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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board    Reviews    Movie, Television and DVD Reviews  ›  Thirst Moderators: Nixon
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Posted: September 18th, 2009, 5:17pm Report to Moderator
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Thirst is the sixth feature from Korean director Chan-Wook Park, who is most well-known in North America for 2003's cult action-drama revenge flick Oldboy.  It tells the simple story of a priest who accidentally receives vampire blood through a transfusion and subsequently becomes a vampire.  His newfound gift/curse confuses, and is confused by, his budding romantic affair with an abused young housewife.

The film has everything that we have come to expect from Chan-Wook Park: surreal imagery, grotesque and inventive violence, outrageous and unexpected plot twists, a dark and menacing view of the world, and above all an underlying truthfulness in characters and relationships that keeps us connected to the story through all of the above.  

And indeed, this is at heart the very complicated story of a very simple romance.  What sets this apart from Park's other films for me is the total dedication to a single through line in the story.  Where his past efforts, although uniformly brilliant, have tended to feel meandering at times, Thirst is constantly aware of and committed to the story that it is telling.  What is so impressive about the film is that we can watch a character suck blood, leap over buildings, break people's necks, and through it all be thinking about what this might mean for their relationship.  

Don't get me wrong, this is an all-out horror flick.  From the first time we see blood, nothing is held back, and scenes will make you squirm in your seat or gasp out loud.  The violence is delightfully over the top, while, again, managing to not distract from the main story.  The story of a priest confronted with his own moral and physical degradation into a blood-sucking vampire is psychologically as well as immediately terrifying.  As well, for such a heavily explored genre, Park does manage to squeeze a surprising amount of original (for me at least) vampire imagery out of the film.  The comedy, often dark but occasionally straight (there's even some toilet humour!), is pitch-perfect and thoughtfully placed.

The plot and structure of the film are outstanding.  The story is tight but managed to deliver, for me, almost universally unexpected twists.  It starts small but by the end has blossomed into a full-blown romance epic.  As with any Chan-Wook Park film, there are individual sequences which are sure to stick in your head for years to come, and images which you will most likely never forget, whether or not you might like to.  

In every respect, this film is way above average.  The performances are uniformly strong, expertly toeing the line in many of the more melodramatic scenes.  Ok-Vin Kim, the female lead, really gets to explore her range and it pays off beautifully.  A lot of Park's brilliance is in being able to summon an incredibly truthful moment out of the absurd, and the actors really bring this home.  On a related note, the sex scene is unbelievable and instantly became one of my all-time favourites.

This film isn't the easiest to find in North America just yet, but if you get a chance, I strongly recommend that you try to see it in theatre...audience reaction to this film is sure to be strong and varied to make for an exciting theatre experience.

This review wouldn't be complete if I didn't plug Chan-Wook Park...I highly recommend all of his films, from his unbelievably tight feature debut Joint Security Area, through his brutally dark and depressing, but nonetheless arresting, Vengeance trilogy (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance), to the fascinatingly unique and surprisingly light (despite numerous bloody slow-motion deaths) I'm A Cyborg, But That's Ok.  To me Park is one of the undisputed greats of cinema working today, and like or hate his films I think anyone will take a lot away from them.


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James McClung
Posted: September 19th, 2009, 1:59am Report to Moderator
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Glad to hear Park is still at it. The trailers made Thirst seem pretty standard but I guess compared to Oldboy, anything would come off that way. I regret not seeing this in theaters. I had a chance the day before its limited release in the States was over but unfortunately, other responsibilities kept me from doing so. I still regret it. Park is definitely one of the greats in the entire industry right now. Probably top 10 material. I've seen all his films except I'm A Cyborg (I've seen bits and pieces but never the whole way through). I'm glad he finally decided to give the horror genre a full-fledged shot.


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Posted: September 21st, 2009, 2:32am Report to Moderator
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Thirst is a better film than Oldboy in my opinion.  I'd be hard-pressed to say which I enjoy more -- Oldboy has some real guilty-pleasure stuff in it as well as being, obviously, a great film -- but Thirst is definitely a tighter, better movie.
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James McClung
Posted: November 20th, 2009, 1:52am Report to Moderator
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Fabulous film! Way better than I expected. Honestly, the idea of a full fledged Park Chanwook horror movie seemed too good to be true. Additionally, the trailers were pretty mediocre. Nevertheless, an amazing film. I saw it for the first time last night and twice since. Not as good as Oldboy but surprisingly way more complex, intimate and sophisticated. Honestly, I don't think the horror label fits. This was almost 100% drama, just with horror iconography. Not that I cared. The two main characters are fascinating to watch and make a great pair given how different and yet how similar they are. The ending was great (and even funny at times; Park Chanwook's humor is usually pretty playful and unexpected). Complete yet open to interpretation. I was also amazed at the direction itself. Easily the best visual film this year. Park Chanwook has a borderline maverick style and attention to detail.

Like I said, awesome movie! A very pleasant surprise. The things I liked about it, strangely, were not the things I went in expecting to like. I appreciated it much more on a dramatic level than as a horror movie. In any case, an extremely original take on the vampire movie. Check it out!


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