8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
A secret agent tracks a serial killer who murdered his fiancée.
Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Chun Kook-Haun, Chun Ho-jin, San-ha OhForeign | 100% |
Horror | 65% |
Psychological thriller | 30% |
Thriller | 7% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Korean: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Kim Ji-woon, one of South Korea’s most lauded filmmakers, is a supreme stylist, and his last three films—which have all gotten significant play on the international festival circuit—each offer an intelligent, often beautiful new take on an established genre. 2003’s A Tale of Two Sisters is arguably the best of the K-horror new wave, a lush haunted house drama about mental illness and guilt. 2005’s noir-ish gangster movie A Bittersweet Life violently examines the ethics of the Korean mob, and with 2008’s The Good, The Bad, and the Weird, Kim Ji-woon delivered a big-budget action film that combines the tropes of a Sergio Leone spaghetti western with the comedy and adventure of the Indiana Jones trilogy. (Yes, I’m still calling it a trilogy.) While he’s not often subtle, he’s certainly versatile. With his latest movie, I Saw the Devil, Kim takes on both the serial killer film and what seems to be Korea’s new favorite genre—the revenge epic—for an ultra-violent thriller that’s one part Silence of the Lambs and one part Oldboy, with a little bit of No Country for Old Men thrown in for good measure.
Magnolia Home Entertainment delivers a gorgeous transfer of a gorgeous film, with a 1080p/AVC encode that's sharp, densely colored, and free from any overt compression problems or unnecessary tweaking. The 35mm image looks natural, with a thin-but-rich grain structure and no evidence of DNR. While edge enhancement is occasionally noticeable in certain scenes—sometimes making facial textures seem a bit too crisp—ringing and haloes are kept to a minimum. Overall, clarity is very impressive. See the weft of Kyung-chul's orange sweater—you can even make out the individual bits of fuzz sticking up off of it—and check out the rough patina of the scythe's blade in screenshot #14. Color is deep too, with a haunting blue cast in many scenes, vivid red blood, and balanced, consistent skin tones. Likewise, contrast is strong but not overpumped, and black levels strike a great balance between depth and shadow detail. I really can't dredge up any substantial complaints; the film looks fantastic in high definition.
As usual, Magnolia has provided two audio options here—the original Korean mix and an English dub, both presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Don't bother with the dub—it doesn't do the film justice. The Korean track is warm and expansive, and although it's not quite as bombastic as I would've expected given the film's subject matter, there's more than enough diversity in this track to keep all 5.1 channels of your home theater system occupied. The rear channels are mostly used for ambience and score, but there are occasional cross-channel movements, like cars zipping past, glass shattering in all directions, etc. The real allure here is the music. Has anyone else noticed that most Korean films invariably feature lots of jazzy, quasi- flamenco guitar? It's back in I Saw the Devil, but that's only one small part of a terrific score by Korean composer "Mowg," whose MySpace music page lists his genre(s) as "Nu-Jazz / Electro / Experimental." That about sums it up. Trust me, though—the music here is great and it sounds wonderful, with lots of juicy low-end out and clarity throughout the range. Dialogue sits high in the mix, and always sounds clear and unmuffled, with no hisses, pops, or drop-outs. Optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles are available in easy-to-read white lettering.
Do note that there are two separate cuts of the film in existence, the original Korean edit and the slightly shorter International Cut—presented here— which is actually the director's preferred edition. The changes between the two amount to some slightly rearranged scenes, longer shots of violence in the International cut, and a different song playing over the final scene. The biggest omission from this cut is a two-minute sex scene between Kyung- chul and the cannibal's wife, which you'll find—in its entirely—in the deleted scenes included here. Personally, I think cutting out this scene actually strengthens the film, as it plays into the whole idea that Kyung-chul can't get any "release" while Soo-hyun is tracking him.
Rarely has the word "visceral" seemed so appropriate. I Saw the Devil is a brutal, bloody experience, and although it is, in a sense, "just another" Korean revenge movie, Kim Ji-woon's deft directorial hand elevates the material into a film that's as memorable as it is intense. I certainly won't be forgetting that Achilles tendon-cutting scene anytime soon. It should go without saying that I Saw the Devil is not for everyone, but Asian film fans drawn to the dark and violent will certainly want to check it out. Recommended!
2017
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2008
מי מפחד מהזאב הרע / Mi mefakhed mehaze'ev hara
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