I Saw the Devil

 

When his pregnant fiancée is brutally murdered by a batshit crazy serial killer (Oldboy's Min-sik Choi), a hard as nails secret agent (Byung-hun Lee) swears revenge. The two begin a macabre game of cat and mouse, each determined to cause as much pain and suffering for the other as possible. But with stakes that high, who really wins? Korean horror veteran Jee-woon Kim knows extremes and gleefully pushes the envelope even further. Blood soaked excess mixes with frenetic action scenes shot with skill and deadly black humour. A comic book palette suits the film well, presenting a surreal Lynchian underworld in which every other person seems to be a mass murderer. Choi and Lee are particularly superb and give great performances as these two merciless bastards build towards a final confrontation. It's hugely entertaining stuff. Exciting and shocking in equal measure, it's quite simply one of the best serial killer movies there is. Bloody brilliant! [Scotty McKellar]