Reviews

Kim Jee-Woon's 2010 film I Saw the Devil, is a relentlessly ultra-violent tale of revenge. A look into just how far a man is willing to go to hurt someone who has hurt him. South Korea seems to have an infatuation with revenge films (The Chaser, The Vengeance Trilogy, Bittersweet Life) but that's fine by the rest of the world because they do them right.

I Saw the Devil's plot revolves around secret agent Kim Soo-hyeon (Byung-hun Lee), whose wife's life is taken by a deranged serial killer Kyung-chul (Min-sik Choi). Kim Soo-hyeon and Kyung-chul play a sort of cat and mouse game throughout the film, as it is Kim's plan to instill fear through constant unexpected violent attacks.

Overall, everything about this film is done well and with precision. The fight scenes are realistic and gritty, the characters are interesting, and the plot will most certainly keep you hooked. If there is one thing that Korean cinema does correctly, it's revenge-based thrillers.

The most brutal part of I Saw the Devil is the harrowing reality in which each death is depicted. These are not flashy Hollywood film deaths. These are people getting killed in cold-blood by a man who lacks all empathy. There is no motive to his killings and it brings to light the fact that a small percent of our fellow man can be capable of evil rivaling the most prolific horror movie antagonists.

I'll admit that what drove me to watch this film was the internet's sheer disappointment in it. I had seen Only God Forgives mentioned within several "Worst Films of 2013" threads and thought to myself, "Really? The worst film?" The success of director Nicholas Winding Refn's previous film, Drive, seems to have had a negative effect on Only God Forgives and aided in its chilly reception.

Those who enjoyed Drive were excited for another Refn film starring Ryan Gosling, but what they got was something different. A much slower-paced, artsy, and overall uninteresting product. The viewers wanted everything they loved about Drive, and something more. Well, in my opinion, Refn did give us something more, something much more.

I'm not going to bother doing a summary of the film but I do want to stress that the characters have much more going on than what is presented at the surface, specifically Ryan Gosling's character. It took me two viewings to fully grasp what was truly taking place.

The cinematography alone warrants a viewing of Only God Forgives. Each scene, each shot, is a treat for the eyes. The composition of dramatic colors has always been striking to me; part of the reason I found Spring Breakers so enjoyable. I believe if you watch the film on mute you would still be able to accurately follow the plot; that is just a testament to how well the cinematography compliments the story and characters.

This review is more about asking those of you who haven't seen Only God Forgives to give it a chance, pay attention, and look beyond the surface. You may be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

Melancholia is a 2011 film written and directed by the controversial Lars Von Trier and follows two sisters as the end of the world draws near. The film is actually more about the current lives of the two sisters than it is the end of the world; yet the impending doom does heavily influence a series of events. Presently, the film has received mostly positive reviews and was praised for the imagery used throughout the film.

To truly appreciate all that Melancholia has to offer the film must be analyzed by taking a look at its two separate acts. The feel of the first act is much different than the feel and plot of the second act. The first act is titled "Justine", as it focuses on the character Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and her severe depression on her wedding day. The first act doesn't have much to do with the fact that all life on Earth is going to be wiped out. In fact, it doesn't really focus on the impending planet collision at all; it is simply about Justine as a character and all those around her at the time of the wedding. It is clear the Justine suffers from some type of mental illness but it is not made clear exactly what is wrong with her. She does very odd things throughout her entire wedding day including cheating on her husband. She spends a majority of the time away from her party, hiding out either on the golf course located outside or with her nephew, which seems to be the only things she derives joy from. Justine can be a very annoying character to watch as she seems to want to do nothing but ruin her own party, yet the camera shots of her off on her own either on the golf course or in the backyard are some of the best in the film.

The second act of the film titled "Claire" focuses mainly on Justine's sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and the impending impact of the planets. The first act can be slightly more interesting because as a viewer it is not really explained why Justine is doing all of the things she does, a lot of mystery surrounds her character. The second act picks up slightly after the events of the first, but follows Claire this time. She is worried about the collision yet her husband assures her it will miss Earth and they will be able to gaze upon it with their telescope. Throughout the second act Claire must deal with her Justine's depression as well as her own husband and child, all while constantly worrying about the collision. The second half of the film is much more intense than the first, and the editing reflects that, especially towards the climax. The use of shaky shots gives the viewer a sense of uneasiness and uncertainty as to how it will end.

Perhaps Melancholia's greatest achievement is its cinematography and beautiful sequence of unique shots, most notably in the opening sequence. The first opening sequence takes place entirely in slow- motion, showing many of the main characters, and is one of the highlights of the entire film. The camera work and settings used in this film are really something to talk about. The setting of a mansion is both isolating and elegant, and these two things are reflected within the carefully planned camera work.

My biggest gripe with the film would definitely be its pacing. It will be really engaging one minute and then slow down to a dead halt the next. However, when the film does have its shining moments, they are extremely memorable.