I Saw the Devil User Reviews

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This popped up on Netflix recently and I was really excited to give it a watch. Korea has rarely let me down when it comes to movies and it had been a while since I'd watched something I'd even call 'decent'.

That said, I Saw the Devil was phenomenal. It's missing Park Chan-wook's color themes, but beyond that it could easily be mistaken for a lost fourth film in his Vengeance Trilogy and if you've seen any of those that should be enough to sell you on it right there.

The cinematography in particular is striking, with some shots functioning like dark and twisted John Ford scenes.

While I could rave about the technical merits of this film, the most interesting part of it, to me, was the askew look it takes at the serial killer drama.

Very often movie serial killers are loners with troubled childhoods and act as a threat until they are defeated. They are effectively monsters. Your Hannibal Lectors and Norman Bateses.

The killer here is absolutely horrifying, but remains entirely human. In a way the cop and the killer switch roles. We expect the killer to show up intermittently and mess with the protagonist. This is a film about a cop terrorizing a serial killer. While the killer's actions are monstrous his presence is far from the supernatural affairs we have come to expect. He utterly lacks the faux-mystique of your average bad guy.

The only knock I have against I Saw the Devil is that in a few brief cases it can be overdramatic. During scenes of intense emotion the music swells and we get a lingering close up on someone crying. It's a rote technique and stands out in a film that's otherwise amazing.

You should definitely check it out.