I Saw the Devil

Be warned. This movie is  not for the faint of heart. It is extremely violent and gory, and although the violence portrayed is equally against both men and women, the story thread feels focused more on violence against women. This will be the deal breaker for some. I think the story still would have stood up well with less overt violence, but I’m guessing the filmmakers wanted to show just how depraved the villain is. And he is, played masterfully by Min-sik Choi.

The aspect of the film that kept my attention, is it continually surprised me. Then when I thought I knew what was going to happen, it switches up again. That’s good. And some action sequences are just thrilling, and bloody, to watch. Other scenes are just grotesque, often because of what is being said and how it is said, instead of what is shown. I can’t say the villain changes much, except enduring many injuries, but it is the protagonist that makes the most changes. At times I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever get out of the downward spiral he was in. A little less graphic gore and violence and I would have rated this higher.