I Saw the Devil

South Korea / 2010 / 141 mins.
Genre: Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Directed by: Kim Jee-Woon
Cast: Lee Byung-Hun, Choi Min-Sik, Chun Kook-Haun, Chun Ho-Jin, Oh San-Ha, Kim Yoon-Seo, Choi Moo-Seong, Kim In-Seo

Synopsis

I SAW THE DEVIL is a shockingly violent and stunningly accomplished tale of murder and revenge from Korean genre master KIM Jee-woon (The Good, The Bad, The Weird and A Tale of Two Sisters). Oldboy’s CHOI Min-sik plays Kyung-chul, a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. The embodiment of pure evil, he has committed horrifying and senselessly cruel serial murders on defenseless victims, successfully eluding capture by the police.

On a freezing, snowy night, his latest victim is the beautiful Ju-yeon, daughter of a retired police chief and pregnant fiancée of elite special agent Soo-hyun (The Good, The Bad, The Weird’s LEE Byung-hyun). Obsessed with revenge, Soo-hyun decides to track down the murderer, even if doing so means becoming a monster himself. And when he finds Kyung-chul, turning him in to the authorities is the last thing on his mind.

The lines between good and evil fall away in this diabolically twisted game of cat and mouse. Pushing the concept of revenge to its most extreme limits, KIM Jee-woon brilliantly transcends the police procedural and serial killer genres in surprising and thrilling new ways.

Festival Screenings/Awards

2010 (35th) Toronto International Film Festival (Special Presentations *North American Premiere), 2010 (58th) San Sebastian International Film Festival (Official Selection), 2010 (15th) Pusan International Film Festival (Midnight Passion), 2010 (43rd) Sitges Film Festival (Official Fantàstic Panorama Specials), 2010 (21st) Stockholm International Film Festival (Asian Images *Nordic Premiere), 2010 (24th) AFI FEST, 2010 (5th) The London Korean Film Festival, 2010 (25th) Mar del Plata Film Festival (Panorama Midnight Screamings), 2011 (31st) Fantasporto International Film FestivalCinema Fantástico (Competition) 2011 (21st) Yubari International Fantastic Film FestivalOfficial Selection, 2011 (13th) Deauville Asian Film FestivalPanorama, 2011 (35th) Hong Kong International Film FestivalMidnight Heat, 2011 (29th) Brussels International Fantastic Film FestivalInternational Competition 2011 (27th), Imagine: Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival

About the Director

Born July 6, 1964, entered Seoul Institute of the Arts, but left school and worked in the theatre scene. He began his career as a stage actor, then stage director, and finally has become one of the most popular and acclaimed figures among modern Korean directors/screenwriters. His second screenplay, The Quiet Family (1998), won him the Best Screenplay prize in a local contest, and Kim went on to make his directorial debut with this screenplay. The film was invited to many film festivals. Kim’s films, from The Quiet Family (1998) to last year’s A Bittersweet Life, have been hailed by critics and audiences alike for his unique style and storytelling. His second feature, The Foul King (2000), drew more than 2 million spectators, while his astounding horror film of true visual elegance, A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), reached 3.5 million viewers nation-wide. It went on to be remade by Dreamworks in the US.