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Film: I Saw The Devil
Year of production: 2010
UK Release date: 9th May 2011
Distributor: Optimum
Certificate: 18
Running time: 140 mins
Director: Kim Jee-woon
Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Jeon Gook-hwan, Jeon Ho-jin, Oh San-ha
Genre: Crime/Drama/Horror/Thriller
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country of Production: South Korea
Language: Korean
Review by: Mark Player
With an increasing string of high-profile and well regarded releases under his belt – A Tale Of Two Sisters, A Bittersweet Life, The Good The Bad The Weird, etc. – Korean director Kim Jee-woon is quickly becoming one of the country's best known filmmakers; rivalling the likes of Bong Joon-ho (who helmed The Host and Mother) and Park Chan-wook (the 'Vengeance' trilogy and most recently Thirst). Kim's latest opus – I Saw The Devil – sees him pitting his regular leading man Lee Byung-hun up against the irrepressible Choi Min-sik, star of Park's infamous Oldboy.
Lee Byung-hun plays Kim Soo-hyeon, a detective who plans to marry the retired police chief's daughter Joo-yeon (Oh San-ha). One night, Joo-yeon is stranded out in the snowy countryside, whilst Soo-hyeon is busy working. Whilst waiting for a tow-truck to rescue her vehicle, Joo-yeon encounters Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik), a school bus driver and total psychopath. He smashes his way into the car, dragging Joo-yeon through the snow and taking her to his secret workshop where he proceeds to mutilate and kill her. Remains of her body are soon discovered in a nearby river.
Soo-hyeon is devastated and is given leave from the force. However, Soo-hyeon wastes no time in finding the man responsible, quickly working his way through the police's list of suspects. Eventually, he finds Kyung-chul, arriving just in time to prevent another death; one of the school girls who regularly rides Kyung-chul's bus. Soo-hyeon overpowers Kyung-chul; however, he lets him not only live, but escape.
Kyung-chul feels he's had a lucky break, but as soon as he feels safe to resume his old tricks, Soo-hyeon appears to administer further violence. With the hunter now becoming the prey, Kyung-chul is continually at the mercy of Soo-hyeon and his plans for the perfect revenge...
It’s strange to think that I Saw The Devil is the product of the same directorial hand as the energetic, colourful and all-round fun that was The Good The Bad The Weird. This effort feels like a very different breed; it also feels like it has arrived about six or seven years too late. Had I Saw The Devil been released around the mid-2000s, its content and subject matter would've likely felt far more innovative, but, as it stands, its sadistic torturings and vicious exploits feel rote and somewhat obsolete.
The main problem is that fellow director Park Chan-wook – after his Vengeance trilogy – pretty much has the monopoly on Korean revenge melodrama and, as a result, other ruminations feel like tired retreads and appropriations of the conventions, character dynamics and narrative arcs explored in Park's Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance (2002) and Oldboy (2003). Like the latter, Soo-hyeon turns his quest for revenge into a sick game of wits. It also doesn't help that Oldboy's protagonist and I Saw The Devil's mass-murderer-turned-victim are played by the same actor, creating further stylistic parallels.
On that note, Choi Min-sik does turn in a good performance as the film's psychopath, resisting the temptation to chew scenery and, instead, offering a rounded and humane portrayal of a man that, at the same time, isn't too serious. He clearly enjoys the role; going absolutely nuts in a taxicab with a screwdriver, repeatedly stabbing the driver and a fellow passenger who, amusingly, later turn out to be murdering car-jackers themselves. Lee Byung-hun is also impressive as the detective who gets so caught up in orchestrating the perfect revenge that he is blind to the damage it causes around him, leading to further loss of life.
Director Kim Je-woon allows enough screen time for his two leads to blossom; the downside being that the film feels a little too long, with some sequences feeling loose when they should feel tight. Another disorientating factor is the overall structure and pace of the narrative. Soo-hyeon finds his man well within the first hour, preventing further murders, as well as exacting some personal and physical justice by beating Kyung-chul to a pulp. But by the point where other films would normally end, I Saw The Devil carries on for another ninety minutes. Soo-hyeon gives Kyung-chul a wad of cash and allows him to escape only to track him down and beat him again and again, prolonging the thrill of the hunt. It’s an interesting idea, but one that starts to grow weary; culminating to the point where you'd think Soo-hyeon would just kill the guy, or at the very least place him in some sort of confinement where the torture could continue without chaos spilling out onto the streets. This would then remove the need to have Kyung-chul unknowingly ingest a rather dubious GPS tracker/microphone device in order for Soo-hyeon to keep tabs on him as he roams freely within the city.
The violence, even though Kim Jee-woon is wise enough to cut away or not show the most barbaric of moments, is still not for the squeamish. Fans of fellow Asian shock-masters such as Takashi Miike will revel in the frequent and over-the-top, Ichi The Killer-esque bodily mutilation steadily dispersed throughout, but some – even those accustomed to extreme Asian cinema – may still find the tone to be overly sadistic or even unnecessary, and may dismiss the ensuing carnage as little more than button pushing (I Saw The Devil has received various cuts by many international censorship boards, but is allegedly uncut for this UK release).
But, as suggested by his past features, Kim Jee-woon is not afraid to experiment with genre conventions and limitations, creating an entertainingly savage ride (for those who can stomach it) in the process. Korean cinema's knack for having humour hidden in the most strange and the darkest of places is also present: one of Kyung-chul's friends (who is also a mass-murderer) finds himself pinned to a table via a screwdriver through the centre of his hand. He tries to yank it out of the wood, only for the plastic handle to detach and fly off, leaving the rest of the screwdriver still through his hand and the table.
Ultimately, while I Saw the Devil disappointingly fails to live up to past Korean dalliances with similarly grim, revenge-centric subject matter, it still makes for a fun yet grisly experience. Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik's performances are strong enough to glaze over some of the film's weaker elements, whilst the copious violence flows freely and will undoubtedly keep gore-hounds enthused. I Saw The Devil is certainly worth a look. MP
Film: The Good The Bad The Weird
Release date: 15th June 2009
Certificate: 15
Running time: 126 mins
Director: Kim Ji-woon
Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho, Jung Woo-sung, Jo Kyeong-hun, Kim Kwang-il
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Western
Studio: Icon
Format: DVD
Country: South Korea
After achieving critical acclaim with his 2005 film A Bittersweet Life, South Korean director Kim Ji-woon went completely off-kilter with his follow-up.
Set in the 1930s of the lawless Far East, a mysterious map is being transported on a train across the desert to be taken to the Imperialist Japanese commanders. As it makes its way across the terrain, three bounty hunters make their way to stake their claim on the prize. Amidst the confusion, The Weird escapes with the map, forcing The Good and The Bad to put aside their conflict and leave the scene in search of the means to find the untold riches that map has knowledge of.
As the chase continues, with an ever-increasing array of antagonists adding themselves to the conflict, the disgruntlement becomes a skirmish, and the skirmish becomes an all out war. Building towards a gigantic battle royale in the heat of the desolate landscape, The Good, The Bad and The Weird each manipulate and make use of the various additions to the chase, as they dodge bullets, cannons, horses, machines and corpses en route to the final stand off around the prize they fought so hard to get to...
To critique The Good The Bad The Weird without making mention of the Sergio Leone masterpiece would be ignoring the obvious. It is evident that Kim Ji-woon has been highly influenced by the Man With No Name trilogy, in particular the revered climax to the story. The director has not attempted to copy, parody or pastiche the original creation, as there is an undeniable warmth and charm that is present throughout the chaotic discord. Kim Ji-woon has merely transferred elements of The Good, The Bad And The Ugly to an Eastern setting, but given it a slightly zany twist and ramped up the action to differentiate from the source. However, it is Kim Ji-woon’s instincts as an action director that let the project down when it needed guidance the most.
It’s no surprise when looking at the glossy shine and luscious cinematic panoramas that The Good The Bad The Weird is South Korea’s most expensively made film, but there is little plot. After the satisfactory and warming opening skirmish, there is little else to keep the viewer interested as the action gleefully, and unashamedly, hops from one set piece to the next. The mania comes thick and fast, but mainly in the thick, as segments are dragged out to ridiculous proportions, taking five, ten and sometimes even fifteen minutes longer than necessary just to fit in a ludicrous gunfight with absolutely no progression of the story. The climactic free-for-all that is the film’s penultimate sequence is turgid and overly long, but what is immensely infuriating is the complete lack of perspective or objective. The setting is a vast plain for miles on end, which spawns an orgy of mayhem from which anyone escaping could be easily seen, yet one of heroes manages, somehow, to ride out of the madness only for there to be a cut and all three of the bounty-hunters to be present at the locale.
What is unforgivable is the lack of attention and detail that goes into the three most important pieces of this cinematic puzzle, and that being the three main characters, which the film is named after. In East Asian cinema, there is always a greater deal of ambiguity present than in their European counterparts, but the way in which the traits of The Good, The Bad, and The Weird interchange at varying junctures is somewhat defeatist. Jung Woo-sung, who plays The Good, has evidently spent a great deal of time watching the spaghetti western trilogy - he mimics Eastwood’s stance, tone and style in an almost frighteningly accurate portrayal. However, while Woon’s creation doesn’t set out to be an imitation, at this point in The Man With No Name trilogy, Eastwood’s character had already adopted a softer stance, becoming much less of an anti-hero and more a traditional protagonist with attitude. Jung Woo-sung, unfortunately, finds himself lacking the necessary aura to provide legitimacy to his version of The Good, and suffers from the ever interchanging roles of the three gunmen.
Apart from some delightful camera work, and a score that echoes Morriconne’s iconic creation, The Good The Bad The Weird is an ultimately hollow experience that lurches back into the comfort of an action genre all too readily. It leaves the viewer wishing that Kim Ji-woon had perhaps shown some of the characteristics in A Bittersweet Life - cutting out some of the action and focusing more on character progression, allowing the individuals to flourish and come to life, so as not to be viewed as cardboard cut-outs.
While an enjoyable and unintelligible watch, bigger does not always mean better, and it leaves the viewer wondering whether another of South Korea’s plethora of talented directors could have created a more meaningful cinematic experience for a few dollars less. BL
Film: A Bittersweet Life
Release date: 24th April 2006
Certificate: 18
Running time: 120 mins
Director: Kim Ji-woon
Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Kim Yeong-cheol, Mina Shin, Kim Roe-ha, Hwang Jeong-min
Genre: Crime/Action/Thriller/Drama
Studio: Tartan
Format: DVD
Country: South Korea
A tale of love, loyalty, betrayal and revenge, A Bittersweet Life offers a critically acclaimed and award-winning insight into South Korea’s underworld.
Kim Sun-woo is a stoic criminal tasked with spying on his boss’ new girlfriend, Min-gi, while he is away, with the express instruction to kill her if she is seen with any other men. Meanwhile, gang leader Baek and Sun-woo’s chief rival Moon-suk target Sun-woo after a confrontation between the two crime families.
After discovering that the girl he is watching is seeing another man, Sun-woo contravenes his orders, as well as his better judgment, and spares the girl’s life. Sun-woo’s boss returns, discovers his employee’s indiscretion and promptly gives his lieutenant up to the rival gang.
Beaten, humiliated and buried alive, Sun-woo survives to take revenge on all that have betrayed him…
A delicate human drama punctuated by extended scenes of brutal, stylised violence, A Bittersweet Life is one man’s journey towards his inevitable death.
The action drama has become popular in eastern cinema over the last decade, the films of Chinese director Johnny To, in particular, juxtaposing slow burn emotional drama with balletic, Woo-esque violence. The violence within these films often serves to be a cathartic release, designed as a bloody conclusion to any tension built throughout the story, a stylish deus ex machina to tie up (or shoot) any loose ends. In Kim Ji-woon’s revenge thriller, the abrupt outbursts of choreographed violence are a direct representation of the central character’s volatile nature.
The film’s opening act is a sombre affair, at odds with the carnage that will later ensue. Hopeful moments between Sun-woo and Min-gi are undercut by the futility of their relationship - Sun-woo seeing a future with this woman, but knowing he will never be able to live it.
Kim Sun-woo is a wonderfully engaging character, and Lee Byung-hun is a magnetic screen presence. A man of few words and whose reactionary nature incurs the wrath of a rival gang boss at the film’s opening, and later causes him to disregard a direct order from his boss. Sun-woo is rage buried under an ingrained discipline that is counteracted by a woman he loves and knows he must kill. A man of barely contained emotion in a world where such a thing is forbidden, it’s Sun-woo’s anger and grief that drives the film.
Elsewhere, Kim Roe-ha impresses as the envious Mun-suk and Hwang Jeong-min’s psychotic Baek is comically OTT - all bang and bluster in contrast to Sun-woo’s smooth skills. Aside from this, the cast is disappointingly skeletal, the story choosing to focus almost exclusively on Sun-woo, a man who punches more than he speaks.
The action itself is highly impressive, from a lightning fast skirmish in a restraint booth to an epic final showdown, Kim Ji-woon and fight choreographer Heong Ji-jun (who tragically died in 2008 on the set of The Good The Bad The Weird) craft some truly beautiful set pieces. The climactic shoot out, in particular, is shot and scored like a Leone western, with Sun-woo playing out his last moments as the tragic anti-hero.
A bold mix of genres and styles, A Bittersweet Life shifts from western gangster flick to eastern crime fable, all the way to bloody revenge drama and back again. The film is often tonally muddled, yet it retains coherence thanks to Kim Ji-woon’s confident direction and Byung-hun’s charismatic lead. KT
