• Directed by Kim Jee-woon
• Written by Park Hoon-jung
• Release Date: 08/12/2010
• Runtime: 144 minutes

Spoiler free mini review – A twisted symphony of slicing, chopping and stabbing, I Saw the Devil portrays the epic battle of two men with polar motivations and obsessions. An eerie illustration of a cat and mouse thriller that is all claws.

There is all the violent mayhem, for certain, but the thing that sets I Saw the Devil apart is its undercurrent of real emotion and how unrelentingly sad it can be – Los Angeles Times

I Saw the Devil is non-stop action from the jump, with very little space to catch your breath or cover your eyes. Lee Byung-hun (The Good, the Bad, the Weird, 2008) is tremendous and convincing as the scorned secret agent, motivated by the death of his wife. Kind of like the Korean Brad Pitt, he’s handsome and talented, but as the vengeful Kim Soo-yeon, he will go to the ends of the earth to exact his revenge and will have the audience at once rooting for him as well as begging for him to stop. Toying with antagonist Jang Kyung-chul, portrayed by Choi Min-sik (Old Boy, 2003), Kim Soo-yeon uses extreme measures and unabashed violence to get retaliation for the murder and dismemberment of his wife, with the final shot reminding me of 2015’s Revenant, which shows us that exacting revenge is never as sweet as the idea of it. No matter what you do, no matter how much the perpetrator suffers, it will never undo what has already been done.

The violence and gore is persistent throughout with incredible work by the SFX team, as a lot of the gnarliest, stomach turning moments appear to be captured using practical effects. The level of violence may test some, but it doesn’t come off as gratuitous based on the plot and the writing. So if severed heads, bins full of body parts, and sliced Achilles tendons don’t bother you, then you’re in for a hell of a ride.

I think what makes I Saw the Devil standout amount contemporary , violent thrillers is how relentless it is. From start to finish, the two main characters are plotting, stalking and attacking each other at every turn. The 144 minute runtime feels short, given the fast pace and the sheer volume of mayhem present. It’s clear why this film is considered a must watch thriller and has become a pillar in modern Korean cinema.

I would recommend this movie to any horror/thriller fans, fans of the two man actors, and fans of great Korean filmmaking.