I Saw the Devil: Blu-Ray: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Review by JAM
In the quest for a monster, does one have to become a monster to destroy a monster?
For a man too focused on work and getting ahead, the shock of his life comes with the gruesome killing of his pregnant fiancée. Targeted by a serial killer and taken out with no mercy, her bloody death snaps something within Kim Soo-hyeon (Byung-hun Lee). Pursuing a number of leads to her possible killer he becomes detached and justifiably violent as he plows his way through the first group of suspects.
But it is when he finds the actual killer Kyung-chul (Min-sik Choi) that something within him snaps. Driven for revenge, he becomes more than just a secret agent in pursuit for a killer. He becomes a version of vengeance itself, lost in the violence and retribution for the lives of his fiancée and unborn child. Pursuing Kyung-chul while violently maiming him and then healing and releasing him, Soo-hyeon makes use of a tracking device to keep tabs on this walking evil. The problem with letting evil walk is the collateral damage, i.e. lives lost, and this killer runs free, as well as the fact that evil finds a way to free itself from tethers eventually.
Torture, dismemberment, cannibalism, and more keep this movie’s dark descent continuously in a crazy psycho cycle as Soo-hyeon wants to take the life of Kyung-chul at the exact time that he feels the most fear, that the emotions are the strongest. He succeeds, but only at the cost of everything he holds dear as you find yourself pondering whether vengeance is worth the descent into the monster itself.
JAMS Ink on I Saw the Devil
I really don’t understand the desire to let the bastard that killed his wife live in order to add more pain, and how that really helps. I understand the need for vengeance but at the expense of a number of more innocents just seems overdone. Maybe that is the aspect of becoming a monster that the film is truly focusing on. The breaking of one wrist followed by the cutting of the Achilles just seems torturous and understandable, but not while allowing him release, except that it is in the action of being pursued that he wants to instill the most fear, apprehension, and weakness at the end. The pursuit of vengeance would be the question anyone would face with being faced with such a heinous crime, but the ends to which one would go is truly the question.
I remember Byung-hun Lee as Storm Shadow in the G.I. Joe movie, and remember the character being really cool, blood thirsty, stand offish, and conceited. I guess kind of like this cop. It probably actually made my viewing better having seen him in a typical American action film before seeing this Korean film, but only because having seen his face before, it gave his character credence already to me. I already saw him as a badass before he became a badass onscreen so that I never questioned his character. I may not have agreed with his methods, but I could see him as able to do so nonetheless.
Blu-ray wise? This probably isn’t really one of those movies that you really want the best picture in, and trust me, unfortunately you get it most of the time. The morbid massacres share enhanced imagery that shocks and stays with you as you watch. There are some grainy and sketchy parts in the film, but the areas which most enhance the film whether wanted or not are right on.
EXTRAS
Only two provided, though they are fairly meaty in terms of time. Twenty plus minutes for deleted scenes which actually add to the film overall, including an alternate ending which puts even more spin on this movie. Then there is a behind the scenes look that has a focus on the production as it happens and has an extra emphasis on some of the stunt work aspects which is a lot of fun to see but not all that necessary overall. So I’d say the extras are good, but not great.
Korean action film and good versus evil are the strong points of this Magnolia Home Entertainment release while the corruption, horror, and gruesomeness of the movie leaves a bit to be desired. Check it out if you dare on Blu-ray May 10, 2011.
Remember check out this review and more from JAM at www.hollywoodteenzine.com for teens and tweens, and at http://jammoviereviews.blogspot.com for movies of all genres and ages.
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