I Saw The Devil (2010)

Before I review this I want to say this: If watching women be preyed upon bothers you (sexually, violently, or otherwise) then don't watch this movie. You won't enjoy it. Probably. If this sort of thing doesn't bother you, and you're reading reviews before watching, then let's get started:

This movie felt clumsy to me. I think that's the best way to describe it: clumsy. And unrealistic. There comes a point where it's difficult to suspend disbelief and just go along for the ride, and this movie managed to cross that point. What should have been a fun and wild ride was simply overdone, and at times nonsensical. It had almost everything it needed to be good, but just fell short of the mark. Wildly short.

Now, the acting is pretty darn good (for the most part), and the story starts off promising. Unfortunately the good acting can't save the mess that comes later, as the story unravels into an inconsistent mess. I've watched other movies that have similar failings and which I have enjoyed, unfortunately I Saw The Devil doesn't manage to pull it off. One or two of the coincidences are a little tongue-in-cheek (and you will either like them or groan at them), a few of the scenes display an amazing level of incompetence/idiocy, and the actions of the protagonist haven't been managed well enough to show what they were meant to show (I feel).

Honestly the film would have been better with some drastic editing. It feels repetitive at times, and I was rather bored by the time we were approaching the end. And I really shouldn't have been with all that violence going on, because there is a lot of gore to enjoy. Basically it was too long, and could easily have been parred down. It would probably have been less absurd, too. I get that this can be a tool used, but in this context it just doesn't work.

But hey, the camera work, lighting, and all that jazz is done pretty darn well. It looks good, basically. Parts of it are enjoyable to watch (like, insanely well shot) but the plot is pretty thin, and fairly unbelievable. Certainly, the ending hammers home just how far the protagonist was willing to go.

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I love a good revenge story and this was definitely a brilliant one!
But it's definitely not a movie for the weak hearted cause it has too much of sexual violence and gore. I had to skip a few mature scenes myself..it was too disgusting to watch. *pukes* Those scenes very graphic and gruesome but necessary for the story, that's why I think the story deserves a 10/10.

Acting - 10/10. I think it takes a lot of skill to play the roles of the main characters. Choi Min Shik and Lee Byung Hun played their roles perfectly!

Music - I just gave it an 8/10 but actually I didn't really pay attention to the music lol. But so assume it's good cause if it was terrible it would have distracted me.

I like this movie much more than Old Boy.. but like Old Boy, I don't think I can re-watch this again. It's just too disturbing..

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Woooo! What a movie. Choi Min Shik and Lee Byung Hun were outstanding! Choi as the psycho killer, totally devoid of emotion. And Lee as the grief stricken, secret agent, oh my! You can tell he’s barely keeping it together and his mission is the only thing keeping him going. The ending was cold! And when you watch it you’ll see what I’m saying when I say, I see the devil in Lee’s character. And that’s one of the reasons this was such a great movie. The unexpected journey we went on as we saw Soo-hyung getting his revenge was so subtle and well acted that it wasn’t until the final scene that I realized how broken he was. His fiancés death destroyed him completely. And the ending song that played as the credits began rolling just totally swept me away, it didn’t matter that Lee’s face was no longer on the screen, the music played out his sorrow for him. 

I never expected that it would turn into a cat and mouse game but since that was so unexpected, I loved the movie even more. I’ve never seen a revenge film take that approach before. Following the killer around I felt engrossed, waiting to see what would happen next and I never felt bored as there were many twists to keep me entertained. 

It was a little gorey but nothing in the gore porn film genre, like it’s not a Saw movie. It was just enough to fascinate and disgust me simultaneously. You saw how psychotic the killer was so it was satisfying watching him suffer. Which I think is the mark of not only a good actor playing his role to perfection but a well told story, that I’m rooting for pain.

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Why I hated this kind of great movie.

There are many positive comments about how this is such an amazing piece of cinema. Yes, it is graphic and not for the faint of heart. I think the two male leads were pretty great. Lee Byung Hun as Kim Soo Hyun was good as the "good" guy, and Choi Min Shik was awesome at making Jang Gyung Chul one of the most despicable, disgusting, terrible characters ever.

That said, there is one facet of this movie that just turned me off to the whole thing. SPOILER AHEAD:



Soo Hyun puts a tracking device in Gyung Chul and lets him go. Oh, is he going to track him through the woods or some deserted area and just keep messing with him? No. He lets him go right where he is, to go and offend on a bunch more people. I believe he killed at least 3 people after Soo Hyun let him go. Those are the most egregious. But that poor nurse will also never be the same. Soo Hyun could have done many different things to torture that a$$h0l3. But letting him go like he did just ruined the movie for me. Soo Hyun turns out to be a terrible character as well. I know he didn't want that, or intend for that to happen, but the fact is that the baddie ruined a bunch more lives because of the way Soo Hyun decided to handle it. Sooooooo lame.

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Amazing movie. Some of the scenes were so disturbing, would not recommend <15 to watch it. Gruesome murder scenes, but the acting by the villain was superb that you would hate him from the very start.
Could feel my heart beating so fast and couldn't stop feeling for the victims. It also gives a very strong message, not to trust everyone willing to offer help. The hero of this movie is a damn fantastic actor. I had watched this movie a long time ago, but can still remember his rage and hurt. The ending was very satisfying, felt so much for each and every victim and for the loved ones they left behind.

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This movie has sex scenes and violent scenes, so if you are a sensible person this movie is not for you but if you are not a sensible person and you like this kind of movie than you will love this one.
What I liked so much about this movie was the fact that Soo-Hyun gave up everything to revenge his fiancé and to make the killer suffer as much as he could. While you watch the movie you will notice how Kyung-chul's eyes can make you turn on the lights again once you see how he doesn't feel anything after killing a person. The cast is very well chosen, achou Min Shik did a very good job as a psychopath, like I said before, just by looking at his eyes I wanted to turn off the screen because it's really scary, that only shows how good his act was.

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A Great One Time Watch

I went into this movie knowing little about it. But I was intrigued the whole way through. I think that the horror paired with the detailed plot is what makes this worth the watch.

I don’t know that I would watch it again because it is disturbing and all felt very real. But I would definitely recommend fans of this particular genre to try.

I’ve seen negative reviews based on the main character’s choices. My two cents: He was never meant to be the hero. It was clear from the beginning that the story would show his transition into becoming a monster himself. The title makes perfect sense, especially by the end of the movie.

Do I agree with the main character’s choices? Absolutely not. But that literally isn’t the purpose of the movie.

This story has a lasting impression partially because it is supposed to make you think, but also because it is incredibly artistic. I enjoyed the way it was shot and scored. And the acting was amazing from main to minor characters.

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Super intense movie! It's disturbing for sure, some severe gore and plenty of gritty imagery. But its definitely worth the pain and disgust you feel watching the antagonist act as pure evil and the protagonist, whose entire life changes in one moment when his wife is brutally murdered struggling with the pain of loss and believing that only revenge will be justice he needs. I honestly don't have any problems with this one because it was well made, well acted, well written. But the thrill and disturbing path of the protagonist becoming darker as time passes was just heartbreaking. I loved the way it was made, from everything from snow falling to the cries of pain you can feel it. I thought the ending was just as brilliant as the whole movie.

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