What would you do if a monster took your loved ones from you? Some might not like to admit it, but pre-emptive fantasies of retribution have a cathartic quality, giving us a sense that we could take control of the narrative in a dreaded scenario. Perhaps this is why revenge thrillers are so popular. They allow us to vicariously live out such fantasies while also taking a moral standpoint, as most of us know that we would never act upon these dark reveries. It is queasily satisfying watching scumbags and murderers getting their comeuppance, even if a film ultimately comes down on the side of "vigilantism is bad."
Most of us like to think we are good and moral people and we know that taking the law into our own hands is fundamentally wrong. Not all such movies arrive at that conclusion. When "Death Wish" was released in 1974, it was...
Most of us like to think we are good and moral people and we know that taking the law into our own hands is fundamentally wrong. Not all such movies arrive at that conclusion. When "Death Wish" was released in 1974, it was...
- 4/15/2023
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
Director: Jee-woon Kim.
Writer: Hoon-jung Park (screenplay).
Cast: Byung-hun Lee, Min-sik Choi and Gook-hwan Jeon.
This reviewer is not an expert on Asian cinema by any means. A brief experiment in the genre a few years back introduced this reviewer to Gozu, Ju-on and Ringu to some unsettling affect. Now, a few years later, this film fan found an opportunity to watch Korea's I Saw the Devil. Essentially, this is a revenge thriller that puts a security agent on the trail of a serial killer. He catches him, then releases him only to catch him again. This causes pain for both characters.
Byung-hun Lee (The Good, The Bad and The Weird) plays the secret agent, Kim Soo-hyeon. He loses his fiancee to Kyung-chul (Min-sik Choi), a sexual predator and opportunitist. The next two hours are spent focusing on Lee as he tracks down Chul again and again. The robbers,...
Writer: Hoon-jung Park (screenplay).
Cast: Byung-hun Lee, Min-sik Choi and Gook-hwan Jeon.
This reviewer is not an expert on Asian cinema by any means. A brief experiment in the genre a few years back introduced this reviewer to Gozu, Ju-on and Ringu to some unsettling affect. Now, a few years later, this film fan found an opportunity to watch Korea's I Saw the Devil. Essentially, this is a revenge thriller that puts a security agent on the trail of a serial killer. He catches him, then releases him only to catch him again. This causes pain for both characters.
Byung-hun Lee (The Good, The Bad and The Weird) plays the secret agent, Kim Soo-hyeon. He loses his fiancee to Kyung-chul (Min-sik Choi), a sexual predator and opportunitist. The next two hours are spent focusing on Lee as he tracks down Chul again and again. The robbers,...
- 2/16/2012
- by [email protected] (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
In no particular order, these are the stand out films that are worth adding to any video library. The set of criteria is simple: a standout performance by one or more of the first billed actors that can be re-watched time and time again. Their complexity is what defines the film. Also important is the type of chills or thrills the movie offers, and the story being told.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
Dir.: Eli Craig.
Cast: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk and Katrina Bowden.
Although this film is technically a 2010 product, it did not reach distribution until the following year. This one, like how some of the victims died in film, skips under the gun by being exceptionally funny with an adorable, luggable, teddy bear performance by Tyler Labine. This product is a better answer to a theatrical version of the Beverly Hillbillies. The clash of cultures is perfectly played up for laughs.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
Dir.: Eli Craig.
Cast: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk and Katrina Bowden.
Although this film is technically a 2010 product, it did not reach distribution until the following year. This one, like how some of the victims died in film, skips under the gun by being exceptionally funny with an adorable, luggable, teddy bear performance by Tyler Labine. This product is a better answer to a theatrical version of the Beverly Hillbillies. The clash of cultures is perfectly played up for laughs.
- 12/29/2011
- by [email protected] (Ed Sum)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Hitting movie theaters this weekend:
Bridesmaids – Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne
Priest – Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q
Movie of the Week
Priest
The Stars: Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q
The Plot: A priest (Bettany) disobeys church law in order to track down the vampires who kidnapped his niece.
The Buzz: I’ve got to be honest, I think this film looks horrible. It’s ‘Movie of the Week’ strictly as a path of least resistance. If I happen to have any regular readers out there, they’re certain to know that I’m not going anywhere near Bridesmaids, not even with a blindfold, and so Priest suddenly shines with promise — relatively speaking of course.
Priest continues director Scott Charles Stewart’s working affair with Paul Bettany (whom last teamed together on the unimpressive Legion). Bettany bugs me a bunch, anyone else? I’ve just never taken him well,...
Bridesmaids – Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne
Priest – Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q
Movie of the Week
Priest
The Stars: Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q
The Plot: A priest (Bettany) disobeys church law in order to track down the vampires who kidnapped his niece.
The Buzz: I’ve got to be honest, I think this film looks horrible. It’s ‘Movie of the Week’ strictly as a path of least resistance. If I happen to have any regular readers out there, they’re certain to know that I’m not going anywhere near Bridesmaids, not even with a blindfold, and so Priest suddenly shines with promise — relatively speaking of course.
Priest continues director Scott Charles Stewart’s working affair with Paul Bettany (whom last teamed together on the unimpressive Legion). Bettany bugs me a bunch, anyone else? I’ve just never taken him well,...
- 5/11/2011
- by Aaron Ruffcorn
- The Scorecard Review
I Saw The Devil
Stars: Byung-hun Lee, Min-Sik Choi, Gook-hwan Jeon, Ho-jin Jeon | Written by Park Hoon-jung | Directed by Kim Ji-woon
I Saw the Devil is, on paper, a simple tale of a Korean secret service agent tracking down the serial killer who murdered his fiancee, however the film it is anything but.
A masterpiece of storytelling and cinematography, I Saw The Devil teams the acting talents of Oldboy’s Min-Sik Choi with the directing talents of Kim Ji-woon, fresh off the success of The Good, the Bad, the Weird - on which he worked with the films “hero” Byung-hun Lee. I say hero, but like many revenge movies, the line between hero and villain becomes oh-so-blurred by the films conclusion, leaving viewers to ponder just who really is the “devil” of the title.
A film that deserves to be watched rather than read about, I Saw The Devil is...
Stars: Byung-hun Lee, Min-Sik Choi, Gook-hwan Jeon, Ho-jin Jeon | Written by Park Hoon-jung | Directed by Kim Ji-woon
I Saw the Devil is, on paper, a simple tale of a Korean secret service agent tracking down the serial killer who murdered his fiancee, however the film it is anything but.
A masterpiece of storytelling and cinematography, I Saw The Devil teams the acting talents of Oldboy’s Min-Sik Choi with the directing talents of Kim Ji-woon, fresh off the success of The Good, the Bad, the Weird - on which he worked with the films “hero” Byung-hun Lee. I say hero, but like many revenge movies, the line between hero and villain becomes oh-so-blurred by the films conclusion, leaving viewers to ponder just who really is the “devil” of the title.
A film that deserves to be watched rather than read about, I Saw The Devil is...
- 5/7/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
I Saw The Devil
Stars: Byung-hun Lee, Min-Sik Choi, Gook-hwan Jeon, Ho-jin Jeon | Written by Park Hoon-jung | Directed by Kim Ji-woon
I Saw the Devil is, on paper, a simple tale of a Korean secret service agent tracking down the serial killer who murdered his fiancee, however the film it is anything but.
A masterpiece of storytelling and cinematography, I Saw The Devil teams the acting talents of Oldboy’s Min-Sik Choi with the directing talents of Kim Ji-woon, fresh off the success of The Good, the Bad, the Weird - on which he worked with the films “hero” Byung-hun Lee. I say hero, but like many revenge movies, the line between hero and villain becomes oh-so-blurred by the films conclusion, leaving viewers to ponder just who really is the “devil” of the title.
A film that deserves to be watched rather than read about, I Saw The Devil is...
Stars: Byung-hun Lee, Min-Sik Choi, Gook-hwan Jeon, Ho-jin Jeon | Written by Park Hoon-jung | Directed by Kim Ji-woon
I Saw the Devil is, on paper, a simple tale of a Korean secret service agent tracking down the serial killer who murdered his fiancee, however the film it is anything but.
A masterpiece of storytelling and cinematography, I Saw The Devil teams the acting talents of Oldboy’s Min-Sik Choi with the directing talents of Kim Ji-woon, fresh off the success of The Good, the Bad, the Weird - on which he worked with the films “hero” Byung-hun Lee. I say hero, but like many revenge movies, the line between hero and villain becomes oh-so-blurred by the films conclusion, leaving viewers to ponder just who really is the “devil” of the title.
A film that deserves to be watched rather than read about, I Saw The Devil is...
- 3/5/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Title: I Saw the Devil Director: Ji-woon Kim Starring: Byung-hun Lee, Gook-hwan Jeon and Ho-jin Jeon Click Here for the latest clips and trailers from “I Saw the Devil”. With some horror movies, directors aim to feature complex characters and developed stories amidst the gore the genre’s fans have come to expect. Other directors strive to only focus on violence, and don’t care as much about including an important moral or lesson. Kim Jee-Woon, who helmed Magnet’s new horror-thriller movie ‘I Saw The Devil,’ aimed to do the former; he wanted to make a revenge story that would leave his audiences questioning why some people are consumed by the need to brutalize those who [...]...
- 2/13/2011
- by karen
- ShockYa
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