Got a chance to see this film a couple weeks ago, and thought I'd bring it to everyone's attention as it begins to get a wider release.  I Saw the Devil made a lot of waves at Sundance this year, especially because of the violent nature of the film.  Now, as it happens with a lot of film, the rumors and such were a lot worse than the actual truth of the matter itself.  A lot of people were saying 7 minutes of violence had been cut from the film when, in fact, it was 7 cuts, amounting to about 90 seconds of film.  Luckily, I got to see the uncut version.  

I Saw the Devil is a thoroughly enjoyable film that tackles the tricky subject of vengeance, and when you yourself become a monster when fighting a monster.  I went into the film knowing NOTHING (no trailers, reviews, etc), so I was very surprised when the film took a very unexpected turn at the end of the first act.  It goes in a direction I'm pretty sure I haven't seen any other film go in before.

The film mixes VERY dark humor with chilling, edge-of-your-seat scenes that work quite well.  It's a fun ride of a film that is also deep enough to inspire discussion afterwards.  

If it happens to open in your city, I'd recommend giving it a view.  I've included the trailer below, only for those of you who might need a little more prodding to go.  But really, the best way to go in is completely fresh.

This one looks  great.

Choi Min-sik is an incredible actor.  Oldboy!

This is slightly off the topic but have you ever seen any of Takeshi Kitano's films?  He's a strange dude.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kitano

Quoted from screenrider Choi Min-sik is an incredible actor.  Oldboy!

Yeah, he took a break from acting, and this is his first film since returning.  He actually brought the script to the director and told him he had to make it.

Quoted from screenrider This is slightly off the topic but have you ever seen any of Takeshi Kitano's films?  He's a strange dude.

I've only seen Zatoichi, and while I liked it, I remember being annoyed by the CGI blood/gore.

Quoted from Dressel I've only seen Zatoichi, and while I liked it, I remember being annoyed by the CGI blood/gore.

Sonatine is a must see, IMO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonatine

I've seen Zatoichi and Sonatine, the only Kitano films I've seen as a matter of fact. I enjoyed them both and think Kitano has a unique style.

Really looking forward to I Saw The Devil. It comes out in DC next weekend. Kim Jee-Woon's a great director and the two leads are great as well. Lee Byung-Hun's even made the crossover to Hollywood (in G.I. Joe). The whole thing just looks like it has everything going for it and the fact that it's been so controversial and ISN'T directed by Park Chanwook makes it all the more exciting.

Jee-woon Kim is four for four in my book.
A Tale of Two Sisters is an absorbing sibling psychodrama.
A Bittersweet Life is an effective gangster expose character portrait.
The Good, the Bad and the Weird is a raucous revisionist spaghetti Western.

I Saw the Devil is an adrenaline drenched tale of visceral vengeance.
Powerhouse performances punctuated by sinew snapping action scenes.
The production is top shelf, though a tad long in the tooth once in a while.
But when antag and protag clash, the film pays off big time.

I dig a lot of the awkward silences as these men contemplate their monstrosities.
The psychological descent is almost palpable at times, an inescapable stench.
I'm kinda bummed that Hollywood finally lured Kim over to the Dark Side.
His next production is an American thriller starring Liam Neeson.

I Saw the Devil is getting a modest theatrical domestic release this week.
If reading your dialogue doesn't bother you, take this one for a spin at the cinema.

E.D.

Quoted from Electric Dreamer I'm kinda bummed that Hollywood finally lured Kim over to the Dark Side. His next production is an American thriller starring Liam Neeson.

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SPOILERS

By the way, what did you think the final shot of the film meant?  I talked about it with my friends and I was surprised that there was such a clash in interpretations.  Some thought it meant he was breaking down because of what he had done, others thought it was just a cathartic release that he was glad it was over.

I feel like I went into this one with my expectations way too high. I left the theater feeling like that film had way too good actors, way too good a director and way too good a concept for what it really is... a senseless gore flick.

It was the goriest film I've seen in a very long time. I don't think I've seen quite so much carnage, not to mention quite so graphically, in a Korean film. I always thought they were more cerebral. I think the director would like to think he wanted to make a comment on revenge but when police recover a severed head in a river, only to drop it out of their evidence box, kick it around for a few seconds and recover it again, it became quite obvious that he just wanted to freak people out.

...which is fine.

I think I just expected way too much with everything the film had going for it. Maybe the Park Chanwook influence had something to do with it. He's one of the few filmmakers out there who has a completely flawless track record. In hindsight, the film reminded me of France's less cerebral, more gory horror movies like Inside and Frontier(s)... which were awesome!

I'll have to see it again to form a well-founded opinion.

Quoted from James McClung Maybe the Park Chanwook influence had something to do with it. He's one of the few filmmakers out there who has a completely flawless track record.

Speaking of directors working on their first Hollywood film...Park Chan-Wook's next film is the English-language 'Stoker' with Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.  I have faith in him but...eh...

Quoted from Heretic Speaking of directors working on their first Hollywood film...Park Chan-Wook's next film is the English-language 'Stoker' with Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.  I have faith in him but...eh...

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But seriously, James, what did you think of the final shot of the film?  Did you think that he regretted what he had done or that he was just releasing all of his emotions because he was glad it was over?  Do you think the film was pro or anti vengeance or that it didn't really take a stance?

Just watched this.  Profound in every way.   Perfect hero, dispicable villains, great acting, tons of conflict, beautiful cinematography.   The very last scene was a gut punch.   Puts Hollywood films to shame.



Two thumbs up.

Quoted from Heretic Speaking of directors working on their first Hollywood film...Park Chan-Wook's next film is the English-language 'Stoker' with Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.  I have faith in him but...eh...

My only concern is that it's not his script. But I think it could still be interesting. The guy turned down remaking Evil Dead and is hugely successful in his own country. I don't think he's been itching for a crossover, despite having been given the opportunity, so I imagine his reasons for making a Hollywood film are genuine.

Quoted from Dressel [center]But seriously, James, what did you think of the final shot of the film?  Did you think that he regretted what he had done or that he was just releasing all of his emotions because he was glad it was over?  Do you think the film was pro or anti vengeance or that it didn't really take a stance?

I think it could've been a mix of relief and regret. Maybe he saw some of himself in Choi's character in the end but Choi was just so unrelentingly cruel and soulless, I can't imagine he wouldn't felt such profound guilt.

I also think it could've been deliberately left up to the audience to decide in the vein of Inception. The tone of the film was just so lurid to me, I don't think the filmmakers had all that much profound to say. I would associate with Park Chanwook's films. Kim's are much more genre-oriented fare with the occassional dash of subtext, just for flavor.

That said, I've had some time to digest the film. I think for what it is, it's pretty terrific. Just not the epic I think a lot of people expected.

Did a double feature of this and Hobo With A Shotgun.  Definitely filled my violence quota for the day.  Perhaps exceeded it.

I Saw the Devil is extremely violent.  It has that "Irreversible" kind of feeling to it, where the violence is too heavy and straight-facedly sadistic not to be taken seriously, but at the same time seems to secretly be enjoying itself.

That said, the violence didn't seem excessive to me.  Gratuitous, perhaps occasionally, but gratuitous violence can be a legitimate aspect of entertainment if handled correctly, in my opinion.  The central question of the film, after all, involves the levels of violence and sadism that exist in all of us, and how they affect the people around us.  Like many extremely dark films, I think one of the main values of I Saw the Devil can be in forcing one to scrutinize oneself and consider what one may or may not have in common with the characters on the screen.  

But the film does centre around a question, not around a thesis.  Thematically, it is a very plain and open film; the story is presented stylistically but extremely dispassionately, and for the most part leaves the viewer to draw their own conclusions.  That's not to say that the film's not very carefully set up to guide one's thoughts and offer possible conclusions, just that there's not one resounding "answer" at the end of the film.

As to the film itself, well, it's a Kim film.  It's as slick, great-looking, and tight as all the rest.  An extremely tidy and well-handled genre film.  I don't really want to describe much else, as I think Dressel's right about going in fresh.

About as good as it gets.  If you've got the stomach, see this one.

All the ingredients are here for this to be a great film and like James, I don't think it was as epic as it could've been.

The story itself felt spliced together - up to the kidnapping, which leads to the discovery of the capsule, it felt pretty lean but that awkward swerve to the tables being turned felt indulgent. In terms of a message, I think the intentions were for an 'experience' rather than telling a story of depth. It's fresh, violent and brilliantly shot but when it comes down to it, the story just didn't justify the hype for me.

Definitely a film to see but if you're looking for something beyond violent, twisty and simply visceral, you're looking in the wrong place. The Brit film, The Disappearance of Alice Creed is worth a look if you liked this and it's far shorter, which benefitted this good but flawed film.