It wasn't my intention to watch 2 films in a row with the word devil included in the title, but it seems to have happened. Fate? Or co-incidence? Maybe I have to go back to the island? Hmm.. maybe not.
Anyways, this Korean gem belongs to director Kim Ji-woon; one of the top 3 Korean film-makers around at the moment. Following a rather long and great tradition of "vengeance" this
film takes it to the next level and just when you think it couldn't go anywhere else or go any further... You're already down the next path.
The story follows Kim Soo Hyun- a secret agent who after the death of his fiancee, tracks down her killer... only to catch him.... release him... and do this over and over until... well, one of them meets their grizzly end. Ok, so the story isn't amazing... or is it something we haven't seen before... but the violence and level that the story takes it to is unlike anything I have seen before.
I am a fan of Kim Ji-woon's previous films... the first being "A Bittersweet Life" and the rather interesting Korean western "The Good, The Bad, The Weird" ... The man is a really fascinating director, and I have always responded to his interesting use of the camera and the way he pushes boundaries in terms of the stylish flairs of his films. You can totally see the progression that has come before and led to this film, which is not his best.. but certainly the most ambitious.
Fans of the epic film "Oldboy" will wet themselves at the sight of actor Choi Min-sik as the fucking bananas villian in this film... a killer that has absolutely no problem with cutting up women, stabbing victims 60 million times... just for fun. Some reviews have called this film over the top and ridiculous, but I thought everything in this film... whilst not justified was certainly plausible. I especially loved how everyone is portrayed as a monster... and the line between "revenge" and becoming a fucking psychopath is so blurred it almost needed me to get an OPSM appointment.
If you love love LOVE Korean cinema and respond well to seeing people tortured and getting their just desserts, then this film is for you. And if that's not really your thing, then at least the main character is a MEGA BABE!
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