Trailer Park: "I Saw The Devil" (Starring Choi Min-sik & Lee Byung-hun)

One thing that bugs us about revenge films is the clear-cut line between good and bad; it's easy to justify the good guy's actions since the bad one's deeds are always “too evil.” The cliché line “It won’t bring him/her back” always lingers before the final blow, and the villain dies tragically. Lucky for us, I Saw The Devil rejects those sensibilities. In fact, it attempts to pull every bit of human sanity out of its two main characters, as they brutally engage in blood-splattering quarrels again and again. The plot starts with serial killer Kyung-Chul (played by Choi Min-sik, best known for 2006's Oldboy) guillotine-chopping the fiancé of Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun). What Kyung-Chul doesn’t know was that Soo-hyun is actually a secret agent, who easily tracks his girl's killer down and mercilessly beats him to a pulp. Right before Soo-hyun clocks him in the dome, however, he lets his enemy live, but sets him up in a series of bizarre and grotesque scenarios. The complexities of the two men clash in cringe-inducing escapades of violence, staged by acclaimed South Korean director Kim Jee-woon (The Good, The Bad, The Weird). We won’t draw any Oldboy or Memories of Murder comparisons just yet, but find out for yourself on March 4th if you’re in New York or Los Angeles.