I Saw the Devil

Amazing crime drama. Be prepared for emotional devastation and lots of gore.

Team Kim Soohyeon forever.

Brutal and unrelenting. Quite possibly the best revenge movie ever.

The only solace I have left after watching this movie is knowing that in the end this is just a movie. There is no other film in the world that showcases a more tragic and intimate perspective on pain, loss and the fruitless cycle of revenge.

It's worse yet to know there are many people out like this in the world on both sides. People who thrive on pain and people who don't know how to heal from it. I was glued to my seat the entire time and while the pacing was slow, the emotional journey that you go alongside Kim Sooo-hyeon is just too real and powerful to put down for even a minute.

[spoiler]
Murder, rape, cannibalism etc. are all terrible crimes and each depiction is gruesome, unsettling and terrible. Seeing humans be capable of so... much is just awful. You feel at the feet of each victim and you're just clawing at any chance they have to make it out alive and as unscathed as much as possible. Seeing innocent people, women, be left at the hands of such dangerous people--people who attempt to justify their tendencies and dark nature is real horror.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler]
However the horror factor subsided a bit, much to my relief, pass the first act.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler]
Halfway through movie and I thought this would turn out to be a bit of a comedy where the tables are turned onto the serial killers and they are left running for their lives, powerless and terrified with every breath they take. Lee Byung-hun was to be this great and righteous insignia of vengeance and cunning, popping in time to save the day and to teach humility and trash fear into the hearts of these scumbags after the death of his pregnant wife. To be a sort of guardian angel and do what the police cannot. While there was this subtext of pain underneath, I felt a high watching him on screen put some sense into these subhuman beasts.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler]
Seeing him enter the cannibal's liar and being able to witness a sense of justice being served was the most enjoyment I've had in a horror thriller before. Almost as if he were a Korean reimagination of a modern day early Batman. I laughed so hard when Tae-joo, the butcher, struggle to get the knife out of his hand as the handle fell out. His superhuman reflexes as he evades a shotgun blast while charging at the enemy and giving him the beating of his life--almost as if he the man's angry single mother--was just so well executed and shot.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler]
But while I expected at some point for Kim Soo-hyeon to be the devil or some reincarnation of a righteous being from hell--in the end he was still human. The tribulations he is then put forth to when he's alone, when he is confronting family and friends or when the devil that is Kyung-chul stares back at him knowing that he's won is simply beyond heartbreaking.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler]
When Kim Soo-hyeon is left beating a defenseless and unconscious enemy, crying out "why, why why"...
When Kim Soo-hygeon's family try making an intervention into letting go of his pain and the endless crusade he's embarked on...
Or perhaps simply whenhe is left against the mirror wiping the blood off his face as the real pain begins to surface...
[/spoiler]

[spoiler]
All of this piles up.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler]
The ending sequence left no victory or satisfaction. Despite Kyung-chul finally being put to the execution block. I did not feel relieved seeing his innocent family witness his beheaded state nor did I feel relieved seeing Kim Soo-hyeon walk away in front of the camera all hardened and angry.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler]
It was only until he was finally able to let himself cry as he walked away from it all that provided even the slightest of comfort and relief. Knowing that a man who lost his wife, his unborn child, had his family torn apart and his wife's sister both raped and murdered--a woman who implored him to stop and finally heal--is just beyond palpable. I pray that no one ever has to deal with that level of pain and the terrible urge to seek revenge as a way to undo it.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler]
Seeing Kim suddenly lose all power in his situation, seeing the cannibal's mouth torn open and his SUV constantly running against traffic as he races to save the ones he loves and perhaps undo the damage that will be done [/spoiler] will always be one of my most favorite climaxes to any film.

Choi Min-sik deserves special praise for selling such a hated terrible and immoral character, everyone honestly. I was sold through and through. Needless to say I loved this movie... alot.

Absolutely fantastic, brilliant, I wish I’d seen it earlier. Drop everything & watch it ASAP.

Beautifully shot, BRUTAL, terrifying as hell, great plot (the way things kept escalating... Jesus Christ), good action, super realistic practical effects, and top-notch acting from everyone involved. Especially from Choi Min-sik, who played his part a little too well lmao, and Lee Byung-hun, whose character journey was so interesting to watch.

This has been on my watchlist for SO LONG and I should've watched it sooner. I just have an aversion to movies that are over 2 hours long tbh, but I'm glad I finally did.

One of the greatest film this century.

Fantastic performances, excellent plot (usually the serial killer is found at the end and justice or revenge is exacted, but this dude finds him straight away), excellent shot composition, editing and score.

Alone with Old Boy and Parasite, the pinnacle of modern Korean cinema.

There are less than 100 films i would give 10/10. Less than 50 maybe. But this is one.

Watch it, bitches 😘

Seriously have to consider putting this in my top 10 of all time.

Fantastic.

Two word review: "Holy Shit"

Great gritty crime thriller ala Fincher's "Seven" or Demme's "Silence of the Lambs"!

The key question of this film: Is vengeance worth it if you become what you hunt?

Acting, photography, script, production values -- all top notch. One of the best crime thrillers I've seen in years.

"I Saw the Devil" is a film that grabs you by the throat from the first minute and will never let go. Choi Min-sik makes you never want to look away from the screen. The way he portrays serial killer Jang Kyung-chul is out of this world. He owns the role.

On the other side we have Kim Jee-Woon regular Lee Byung-hun as Kim Soo-hun, a secret agent who want revenge for the murder of his pregnant fiancee. After the first meeting between the two, he stalks his pray and the cat and mouse game begins.

For more than 2 hours I was glued to the screen. This beautifully shot film with brutal gore and action, which made me look away from the screen at times because of how invested I was, flew by.

I'm still processing what I just saw....All I can say is, don't skip this one!