tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post5275956559732001445..comments2024-03-27T21:42:56.131-05:00Comments on 1001plus: Nick's Picks: I Saw the DevilSJHoneywellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-15711752645762533852016-04-22T08:34:16.609-05:002016-04-22T08:34:16.609-05:00I get all of that, but the rational side of me can...I get all of that, but the rational side of me can't overcome what I see as a significant issue. Characters don't have to act like me for me to sympathize with them or understand them. But this is so outside of that that I found it almost impossible to really understand the motivation. I get exactly what it means and why it happens. I even, on some level, understand exactly his motivation. At the same time, though, I can't truly understand it. <br /><br />One of my measures for a horror movie is whether or not I would watch it with my sister, who is the only other person in my family who really likes horror movies. This is one I wouldn't watch with her.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-25614772076534521822016-04-22T08:12:53.254-05:002016-04-22T08:12:53.254-05:00I honestly don't think there are any major plo...I honestly don't think there are any major plot problems. This is one of those films where theme overtakes story (like most Korean films, really). Like you said, it explores who really is the devil--the good guy or the bad guy? They're both evil in their own ways, and the way the film ends up dragging is I feel purposeful, to make us feel how these two feel... it's just never going to end. And at the end, when the deed is finally, painfully done, there is no happiness gained. He got revenge, but it didn't make him feel any better, and he realizes he might be just as bad as the man he just finished off.<br /><br />I also don't think either character's actions are outside the realm of their characters. Our serial killer is put in a corner he can't escape from. He knows he's fucked, and this guy is going to keep fucking with him. So to me, it's like... I'm not only going to go out on top doing what I want to do, but I'm going to go out making this special agent feel like a selfish prick by continually letting me go and giving me this chance to kill again. As to what is rational behind the agent letting him go all the time... it isn't rational, which is kind of the point. He's beyond grief and has gone full crazy with vengeance. He's also letting him get close to his victims before attacking him because it would be similar to stopping someone during sex right before they climax. He starts the process but doesn't get the release, which is another form of torture to the guy.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08092564511948736386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-33079474934205351562016-04-19T14:59:40.902-05:002016-04-19T14:59:40.902-05:00It may be just that it struck me the wrong way. Wh...It may be just that it struck me the wrong way. When something with this much acclaim hits me sideways like this, I wonder if it was perhaps something in my mood that forced that to happen. SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-22993709311671822492016-04-19T14:58:53.793-05:002016-04-19T14:58:53.793-05:00I've heard that from more than one person.I've heard that from more than one person. SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-91865180832057185852016-04-18T23:12:22.132-05:002016-04-18T23:12:22.132-05:00I find this to be a phenomenal film for precisely ...I find this to be a phenomenal film for precisely the reason you say it scrapes by. It's so unabashedly unpleasant and yes, there is something deeper at play here. Your musings on who the devil is are spot on. Great post.Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-86783138031105057622016-04-18T23:00:09.636-05:002016-04-18T23:00:09.636-05:00"The movie isn’t about rational thought and i...<b>"The movie isn’t about rational thought and it’s not supposed to be."</b><br /><br />Ha ha—like so much Korean cinema, horror or not!Kevin Kimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01328790917314282058noreply@blogger.com