Movie #230 I Saw the Devil *2010*

The revenge genre is HUGE in Korea.  I Saw the Devil could be looked at as the culmination of all the Korean revenge films from the past few years.  Directed by Jee-woon Kim it is the story of a man who's fiance is murdered by a serial killing psychopath.  The man then vows vengeance for his wife's death.  That is a pretty common and basic synopsis of most revenge thriller flicks. 

The thing that differentiates Korean revenge movies is their focus on the negative aspects of seeking revenge.  They look at the aftermath of revenge and the lingering effects that vigilante justice has on those who dish it out.  Another thing that separates Korean films is their willingness to take the violence and gore to extreme lengths.  Typical Korean thrillers are very graphic when dealing with sex / sexual abuse, torture and other methods of sadomasochism.  I think back to the American movies of the 1970's.  There was a surge of revenge movies at this time.  It was a product of the cheap grindhouse and exploitation films as well as a political statement.  These films represented a social conscience.  America was still bitter from the Vietnam War, there was the civil liberties movement, there were riots, and America was sick of crime and smut on it's streets.  These attitudes manifested themselves in our films.  Charles Bronson and his Death Wish films are a perfect example.  I don't know much about Korean politics, but I am curious if the same type of social happenings are taking place there.

What separates I Saw the Devil from these other movies is the length it is allowed to take the basic revenge plot.  In I Saw the Devil the protagonist gets vengeance very early in the movie.  But he doesn't stop there.  he plants a tracking device on the killer and follows him around.  Every time the killer attempts to hurt another person the man shows up and rains brutal punishment down upon him again.  The killer eventually becomes aware of the mans plot and then the film turns into a contest of gory killings and torture of the family members of everyone involved.  Needless to say I Saw the Devil is not for the faint at heart.

Another thing that separates I Saw the Devil is the craftsmanship at hand.  Despite the subject matter and superfluous amounts of blood and guts in the movie this is a beautiful film to look at.  It is exquisitely shot and directed.  The settings and landscapes are both artistic organic.  Sometimes the film has almost a dream like quality.  Other times it is a ghoulish nightmare.  It's pacing and tone is solid throughout.  The performances are very good.  Leading the way is Min-sik Choi as the killer.  You may have seen him in Oldboy.  If so you know that he can be off the chains crazy.  I think that he is the heir apparent for either Klaus Kinski or Mifune.  The other actor that really impressed me is Byung-hun Lee.  He plays the fiance and is very good.  he is a handsome man who reminded me quite a bit of Tony Leung.

The film is long, and of course it is all sub tilted for non-Korean speaking people but I think this is yet another great example of world cinema reaching out and broadening it's audiences.  I would place this movie along side of other great Korean films like The Host, Oldboy and last years Mother.  Any of these films would serve as a great introduction to this corner of the worlds cinema.  I give I Saw the Devil ★★★1/2.