I Saw The Devil (2010) : “A chilling masterpiece of vengeance and horror.”

Director: Kim Jee-woon

Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Jeon Gook-hwan, Cheon Ho-jin

Producers: Kim Hyun-woo, Kim Jin-woo, Jo Sung-won

Production Company: Peppermint&Company, Showbox/Mediaplex

Music Director: Mowg

Cinematography: Lee Mo-gae

Genre: Thriller, Horror

Language: Korean

Runtime: 144 minutes

OTT Platform: Amazon Prime

Plot:

When his fiancée is brutally murdered by a psychopathic serial killer, a secret agent embarks on a relentless quest for revenge, turning into a monster himself as he meticulously hunts down the killer, pushing both men to the limits of human endurance and morality.

Performances:

Lee Byung-hun:

He is phenomenal with a hustling performance, always showing an intensity that is filled with pain and agony, portrayed very well—a very good performance.

Choi Min-sik:He is truly unbelievable; his anger towards old people is amazing. You will question whether he is acting or a real serial killer—it was a killing performance by him.

Choi Moo-sung:

He is also truly phenomenal. You won’t believe it until you see it—stunning performance, with his laugh and expressions being very good.

Other supporting cast:

They supported very well, even though others had very light roles, and they justified their roles within their scope.

Technical Aspects:

Director:

Kim Jee-woon is the mastermind with a brilliant vision. The story, set in the 2010s, was amazing, blending a psycho killer revenge concept with very good scenes and dialogues—a pure art.

Cinematography:

Lee Mo-gae’s cinematography was amazing, with extraordinary scenes. The camera angles and close-ups were very good.

Music:

Mowg did his part very well, creating thrilling scenes with thrilling and horrifying music. He performed very well.

Production:

Production values are good.

Strengths:

• Story

• Direction

• Performances

• Cinematography

Weakness:

• Climax could be better, but it’s good.

My Personal Take On Cinema:

‘I Saw The Devil’ is a film filled with thrilling moments and extraordinary performances. The director writes and executes the script very well. The cinematography, with its best visuals and angles, is good. The production values are very good. Noteworthy performances by the cast and crew make this a very good film. Mentionable is that ‘Thani Oruvan’/‘Dhruva’ used the same concept in their movies, but ‘I Saw The Devil’ is the original. A must-watch psycho thriller revenge film.

Rating: 3.5/5