I SAW THE DEVIL(2010)

(Directed by Jee-woon Kim)

"........"- Signed by MartialHorror.

Plot: A secret agent’s fiance is brutally murdered by a serial killer, and the agent tracks the killer down and decides to make his life hell.

Review:

 “I Saw the Devil” is an incredibly well made film, equipped with stunning direction, cinematography, set designs, a haunting score and excellent actors playing interesting characters. It has moments of wit and irony too, but none of this matters. This is a movie that almost 100% appeals to emotion. You might find it repulsive, disgusting, vile, unsettling, grotesque and detestable. Or you might find it repulsive, disgusting, vile, unsettling, grotesque and detestable……..In a good way!

Kim Soo-hyeon(Byung hun-Lee) is a badass secret agent whose fiancé is brutally raped(implied) and murdered(not so implied) by Kyung-chul(Min-sik Choi), a cunning and sadistic serial killer. Have I mentioned that his fiancé was pregnant? Or that it was her birthday? I personally suspect that the film is a bitter, light satire on these types of films. I’m surprised Kyung-chul didn’t kill his dog either. Obviously Kim Soo-hyeon is broken up over this and he decides he will track the killer down and make him suffer. He is able to do so with little effort, but what he decides to do when he catches him threatens to turn him into a monster himself.

As I alluded to earlier, “I Saw the Devil” is one of those movies that’s almost hard to recommend because what people like about it is also what people hate about it. Let’s begin with the violence……While not the nastiest movie out there, the film makes it seem worse than it is. There is a raw simplicity about the kills, but the way the kills are shot and edited makes them downright hard to watch. Part of the reason I admire this movie is that the kills never really become ‘cool’ or ‘fun’, like most 80’s(or 90’s) slasher films. They are all very disturbing and unpleasant, as they should be. I expected this with the serial killer, but when you start fearing what the protagonist is going to do……That shows you fear the movie itself more than the characters, because you never know what cruelty will befall someone…..anyone! This meant that I found “I Saw the Devil” to be incredibly intense and engaging all the time, even though the film is almost 2 and a half hours long.  Obviously if you find the movie disgusting for the sake of being disgusting, you’ll find it boring(in a sense, this reminds me of Lucio Fulci’s “New York Ripper”, which detractors label as ‘boring’), but since I'm not a detractor, I didn't find it boring.

 

I would, however, argue that the film is not disgusting for the sake of being disgusting. In fact, director Jee-woon Kim leaves more to the imagination than one realizes. For example, for a movie with a lot of (implied or attempted) rape, there is very little nudity…..The only nudity comes from a badly beaten women which is far from arousing. There's also a very awkward sex scene(more on that later). Most of the kills are clinical and when the movie is about to become too much, it cuts away but shows enough of the aftermath that we feel the full force. Don’t get me wrong, this is an incredibly brutal and violent movie…..but the director seems to be going more for atmosphere. This is one unpleasant world to live in…..When I suggested that the film was a satire, it’s mainly because of the random quirks that is otherwise bad writing. Example, Kyung-chul doesn’t just coincidentally run into one group of serial killers…he runs into TWO groups of serial killers. Everyone in this movie is either a monster, a victim, or a dedicated-but-useless cop. In a sense it’s a very subdued version of “Scream”, which is a satire of slashers while being a slasher itself. But there’s  a lot less winking at the audience and the events are so disturbing that most people will probably overlook this aspect of the film.

While yes, I was afraid of the movie itself, I doubt it would’ve worked without its two lead actors. Byung Hun-lee, whom I know from “The Good, the Bad and the Weird”(he was the bad; same director by the way) as well as from “G.I Joe: Rise of the Cobra” looks like such a pretty boy, but he’s incredibly intense and subtle in his performance. I certainly wouldn’t want to mess with him. He also has some very heartbreaking moments as well. Min-sik Choi has played psychopaths in…..well, about everything I’ve seen him in. This is probably his edgiest performance as the man seemed genuinely insane. Watching the two together brings to mind the films character arc, which is about the agent becoming more of a monster in order to exact revenge on the killer. This is nothing new. They’ve been doing this since “Dirty Harry” and about every good vigilante movie ever made, but never before has the genre been this unapologetic with it…..this visceral. Whereas I never felt Harry went too far(I’d torture a psychopath if it’s to save an innocent life), our protagonist here definitely crosses the line more than once….But that didn’t stop me from rooting for him. Speaking of which, his plan is very faulty, showcasing his recklessness. Some took this as a fault against the films writing, but I saw it as simply him not being in a right state of mind.

My final praise is simply that the movie seems to have everything I’d want in a movie. It has an atmosphere of violence, showcasing murder, torture, rape, dismemberment, and cannibalism……But what separates this from “Cannibal Holocaust”(and probably everything done by Ruggero Deodato) is it’s not pretentious or clunky in its pacing. Nor is it like “The Untold Story”, which suffers from a tone that only can be described as dissociative-identity-disorder. It is disturbing through and through and I feared for everyone. Yet the film also has some amusing moments(loved the screwdriver gag) and some great action scenes. In fact, the fight scenes between the leads were top notch and stylish. Something always seems to be happening, whether it is action, horror or drama…and I was always fascinated as I was revolted. The suspense was top notch too, as I never was sure how this would end.

The film does have some faults, but I’m not sure if I have to blame the movie itself or the alternate versions released. Depending on which version you’ve seen, there are many scenes that feel unfinished or missing. In the cut I saw, for example, there is a shot of one of the rescued victims running but the film cuts away, never showing what happens to her while obviously building that up to something. A deleted scene has more of a conclusion(still vague), but I wonder why they bothered keeping in the random insertion there in the first place. Yet the deleted scenes have a lot of padding as well as a ridiculous sex scene that just looks weird and goes on for too long. I felt this movie could’ve been re-arranged better, but……I can live with all of that.

“I Saw the Devil” is a well made movie with stunning acting. But let’s not kid ourselves…..that’s only part of the reason why fans love it. Fans love it because it affects them, disturbs them and freaks them out because of its daring and unique take on violence. It is a visceral film that appeals to our animalistic sides. But at the same time, you might be too revolted to appreciate it on any other level, which is fine. A movie that appeals to emotions only works if it works on you. It worked on me, so I am lauding it.

Violence: Rated NC-17. Suuuper graphic, but as I said, it’s more implied than people realize.

Nudity: Some, but never pleasant. There is a clip of some porno though and in some cuts there is that odd sex scene.

Overall: If you detest gore-fests, I doubt you’ll like “I Saw the Devil”. Watch if it you want a disturbing, visceral film that happens to be well made. It effected me so much that I found myself indifferent to its faults.

4/4 Stars