I Saw the Devil - a bit of a stretch

I SAW THE DEVIL
Written and Directed by Kim Jee-woon

Premiered March 4, 2011

Reviewed by Emily Bettencourt

The sinking feeling started when I sat down to watch I Saw the Devil and realized that the running time of the film was 144 minutes — nearly two and a half hours. From what I'd read and heard, I Saw the Devil didn't seem like the type of film that would have enough content to warrant that runtime. Still, I'd had good experiences with Korean horror/thriller films (the Vengeance trilogy and dramas such as IRIS and Time Between Dog and Wolf), so I tried not to dwell on that.

Unfortunately, I found myself more than a little nonplussed.

I Saw the Devil is a film about a detective named Soohyun (Lee Byunghun) who becomes obsessed with vengeance after his fiance, Jooyun (Oh San-ha), is tortured and murdered by a serial killer named Jang Gyeong-chul (Choi Min-sik). The film was directed by Kim Jee-woon, who is known in South Korea and globally for being a director capable of tackling a wide variety of genres. I was hoping that I Saw the Devil would be handled with the same grace as the two films of his that I'd seen previously, especially considering that one (A Tale of Two Sisters) is of a similar genre. Unfortunately, the film failed to impress---despite being compared to other such iconic cult films as Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, it lacked both the attention to aesthetics and the stomach-clenching tension that I've come to expect from South Korean horror.

The film is supposed to center around Soohyun's slow transformation into a monster as he pursues his quest for vengance, calling into question the legitimacy of the "an eye for an eye" approach to life, but really it just felt tedious. Soohyun's wife dies within the first five minutes of the film---the entire remaining two hours and twenty minutes is dedicated to Soohyun's pursuit of the killer, and his game of catch-and-release. The idea in itself is good, and could be executed well, but by the end of the film I was basically thinking, "Okay, I get it, you're angry. Can this movie be over yet?" The depiction of a quest for vengeance isn't a new idea, especially in the South Korean cinematic realm, but the idea of a catch-and-release game is---however, I think Kim Jee-woon was a little overambitious in terms of time, turning what could have been a deeply psychological and tense film into a seemingly endless cycle of monotony.

In terms of performance, Lee Byunghun and Choi Min-sik are both extremely capable actors; they've both handled a wide variety of roles and done so with skill, but Kim Jee-woon didn't give many chances for expression. Given more expansion, I think Lee's character could have been extremely sympathetic; however, with the exception of a few brief, terse conversations, usually by phone, Lee Byunghun doesn't do much talking. His character is very stagnant. As a viewer, I didn't get the impression that he was changing as a person---it just seemed like he got really angry after his fiance died and stayed angry throughout the course of the film. That said, Choi Min-sik delivered a brilliantly creepy and skin-crawly performance (as he's done before in the role of serial killers, Mr. Baek in Oldboy and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance being the ones that come to mind), seamlessly filling the role of an unhinged sociopath.

Overall, I think that I Saw the Devil is worth seeing, but probably not worth buying a ticket to see. And if you're expecting something like the Vengeance trilogy, don't get your hopes up.

Black Death review - beauty from ashes?

Ring around the rosie
Pocket full of posies
Ashes, Ashes
We all fall down

There is serious debate about whether this rhyme really originated in 14th century, plague-ridden England. Snopes says no. But I couldn't resist including it here. Especially since it's Ash Wednesday. Black Death debuts on Friday, March 11th in Los Angeles. Below is Emily's movie review debut for Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys.



Black Death
Writer: Dario Poloni
Producers: Phil Robertson, Jens Meurer, Robert Bernstein, Douglas Rae
Director: Christopher Smith
Starring: Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, David Warner, Carice Van Houten

Reviewed by Emily Bettencourt


In this age of movies with confusing and unnecessarily pretentious titles, Black Death is refreshing in that you know exactly what you're getting. Still, I wasn't really sure what to expect when it came to a horror film about the bubonic plague. From the press info I'd received, I knew that it starred Sean Bean (always a plus), was intended to contain notes of religious conflict (also a bonus if done well), and that it was shot entirely on-location in Germany. The latter was a major selling point for a viewer who remains somewhat skeptical of the use of 3D graphics in film.

The atmospheric and dark, orchestral opening leant an ideal backdrop for Sean Bean's ruggedly handsome appearance as battle-worn Ulric, an envoy to the bishop, who has been tasked with discovering the truth behind reports of necromancy in a remote village in the marsh.



The movie had its ups and downs. I was impressed by Eddie Redmayne's performance as Osmund, the young and conflicted monk who accompanies Ulric on his journey. He was just jaded enough to make his internal conflict real, but just boyish enough to endear him to the audience. Sean Bean also delivered a gritty and intense performance, though that was to be expected (I'm a Sean Bean fan, can you tell?).

Director Christopher Smith noted in an interview that he tried to stay true to the real atmosphere of life in 1300s plague-ridden England, and he did so without being overly grotesque. There were bodies on the streets and an ever-present haze of smoke, but he avoided unnecessary depictions of gore throughout the film.

A director who has perfected the art of classy violence is a rare breed in a cinematic era populated by movies like the Saw series, Hostel and Final Destination. There's something to be said for the pure shock value and visceral reaction that blatant displays of violence elicit in an audience, but I personally prefer films like those of Alfred Hitchcock, which rely more on atmospherics and psychology to make the movie thrilling. Christopher Smith gets major props from me for his balance of violence and interpretation in Black Death.

Sean Bean portrays gritty, conflicted characters well, but the role of Ulric seemed to be almost (dare I say it?) Boromir 2.0. This is of course no fault of his own, being victim of unfortunate typecasting after his Lord of the Rings success, but it was difficult at first to see Ulric and not immediately think "Boromir." Especially when the two characters have so many similarities.

The film promised to be an exploration of the conflict that arises when the Church loses its ability to truly protect those who believe in it, but it wasn't nearly as eloquently delivered as I'd hoped it would be. Instead of being about inner struggle and the destruction of faith, the portrayals of the extremes of the conflict (Ulric and the witch woman Langiva, played by Carice van Houten) were so heavy-handed as to nearly be caricatures. Almost no mention is made of people, events and environments that shaped their personalities. It's hinted at that Ulric had lost family to the plague and Langiva had lost family to the Church, but the storylines don't develop beyond that, making the supposed religious conflict fall somewhat flat.

Black Death is a film worth watching. The atmospherics, the stunning performances by Bean, Remayne and van Houten, the captivating and well-orchestrated soundtrack, and the excellent balance of gore and interpretation more than make up for the film's few shortcomings. Christopher Smith did an excellent job with the film, and I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

Indie Film Friday - IFC Midnight - BOO!

IFC Midnight features genre films. They sent me some trailers for films that are upcoming or available on-demand now. The trailer for The Human Centipede II was just the creator walking in a parking garage with his voice narrating rather than him actually talking. Not much to see or hear, but from the interview that follows, it sounds pretty gross: a mad doctor sews people together head to but - twelve of them. I can most definitely live without it.

The other movies are all edge of your seat horror. I wish they'd actually include science fiction like they say they do, but these start with a standard plot - young men and women trapped in the wilderness with "it" or young outcast gets powers and must save the world, but can't save his soul - but they go way beyond the formulas and the acting, from what I can tell on the trailers, is not bad at all. These are all available On Demand right now as part of IFC's fantasticfest.



HEARTLESS is the tale of a man with a birthmark across his face. For a chance to have a normal face, and what he thinks will be a normal life to follow, he makes a deal that he soon regrets. Neighborhood thugs are not human and only he can see them for what they truly are. He is called upon to kill. His happy-ever-after turns into a nightmare. Sneak Preview is available now on-demand. It hits theaters in November.

PRIMAL begins with a group of young people exploring ancient places in a remote area of Australia. Something finds them before they find it, transforming them one by one into vicious killers with lots of pointy teeth.



In HIGH LANE, a group of young hikers unknowingly encroaches on a killer's territory.



RED, WHITE & BLUE features Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Amanda Fuller who plays an emotionally wounded nymphomaniac who meets a mysterious Iraq Vet who doesn't want to immediately jump in bed with her. When one of her past lovers comes back things go as far south as they can get. This is by far the goriest.