“I Saw the Devil” is a revenge thriller about a man who becomes a monster to get even. Kim Jee-woon directs, and Park Hoon-jung wrote it. The film runs 144 minutes and stars Lee Byung-hun as Kim Soo-hyeon, an NIS agent, and Choi Min-sik as Jang Kyung-chul, a school bus driver and serial killer.
Lee plays an agent whose fiancée is murdered by Kyung-chul. He vows vengeance and sets out to track the killer himself, even if it means he must become a monster in his own right. The film’s tagline says it plainly: “Abandon all compassion.”
Trailer, via Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing.
The Killing That Sets It Off
Kyung-chul meets Jang Joo-yun, a woman whose flat tire he offers to fix. He beats her unconscious and brings her home, where he dismembers her, unaware that her ring falls into a floor drain. He scatters the body parts into a local river. Police search for the killer, led by Squad Chief Jang, Joo-yun’s father, and Section Chief Oh.
Soo-hyeon learns of four suspects and privately interrogates two of them. The violent encounter with these two absolves them as the killer, but one turns himself in for killing multiple schoolgirls. He seeks help from the police in the hospital.
A Ring, a GPS, and a Broken Arm
Soo-hyeon finds Joo-yun’s ring in Kyung-chul’s home, confirming he is the killer. Later, Kyung-chul brings a schoolgirl home and begins to rape her. Soo-hyeon interrupts, knocks him unconscious, and forces him to swallow a GPS transmitter. He fractures Kyung-chul’s left arm.
Waking up, Kyung-chul gets a ride in a hijacked taxi. He notices the driver’s profile picture does not match the man driving. He attacks the occupants before they attack him, killing them. Searching the trunk, he finds a murder victim.
The Two Killers
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Soo-hyeon | NIS agent hunting Kyung-chul |
| Kyung-chul | Serial killer school bus driver |
| Squad Chief Jang | Joo-yun’s father |
| Section Chief Oh | Police leader |
Soo-hyeon’s violence is methodical. Kyung-chul’s is instinctive. The film keeps the two men circling each other, each trying to outmatch the other.
What Holds It Together
The film is brutal. It is also well made. The action is fast, the camera work is assured, and the cast performs with physical force. Jeon Gook-hwan and Chun Ho-jin support the leads well, and the supporting cast fills out the story without drawing attention from it.
Where the Film Stumbles
The torture scenes are excessive. The violence is graphic, and it does not always serve the story. The film’s final act slows to a crawl, and some of the later scenes feel like padding rather than narrative necessity. The pacing dips in the back half, and the payoff does not match the build-up.
The Verdict
“I Saw the Devil” is a thrill ride that loses its footing in the back half. It is a well-made film that pushes its violence past the point where it helps the story. Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik give committed performances, and Kim Jee-woon directs with confidence. The film reaches for something rare and often finds it, but the excess gets in the way of the point.
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