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Korean revenge dramas may be the world’s most harrowing sub-genre. Full of unmitigated brutality, violence and gore they unravel winding and twisted narratives that center on frightening anti-heroes and deeply disturbing acts of cruelty. It’s with all this in mind that I say Jee-woon Kim’s I Saw the Devil takes the Korean revenge genre to a whole new level. Director of the psychological horror A Tale of Two Sisters and the wacky western The Good, the Bad, and the Weird, this South Korean filmmaker has been heralded for his ability to alternately shock and entertain. In his latest venture, he takes this talent to a new extreme, alternating the intentions of onscreen violence to reveal its duality, reveling in both the repulsion and glee it elicits from audiences in turn.

 

The film begins with a long voyeuristic take of headlight beams traversing a dark and isolated road. Nothing lies in the ominous sights of the unseen character until he happens upon a disabled car, with a female driver within. What follows is the blood-curdling catalyst that sets this wild ride in motion. The action centers on a secret agent (The Good, the Bad, and the Weird’s Byunh-hun Lee) who doggedly pursues his own brand of justice when his fiancée is ruthlessly slaughtered by a merciless and madcap murderer played by Old Boy’s Min-sik Choi. But Lee doesn’t want to just track down and kill the man that murdered his love, he wants to make him suffer – in a prolonged and dramatic fashion. What follows is a cat and mouse tale that sometimes strains credulity and can feel slightly episodic as the secret agent stalks, attacks, and releases his prey to repeat this vicious cycle. However, Lee is an undeniably winsome and capable action star, and Choi’s portrayal is so unhinged and disturbing it pulls you through some of the film’s structural stumbles. Audiences cringe and squeal as Choi’s killer pitilessly inflicts suffering and violence, but when Lee emerges for retribution, we cheer and laugh as this horrifying killer is reduced to a frustrated clown under Lee’s furious fists. The turns of onscreen violence are a thought provoking element, though these abrupt tonal shifts can be jarring, resulting in one sequence careening into the next. Unwieldy constructions aside, it’s unarguably an action-packed, edge-of-your-seat experience.

 

Ultimately, I Saw the Devil delivers on its title and then some, blending torture porn and cat-and-mouse thrillers to create something fresh, over the top, and undeniably riveting. It’s a devilish endeavor featuring an onscreen killer destined to prove iconic, as he possesses the hard-hearted blood lust of Anton Chigurh mixed with the gleeful mania of Freddy Krueger. But it’s also a haunting tale of revenge, which leaves viewers short of breath and left to marvel over the moral implications of its tale. If you’re looking for something to rattle you out of the winter doldrums of lackluster dreck and pompous prestige pics, I Saw the Devil will shake you up and set you loose, satisfyingly haunted.

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Tags: I Saw the Devil, Jee-woon Kim, Korean Revenge