I Saw the Devil

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I Saw the Devil

2011

2h 21m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

86 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

On a dark road, taxi driver Kyung-chul comes across a scared female motorist stranded in a broken-down vehicle. He pulls over -- but not to help her. When the woman's head is discovered in a local river, her devastated fiancé, Kim Soo-hyeon, a trained secret agent, becomes obsessed with hunting down her killer. Once he finds Kyung-chul, things get twisted. After brutally beating the murderer, Kim lets him go free, and a demented game of cat and mouse begins.

Critics Consensus

Never flinching during its descent into depravity, I Saw the Devil is a pulverizing thriller that will give bloody satisfaction to audiences who like their revenge served with fiery rage.

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Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

10/12/2020

A+

It's anchored by two fantastic performances. Seeing these two men go head-to-head psychologically and physically is enthralling.

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Phelim O'Neill

Guardian

04/28/2011

4/5

There's no shortage of Korean revenge-thrillers, but this, along with the recent The Man from Nowhere, proves there is plenty of life left in the genre.

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Nigel Floyd

Time Out

04/27/2011

2/5

A remorseless catalogue of calculated violence, casual cannibalism and sexual sadism, this inflicts over two hours of suffering on the audience...

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Aug 6

10/10

It’s deceptively simple, but is actually an impressive balancing act of being disturbing, thrilling, funny, and ultimately satisfying.

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Brian Bisesi

Horror Movie Club Podcast

Feb 19

3.5/5

While I Saw the Devil may not have the narrative complexity to justify its runtime, the examination of vengefulness and its toxic effects is a theme perhaps better served by the length and relentlessness of this grisly thriller.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

09/24/2023

4/5

A harrowing and tortuously twisted experience that pummels the audience nearly as severely as the film's villain.

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Muhammad Y

@HakariAndKirara 2d

The beginning was amazing, it really build up the suspense waiting for the killer first appearance. But during the movie like from after the beginning, my god the pacing is comparable to an uncut One Piece episode. The ending is as amazing as the beginning is, but the thing that got me confused was the protagonist expression after he walked away after killing the killer, like was he trying to laugh? Was he crying? Idk but either way the movie is definitely worth to watch

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Gianluca R

@rei_lex Jan 12

another korean revenge-movie masterpiece!

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Pooran S

@Pooran Jan 8

Dark, brutal, shocking , gritty ...once seen can never be forgotten, I saw the Devil ( 2010) is the best of the best of Korean cinema if violent, vicious thrillers don't turn your stomach, do watch this terrific movie for it's taut, pacy, violence filled revenge saga, never giving a moment to catch one's breath as the antagonist & protagonist go hammer & tongs at each other in a cat & mouse game with the highest stakes. Watch it also for 2 of the finest legendary Korean actors, Choi Min-Sik, playing the bad guy like an unstoppable force of nature, matched step for step by the good guy played by Lee Byung-Hun as they play out their mortal games till it's shattering, morally violent climax. I have been a huge fan of Choi Min-Sik since I watched his terrific performance in the other morally questionable cult classic thriller Oldboy. Watch this & Oldboy if haven't already to see 2 near flawless performances in world cinema by the great Choi Min-Sik .

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Ian H

@Howellsey Nov 9

Relentless, grim, violent and morally challenging. Great performances all round

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Liam D

@Mediawatcher2003 Oct 1

Kim Jee-woon‘s mixture of revenge action and serial killer thriller is an long and gruelling experience that has some spectacular action and two compelling performances by Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik

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Sean C

Sep 20

This is one of my favourite films . Acting, effects and a good old comeuppance for the killer who I must say is acted brilliantly. My reviews won't give away the film but if you have never seen this I highly recommend.

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Kim Jee-woon

Director

Lee Byung-hun

Soo-hyun

Choi Min-sik

Kyung-chul

Jeon Gook-hwan

Capt. Jang

Chun Ho-jin

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San-ha Oh

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Synopsis

On a dark road, taxi driver Kyung-chul comes across a scared female motorist stranded in a broken-down vehicle. He pulls over -- but not to help her. When the woman's head is discovered in a local river, her devastated fiancé, Kim Soo-hyeon, a trained secret agent, becomes obsessed with hunting down her killer. Once he finds Kyung-chul, things get twisted. After brutally beating the murderer, Kim lets him go free, and a demented game of cat and mouse begins.

Director: Kim Jee-woon
Producer: Kim Hyun Woo
Screenwriter: Park Hoon-jung
Distributor: Magnet Releasing
Production Co: Showbox/Mediaplex
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Korean
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 4, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 14, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $128.4K
Runtime: 2h 21m