“I Saw the Devil” (2010) / Z-View
I Saw the Devil (2010)
Director: Jee-woon Kim
Writer: Park Hoon-jung (screenplay), Jee-woon Kim (adaptation)
Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik
Tagline: To Catch A Monster He Must Become One
The Plot…
When a serial killer murders a government agent’s pregnant wife, the agent captures, tortures and then releases the killer. The agent then captures, tortures and releases the killer again. How long will this go on before one murders the other?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I Saw the Devil is well directed. Jee-woon Kim is an excellent director. He creates shots that are impressive and scenes that produce tension, fear and humor as needed. The two leads are very good. Where it goes off the rails for me is with the story and the gore.
The film loses me when the agent releases the serial killer after torturing him. The serial killer then attacks a girl. The agent stops him, but not before the killer has sexually assaulted the young woman. The agent beats the killer and then releases him yet again. The killer then attacks another woman. And the agent stops him mid-attack. Rinse and repeat. The agent could have saved these women from ever being molested. It’d be one thing if the killer was taken in and escaped to attack women. To have the agent release him so the agent could capture and torture him again is just stupid… and sick.
Speaking of sick, I Saw the Devil contains many gory scenes. It wallows in scenes of torture. While some movie fans enjoy graphic depictions of abuse, I’m not one. The agent’s final plan to end the serial killer’s life involved a scene worthy of the Saw franchise. The killer is beheaded when the killer’s elderly parents and his young son open a door. The killer’s head rolls to sit in front of his little boy and his parents. How sick is that? Too sick for my taste. Keep in mind that I Saw the Devil has earned high ratings on IMDb as well as many awards. Your mileage may vary greatly from mine on this one.
I Saw the Devil (2010) rates 2 of 5 stars.
