watchlist for SO LONG and I should've watched it sooner. I just have an aversion to movies that are over 2 hours long tbh, but I'm glad I finally did.
One of the best Korean thrillers I have ever seen. Kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.
What The Fuck did i just watch! 《°•°》
Did not enjoy it.
Revels too much in the violence.
Skipped through the last 40 mins.
This movie aged like milk.
The secret agent is stupid and complacent in the crimes committed after letting Jang off.
Definitely not a horror movie, more like a thriller. There is enough tension, but the movie could be shorter.
Yeah, it is horrifying, but in other kind of way. Overall, it's a good movie. I enjoyed it.
If you like this movie, I will recommend I spit on your grave (2010) which is similar, shorter and sexier ;)
One of the greatest film this century.
Fantastic performances, excellent plot (usually the serial killer is found at the end and justice or revenge is exacted, but this dude finds him straight away), excellent shot composition, editing and score.
Alone with Old Boy and Parasite, the pinnacle of modern Korean cinema.
There are less than 100 films i would give 10/10. Less than 50 maybe. But this is one.
Watch it, bitches :kissing_heart:
Se-yun: „Revenge is for movies. That bastard is a psycho“ Both main characters, turning atrociousness and revenge up to 11.
Seriously have to consider putting this in my top 10 of all time.
Fantastic.
Bloody South Koreans, they sure know how to craft brutal revenge thrillers.
it's a kind of movie that make you feel bad things hate anger anxious. and not only for the bad guy of the movie but for the good too. why he had to let him keep killing more people Just to hunt him and beat him near to death? and what iron was? after so beat and still was able to stand up and run drive and rape and kill? not realistic
The original title of the film is Ang-ma-reul bo-at-da
I lovvedd ittt .
(it needs more word in order to be posted)
Perfectly paced, nerve-wreckingly intense, thoroughly engaging, unsettling and often frightening film, with an excellent plot that unfolds in an unexpected way.
Kind of generic but what I found most unengaging was how convenient the entire movie was. It really bothered me how stuff just happened in order to move the plot and characters forward. That and the fact that a lot of stuff was just so poorly established.
I feel like I would've loved this movie more if it had an extra 30 minutes besides the 140 that were used... but then it wouldn't have been has tightly paced as it was. I'd be fine with a slower movie if it had a better establishment of characters, places and plot points.
Like a cannibal with an overbite, I Saw the Devil is a little sloppy.
After the subtle intricacies of Old Boy and The Chaser, I was a bit let down by the Devil. The incisiveness of story is dull here as it hangs the tip of a monumental WTF (an "intelligence" service officer lets a serial killer go do he can interrupt and torture him when he's committing rapes and murders) that it can't cut it.
I still liked it, but I've come to expect more of Korean cinema.
It was ok. Weird. Not really horror. Just revenge action with gore. Can't really say more about it I guess.
Two word review: "Holy Shit"
Hmm. Not sure how I feel about this one. Good movie. Really good. I just wish some things would have happened or didn't happen and its just really heavy.
Just great psycho-horror movie! You have all that good movie of this genre should have...and with that asian flavor, its just my cup of tea... Loved it, and if you are a horror fan, you will enjoy it, trust me. 9/10
Found it repetitive and uninteresting. Lots of violence.
Great gritty crime thriller ala Fincher's "Seven" or Demme's "Silence of the Lambs"!
The key question of this film: Is vengeance worth it if you become what you hunt?
Acting, photography, script, production values -- all top notch. One of the best crime thrillers I've seen in years.
the predictable ending and great performance of lead actors.
This is definitely another awesome movie from South Korea with Min-sik Choi from Oldboy. But, instead of playing the protagonist, he plays the villan of the story and does a fantastic job of it. It's action packed and disturbing, and although a lot of the characters seem to be really good at surviving blunt force trauma to the head, it still had great camera work, a great score, great performances, and was successfully emotional where it needed to be. If you love messed up and violent emotional revenge stories, then this movie's for you. Definitely worth watching.
A pretty generic over the top gory film, but if that's all you are expecting then you will love this movie.
He killed his girl and seeking revenge, but it goes too far. Shocking but too long for what counts
Great Korean peace. Never boring.
Shocking and thrilling until to the very end.
Perfect
the movie wasn't bad at all, but the torture part was a some points to extreme and explicit. why do the director doesn't work with that what happends inside the audience heads.
in the end 7/10
Another revenge movie from South Korea and it has Min-Sik Choi (Oldboy, Lady Vengeance) in 2nd role.
But it lacks the entertainment the Oldboy offers and the main actor is rather plain, than interesting.
His downfall is rather boring and not really intelligible.
At best it is a mediocre movie, useful to spend an evening and never think about it again.
Shout by Fanis KostakisBlockedParent2016-05-09T23:24:54Z
Shocking but beautiful! Another korean story of vengeance!