I Saw the Devil

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I Saw the Devil

Released Mar 4, 2011

2h 21m

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

82%

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85 Reviews

87%

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10,000+ Ratings

On a dark road, taxi driver Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik) 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 (Lee Byung-hun), 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.

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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

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

Rated: A+

Oct 12, 2020

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Phelim O'Neill

Guardian

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.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 28, 2011

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Nigel Floyd

Time Out

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

Rated: 2/5

Apr 27, 2011

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Brian Bisesi

Horror Movie Club Podcast

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.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 19, 2025

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

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

Rated: 4/5

Sep 24, 2023

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Panos Kotzathanasis

Asian Movie Pulse

"I Saw the Devil" is a masterpiece in all aspects, featuring sublime direction and script-writing, elaborate cinematography and editing, and one of the most shocking endings ever to appear on film.

Apr 13, 2020

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Slick R

If you enjoy sick murder and revenge movies then this is for you. I Saw The Devil is over the top in my opinion considering that there have only been several documented serial killers in South Korea compared to 3690 serial killers in the USA. Yet Korean directors are allowed to show Choi Min-sik chopping up naked women's bodies into pieces for his buddy to eat. The cannibalism part is unrealistic as it looked as if the buddy was eating raw human flesh... if that were the case he'd probably get sick... Even Jeffrey Dahmer pan fried his victims. You gotta hand it to Choi Min-sik for his stellar performance and his tolerance for pain lol, as well as the fully naked women who had to lay there and act before Choi Min-sik chopped them up. Overall it's a decent psycho revenge movie with over the top gore. Knocking off one star because it could have been a lot shorter.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/30/25

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Guy C

If you enjoy a movie that seems uncommon retribution and unexpected twists,this is it!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/24/25

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Audience Member

A really sad movie... man did not let that slide at all

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

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thewrogn o

Intense, brutal, and hauntingly beautiful. I Saw the Devil is a masterclass in revenge thrillers, with stunning performances and chilling direction. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you can handle the darkness, it’s unforgettable. Choi Min-Sik is definitely a G.O.A.T

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/15/25

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Scott M

A true masterpiece of the revenge thriller genre. Suspenseful, disturbing, and unrelenting in its portrayal of shocking violence and human cruelty. Not for the faint of heart.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/12/25

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Will S

One of the meanest most beautiful films ever made. This will give you all of the emotions and you will beg for more. One of the few perfect movies ever made.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/05/25

Full Review

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Kim Jee-woon

Director

Lee Byung-hun

Soo-hyun

Choi Min-sik

Kyung-chul

Jeon Gook-hwan

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Chun Ho-jin

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San-ha Oh

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Synopsis

On a dark road, taxi driver Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik) 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 (Lee Byung-hun), 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

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