I Saw The Devil (2011)

Magnolia Pictures
Theatrical Release: March 4, 2011
Director: Kim Jee-woon
Not Rated

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.

ABOUT THE FILM

“He who fights with monsters should look to it
that he himself does not become a monster.
When you gaze into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.”
-Friedrich Nietzsche

Director KIM Jee-woon’s intense, unrivalled revenge story

KIM Jee-woon’s films have always taken on the challenge of new genres and styles drawing viewers to an all-together new and exciting movie-going experience. With his latest film I SAW THE DEVIL, KIM Jee-woon goes way beyond social norms and even common sense to create the most violent and elaborate revenge story ever told onscreen. Rather than just finding the criminal, killing him, and ending the story, I SAW THE DEVIL asks the question “what if the hero becomes the criminal.” Focusing on the characters rather than the mystery of finding the criminal, I SAW THE DEVIL details the journey of vengeance beyond all realms of sanity. The realistic and brutal violence is one of the most explicit displays of violence ever seen on film. It strikes at the heart and senses with maximum intensity. As with KIM Jee-woon’s horror, comedy, noir, and western films, this story of vengeance is yet another exciting addition to this visionary director’s oeuvre.

Incredible actors CHOI Min-sik and LEE Byung-hun bring I SAW THE DEVIL to life

After starring in OLD BOY and SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE, CHOI Min-sik marks his return to the big screen in five years in the role of a serial killer, Kyung-chul. A man of pure evil, Kyung-chul curses the world and seems to not know the meaning of pain or surrender. Seemingly unstoppable in his blood lust, Kyung-chul will not let anyone stand in the way of his murder and mayhem. Portraying an unpredictable serial killer with no discernable motives or patterns, CHOI has created a breathtakingly new villain.

LEE Byung-hun, who has been acting for over 20 years in roles as various as romances and blockbusters, goes beyond his limits once again in I SAW THE DEVIL. LEE breathes life into Soo-hyun, a man who loses his fiancé and sets off for bitter vengeance on her killer. LEE gives his best performance yet portraying an incredible range of emotions and death-defying action scenes as he seeks his revenge in I SAW THE DEVIL

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT – KIM JEE-WOON

I always start off by making a film I want to watch. My fascination with the different film genres is always on the forefront. But I SAW THE DEVIL is a film that focuses on two men’s emotions and actions in torturing each other in the name of vengeance rather than sticking to the frames of a fixed genre. I wanted to watch the primitive energy that arises out of the clash of mad rage like an active volcano and icy-cold lunacy. I wanted to see the fiery match-up between actors CHOI Min-sik, who is hot like a ball of fire, and LEE Byung-hun who shows no limit to giving detailed expressions. I SAW THE DEVIL is about a man whose fiancé gets killed by a devilish man and who sets out to pay him back with all the pain and torture. This film could be a story about sharing the pain. In terms of fighting with the devil, it could be a religious story. It touches on morals and questions whether it is right to get bloody vengeance. It could also be a love story about a man who is willing to do anything for the one he loves. But I hope the audience can just enjoy the extreme characters created by the magical union of the two talented actors.

Through the two characters who mercilessly attack each other for revenge, I hope the audience will question why some people lead normal lives while others live like the devil. Also, I hope audiences will wonder when everything started to go wrong and where are we headed…

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

KIM Jee-woon (Director)

KIM Jee-woon has built up a prolific career with films of high quality and various genres such as A TALE OF TWO SISTERS, A BITTERSWEET LIFE, and THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD since his feature debut film THE QUIET FAMILY. Through his pictures he has constantly shown breathtakingly beautiful mis-en-scenes while gaining commercial success both in Korea and overseas.

His second feature, THE FOUL KING drew more than 2 million admissions and the beautiful horror film, A TALE OF TWO SISTERS, gathered more than 3.5 million admissions and has been made into a remake by DreamWorks. A stylish film noir A BITTERSWEET LIFE was invited to the out of competition in the official selection of 2005 Cannes Film Festival and engraved his name among the film professionals and moviegoers around the world.

His latest film THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD was again screened out of competition in as an official selection at 2008 Cannes Film Festival and had recorded more than 7 million theatrical admissions in Korea which was also well received in many other countries. 

LEE Mogae (Cinematographer)

“A unique film where the eerie darkness stands out more than the light”

Interview

This is my third film with director KIM Jee-woon. My first film with him, A TALE OF TWO SISTERS was a horror. The second, THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD was a western. And this film is a thriller. But like all his works, director KIM’s films emphasize more on the characters and plots rather than sticking to the frames of a certain genre. The focus of I SAW THE DEVIL was darkness. We tried hard to give off the strange, eerie feeling even in the dark. Especially, in the serial killer’s personal spaces, we had to make sure the places reflected the owner’s eerie, dark personality. In closing, I felt lucky to be able to capture great actors like CHOI Min-sik and LEE Byung-hun on camera. I hope the viewers will have a unique, strong, and new cinematic experience with this film.

CHO Hwa-sung (Production Designer)

“Making settings where the characters’ emotions rule”

Interview

When I first read the scenario, I struggled with whether the settings should be fantasy or real. I started drawing thinking that a serial killer could be living right next door to me, too. So my concept was taking everyday settings, but still making them feel somewhat strange and unfamiliar. Also, I focused on taking a familiar place such as the bedroom and making it feel completely different with other characters inside. It’s not easy to contain explosive emotions in a calm, quiet place, but that’s what had to be done throughout the film.

Mowg (Music)

“Stirring the audience with melodies rich with tones of sadness and anger”

Interview

I SAW THE DEVIL is a thriller about two men at a glance. But, different from other thrillers, the character’s sadness, anger, and other emotions had to be deeply expressed. So I used music with strong melodies like in the past and used many different instruments to accentuate them. Also, I used many songwriting methods as in films in the past. There are many sad moments in the film. For Soo-hyun who lost the love of his life, I wanted to support his need for more as he sets out for vengeance. For Kyung-chul, I focused on backing his revenge on Soo-hyun and his lunacy as a serial killer through the music.

KWON Yoo-jin (Costumes)

“The actor’s striking talents shined no matter what I dressed them in”

Interview

Soo-hyun is a man of exemplary character. But after his fiancé’s death, he goes through psychological changes. So I wanted to make a sudden change in his appearance to make him look like a completely different person. For Kyung-chul whose everyday activities included killing people, I wanted him to look like the average guy next door. I also put some dark, eerie looking clothing on him, but mostly I dressed him in red tones to bring blood to mind for his every day clothes.

CHOI Min-sik and LEE Byung-hun acted in their roles no matter how they were dressed. In other words, they do not rely much on the costumes. Thus, I tried to design clothes that don’t really stand out and block their talented performances.

 KWAK Tae-yong (Special Effects Makeup)

“Realistic to the limits, but not grotesque”

Interview

I have worked several times with director KIM Jee-woon. He wanted to push things to the limit with I SAW THE DEVIL so we were free to explore all we wanted. This film contains more special make-up and visuals than any other films. We wanted it to look cruel rather than grotesque. So, we focused on making things look real and not grotesque. Especially, when Kyung-chul is killing the women, we worked hard on making very realistic and detailed looking scenes down to the vapor, bugs, and such in radical ways.

ABOUT THE CHARACTERS & CAST

Soo-hyun

“Remember. Your nightmare’s only getting worse.”

Federal agent Soo-hyun tragically loses his fiancé to a rampant serial killer. He is tremendously enraged at the killer but also himself for not being able to protect the one he loves. Rather than just killing for revenge, he sets out with the crazy idea of torturing the killer eye for an eye.

LEE Byung-hun as Soo-hyun

LEE Byung-hun has played leading roles in many TV programs and films which earned him popularity beyond the Korean border. With his versatile performances, LEE has maintained his star image in a wide array of high-end productions. He has been one of the most popular Korean actors throughout Asia for years and has recently starred in the Hollywood blockbuster G.I.JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA alongside Channing Tatum and Sienna Miller. In 2009, he made a successful comeback on TV with IRIS which was a huge success.

INTERVIEW

When I first read the script I thought the character and the story were quite simple. But I was dead wrong. During filming, it was really hard to show detailed, slight changes in emotions from fiery hot to icy cold as a man out for vengeance. In my former films, I portrayed characters who were either suppressing their emotions or exploding their anger. But the character here has both sides in him.

The character loses his fiancé, swears to get revenge, and slowly changes through the process. But I tried hard to show his underlying sadness and rage through each transition. I hope the audience can relate to Soo-hyun’s changes and feel that his somewhat intense actions are the result of such emotions within him.

Kyung-chul

“Amusing… Let’s see who becomes shit.”

A serial killer who enjoys killing, Kyung-chul gets chased by Soo-hyun and stands as the victim for the first time in his life. For the first time in his life, he has met his equal match. He takes Soo-hyun’s mad vengeance as a game and plans to get his revenge on him with the only way he knows how.

CHOI Min-sik as Kyung-chul

CHOI Min-sik began his acting career on the stage then moved on to the film and TV. While it was a huge success on a TV series and film NO.3 and SHIRI which made him a household name in Korea, it was the electrifying performance in PARK Chan-wook’s OLD BOY, winner of the Grand Jury Prize in Cannes Film Festival, which imprinted his name among the movie goers worldwide. He then reteamed with director PARK Chan-wook in SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE in 2005.

INTERVIEW

Kyung-chul is not human. The character was born pure evil. Since I’m the one who portrays him, I tried hard to pull out the dark, evil, violent behavior deep within me. It was hard to play someone who feels no guilt, reason, or remorse for his actions. Just like the title, the film makes us realize that the devil is something that exists in our everyday lives. I think the character represents the deadly, tremendously painful violence that taunts society. But I was happy working with director KIM Jee-woon again after 12 years and the hard working staff on the set. It felt good to know that I am acting and that I am playing my part in I SAW THE DEVIL.

Soo-hyun’s fiancé, Ju-yeon – OH San-ha

“It feels romantic to hear your voice in the snow.”

After getting a flat tire on the highway, she talks with Soo-hyun on the phone as she waits for a tow truck. But she gets mercilessly murdered by Kyung-chul and becomes the reason for vengeance and punishment.

Ju-yeon’s Father, Capt. JANG – CHUN Kook-haun

“I’m so sorry. To you…And to Ju-yeon…”

He is a retired captain of the violent crimes section. He had caught vicious criminals for over 30 years, but he cannot forgive himself for being unable to protect his own daughter. Wanting to catch her killer, he uses his ties in the force to handover the files on the suspects to Soo-hyun.

Detective OH – CHUN Ho-jin

“He can’t become a monster to fight the monster.”

He is the current captain of the violent crimes section. He goes against the rules and hands his former captain the suspect files on his daughter’s murder. Not knowing about Soo-hyun, he gets shocked by his former captain going out for revenge and worries he might get hurt.

Ju-yeon’s younger sister, Se-yeon – KIM Yoon-seo

“It won’t bring her back.”

She is saddened over her sister’s shocking death, but she is more worried about her father. She senses Soo-hyun and her father are planning something and worries something bad might come of it. She begs Soo-hyun to get over her sister’s death and move on.

Kyung-chul’s friend, Tae-ju – CHOI Moo-seong

“He’s the same as us. He’s enjoying the excitement of going out on a hunt.”

He is the owner of a lodge that Kyung-chul goes to hide while on the run. He seems like an old friend, but is afraid of Kyung-chul. He helps Kyung-chul realize who Soo-hyun is and why he’s chasing him.

Lodge Owner, Se-jung – KIM In-seo

“Like you know how I struggled through life!”

She is a beauty with a dark, dangerous side. She is currently living with Tae-ju, but there is some sexual tension between her and Kyung-chul. She makes viewers wonder more and more about Kyung-chul’s past.