I Saw the Devil (2010) Akmareul boatda (original title)

Director:

Kim Jee-Woon

Writer:

Hoon-jung Park (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 August 2010 (South Korea)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Evil lives inside.

Plot:

When his pregnant fiancee becomes the latest victim of a serial killer, a secret agent blurs the line between good and evil in his pursuit of revenge.

Plot Keywords:

Secret Agent | Revenge | Psychopath | Serial Killer | Murder

Awards:

11 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Byung-hun Lee	...	Kim Soo-hyeon
Min-sik Choi	...	Kyung-chul
In-seo Kim	...	Se-jung
San-ha Oh	...	Joo-yeon
Seung-ah Yoon	...	The Cannibal's Girlfriend
Chun Ho-jin	...	Section Chief Oh
Yoon-seo Kim	...	Se-yeon
Gook-hwan Jeon	...	Squad Chief Jang
Bo-ra Nam	...	Section chief's daughter
Moo-Seong Choi	...	Tae-joo
Ji-yoon Jeong	...	Junior high female student
Yoon Chae-Yeong	...	Nurse Han Song-i
Jin-ho Choi	...	Planning director
Yeong-Soon Son	...	Keyong-cheol 's mother
Nam Hyeon-joo	...	Section chief Oh's wife
Tae-goo Eom	...	Detective 4
Kil Geum-Seong	...	Man at harbor
Seol-gu Lee	...	Taxi burglar 1
Kim Kap Soo	...	Planning team deputy head
Kim Chae-Yeon	...	Joo-yeon's cousin
Cheol-woo Han	...	Detective Park
Lee Hang-soo	...	Investigation team leader
Kim Yeong-Seon	...	Nun 1
Park Ji-Yeon	...	Tutor teacher
Park Seo-Yeon	...	Woman at pension
Han Song-i	...	Joo-yeon's friend
Kim Yeong-Chan	...	Young pharmacist
Deok-jae Jo	...	Detective Kang
Lee Ji-eun	...	Children at stream
Kim Kang-il	...	Park Han-gi
Han Se-joo	...	Woman on bus
Jang Jeong-won	...	Keyong-cheol 's son
Hyeon-hwa Heo	...	Family of woman at pension, picture
Heo Seul	...	Nun 2
Seol Chang-hee	...	Plainclothes detective
Lee Hye-rin	...	Junior high female student 1
Ahn Hee-joo	...	Junior high female student
Lee Hyeon-Yong	...	Child at stream
Sin Yeong-sik	...	Taxi driver
Lee Joon-Hyeok	...	Agent
Jo Seung-min	...	Hospital room police
Choi Don-Gyoo	...	Middle-aged couple
Park Min-soo	...	Child at stream
Kim Min-Yeong	...	Junior high female student
Kim Hwa-Hyeon	...	Family of woman at pension, picture
Choi Seong-ho	...	Joo-yeon's cousin
Jang Ha-Neul	...	Junior high female student
Park Jeong-gi	...	Sergeant
Choi Moon-Sook	...	Joo-yeon's aunt
Seung-Ri Ha	...	Female high school student at harbor
Jo Myeong-Yeon	...	Detective 3
Kim Bong-soo	...	Keyong-cheol 's father
Jeong Mi-nam	...	Taxi burglar 2
Park Mi-Seon	...	Junior high female student
Sin Jeong-Hoon	...	Police at stream
Kim Seon-Nyeo	...	Middle-aged couple
Yoon Byeong-hee	...	Jjang-goo / Bulging head
Jeong Tae-Seong	...	Hotel worker
Yoo Yeong-bok	...	Family of woman at pension, picture
Goo Yong-wan	...	Corporal
Yang Mi-Ryeong	...	Joo-yeon's friend
Kim Dae-hye	...	Hospital worker
Jae-geon Kim	...	Old doctor
Lee Hwan-goo	...	Joo-yeon's uncle
Sin Sin-Beom	...	Old pharmacist

Directed by
Kim Jee-Woon

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Hoon-jung Park		screenplay

Produced by
Kee-young Cheong	....	co-executive producer
Hyung-cho Il	....	co-executive producer
Hun-you Jeong	....	executive producer
Seong-weon Jo	....	co-producer
Yeong-shin Kang	....	co-executive producer
Byung-ki Kim	....	co-executive producer
Hyun-woo Kim	....	producer
Jae-young Kim	....	associate producer
Jung-hwa Kim	....	associate producer
Kil-soo Kim	....	co-executive producer
Greg Moon	....	executive producer
Jae-sik Moon	....	co-executive producer
Sungho Nam	....	line producer
Bryan Song	....	co-executive producer
Youngjoo Suh	....	co-executive producer

Original Music by
Mowg

Cinematography by
Mo-gae Lee

Film Editing by
Na-young Nam

Production Design by
Hwa-sung Cho

Costume Design by
Yoo-jin Kwon

Makeup Department
Tae-young Kwak	....	special makeup effects artist
Hee Eun Lee	....	special makeup effects artist

Sound Department
Romain Bigorgne	....	sound effects editor
Tae-young Choi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tae-young Choi	....	supervising sound editor
Kim Dong-Han	....	sound effects editor
Hye Young Kang	....	sound designer
Min Kyu Kim	....	foley mixer
Chung Gyu Lee	....	foley artist
Min Young Park	....	dialogue editor
Yong Ki Park	....	adr mixer
Yong Ki Park	....	sound re-recording mixer

Visual Effects by
Kumsoon Hwang	....	digital matte painter: DIGITALIDEA
Kiyoung Jung	....	pipeline technical director
Il Hwan Na	....	digital matte painter: DIGITAL IDEA
Youngbin Park	....	digital compositor: DIGITALIDEA
Min Jung Shin	....	digital compositor

Camera and Electrical Department
Jae-Hyeok Lee	....	still photographer

Production Companies

• Softbank Ventures
• Showbox/Mediaplex
• Peppermint & Company
• Siz Entertainment

Distributors

• ARP Sélection (2011) (France) (theatrical)
• Bir Film (2010) (Turkey) (theatrical)
• Broadmedia Studios (2011) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2011) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• D Films (2011) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Luna Films (2011) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Magnet Releasing (2011) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Optimum Releasing (2010) (UK) (theatrical)
• Showbox/Mediaplex (2010) (South Korea) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2011) (Finland) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Beyond Home Entertainment (2011) (Australia) (DVD)
• CatchPlay (2010) (Taiwan) (all media)
• Film1 (2011) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Mediatres Estudio (2011) (Andorra) (all media)
• Mediatres Estudio (2011) (Spain) (all media)
• Panorama Distributions (2011) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Panorama Distributions (2011) (Hong Kong) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• PepperView Entertainment (2011) (Portugal) (all media)
• Splendid Film (2011) (Germany) (DVD)
• Splendid Film (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Splendid Film (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• HFR  dailies and digital intermediate services
• ProCam  camera and lighting equipment supplied by
• Seoul Film Commission  location support

Also Known As:

"Akmareul boatda" - South Korea (original title)

Runtime:

141 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:Limited (original rating) | South Korea:18 (re-rating) | Japan:R18+ | USA:Not Rated | Australia:R | UK:18 | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Netherlands:16 | Hong Kong:III | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | New Zealand:R18 | Singapore:R21 | France:-16 (with warning) | Portugal:M/18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted | Malaysia:(Banned) | Finland:K-18 (self applied) | Sweden:15 | Germany:18 (cut) | Germany:Not Rated (JK) (uncut) | Canada:R (Manitoba)

Company:

Softbank Ventures

Trivia:

The Korea Media Rating Board forced Kim to recut the film for its theatrical release, objecting to its violent content. Otherwise, the film would have gotten a "Restricted" rating, preventing any sort of release in theaters or on home video.

Quotes:

Kim Soo-hyeon:I will kill you when you are in the most pain. When you're in the most pain, shivering out of fear, then I will kill you. That's a real revenge. A real complete revenge.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.9" (2011)

Haunting but beautiful.

Whenever I see a negative review of "I Saw the Devil", the critic always mentions (scornfully) that the movie is ultra violent and portrays women in horrifying circumstances. Yes it is, and yes it does.

But this isn't a Hollywood slasher flick. The kills in this movie are not gratifying and aren't meant to be. The women being killed are not scantily clad models running through forests from men wearing masks. There is nothing pleasant or "cool" about these scenes; they make the viewer uncomfortable, they unsettle, they bring one's mind into very dark places. It gives us a peek into the madness that every man is capable of, and does so realistically and without pulling its punches. This brutal realism makes people uncomfortable, and prompts negative reviews. This is understandable, but unfortunate. I believe that a movie should be judged on more than the amount of blood the viewer is comfortable seeing on-screen. To these people, please, do not watch Korean revenge thrillers if you are uncomfortable with torture or blood.

But enough of that rambling. This movie is excellent. Beautiful cinematography contrasts the stark, dimly lit scenes where the murders, or gritty fight scenes, occur. The camera work is simple but effective; the viewer is often treated to close-ups of both Byung-hun Lee and Mik-sik Choi, and their facial expressions tell us more than dialogue ever could. There is also contrast between Lee and Choi. Lee, clean and stoic, and Choi, filthy and madly expressive. They compliment each other very well, and play off of each others strengths effectively.

The story itself is typical of revenge films, but fantastic in its execution. Lee's character experiences a profound loss at the hands of Choi's character, and in the process of seeking revenge begins to resemble the man he so hates. The line between "victim" and "aggressor" becomes blurred between both characters. This is where the film shines. There is no black and white in "I Saw the Devil"; the viewer is left with shades of grey.

As for the acting, it was all done very well. As I mentioned, Lee and Choi work well together, and all supporting cast members did an excellent job. Choi portrays his character in an incredibly convincing manner, shifting suddenly from calmness to manic anger, but never in a way that feels unnatural or forced. Lee's character is quiet and much less expressive, but he does very well in showing immense amounts of emotion through just his eyes or subtle movements of his body. A memorable performance from them both.

As for flaws, the only thing I can think of is the strange, perhaps unrealistic behaviour of the police. Lee is a member of the NIS, and is very skilled when it comes to remaining hidden, but that shouldn't make him untouchable when directly provoking police officers or driving on the wrong side of the street. Still, though, it's a very trivial complaint that isn't worth a deducted point.

A confident 10/10 from me. If you are comfortable seeing serial murder portrayed realistically, and are able to appreciate more than just gore, please, do yourself a favour and watch this film.