I Saw the Devil

Ratings: 8.7/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Slasher Drama

Don't let the misleading movie title turn you off, especially if you're not a horror fan because this isn't one. When I first heard of this movie, I thought it was just another korean horror movie, but after viewing the trailer and realised it was a slasher movie, it rebounded from a definite no-go movie to a must-watch movie for me. I was taken in by the storyline, and after sitting through 141mins of movie runtime, it left me speechless.

It's not your average slasher movie. That was why I added "drama" to its genre, signifying a deeper meaning in its seemingly thoughtless plot. One of the best korean and slasher movies in my library of watched-movies, and I mean that as a separate comparison. There isn't many korean slasher movies out there, not sure if Oldboy's categorised as one but apart from that, any other was either non-existent or non-memorable.

When special investigation officer Kim Soo-hyeon's wife was raped and brutally murdered by psychotic killer Kyung-Chul, he vowed to inflict 10,000 times the pain to the killer. It becomes a "game" of cat and mouse for both parties and the last quarter of the movie will leave any normal soul utterly disturbed.

*major spoilers ahead* Though it had a fairly predictable storyline during the first 3/4s of the movie, the last quarter of the movie veered towards an unexpected direction. Shortlived, but it was a crucial moment to create that sense of utter disgust which enhanced the emotional engagement into the different characters. I must majorly disagree with how the line between right and wrong turned grey, because throughout the entire movie, never once did I ever pity that s** ** * b****.

If I were the male protagonist, I wouldn't have done it any other way. The last 1/4 of the movie simply reinforced that sentiment. Even the ending was packed with more than just bloody gore, it brought out the most important element of what the movie was trying to portray... the mental psyche of a psychotic killer. The killer was truly the devil, but somehow, at the very end, he became human. Nope, not repentance, but fear.

Though Kyung-Chul (killer) claimed he doesnt know what pain or fear is, right at the very end, when he screamed out for his parents and son not to open that door, he felt it... he felt fear. And that was what reminded us that no matter how vicious a person may be, he isn't indomitable. Even Hilter felt fear when he hid in his bunker during the last few minutes of his life.

The gore wasn't that explicit, either I have been sensitized or have a strong stomach for it since movie gores just seemed acceptable as long as I don't pay too much attention to them. The scenes are highly forgettable, mainly the plot is what that lingers. Brief scenes of nudity weren't even erotic in this movie because of its sadistic nature but they did add some "color" to the perpetually gloomy screen. The villian in this movie reminds me of those 3 in the Devil's Reject, one cannot help but scorn at them with adhorrence. But the main difference is that there's someone to cheer for in this movie.

There's really no such thing as justice in the world, and even though right and wrong may be ambiguous at times, we won't go wrong, if we pursue "justice" in its own right. An apt melancholy score to greet you at the start and bid you farewell at the end, and backed with 2 outstanding male leads, this movie is one that may never fall to the back of your head.