Korean films tend to distance themselves strongly from their strong television drama culture; they boast an artistic nature that is otherwise unexpected -- creators are not afraid of creating something unique, although such films may often contain slight elements that reflect the dramatic nature of Korea's entertainment media.
I Saw the Devil is a story of revenge, and how it may feel absolutely beautiful giving a psychotic killer that murdered your wife a constant fear of being caught and set free over and over like a killer whale toying with a seal, it may result in some collateral damage.
The film is a visual game of cat and mouse, as we see our protagonist take matters into his own hands once a series of murders in the area become a personal matter. Our protagonist wants nothing more than to inject pure fear into his victim, to give him the assumption that he has a chance to get away; although after the killer discovers how exactly he is able to be caught time and time again, he takes things to an even higher personal level: going after his family.
This is a story of the positives and negatives of revenge: how wounds caused may never fully heal in time, regardless of the actions one may take to suppress those emotions. Revenge is simply a single droplet falling into a puddle, rippling further and further into the lives of others. There are no true winners. I love I Saw the Devil due to its ability to show that the devil is in all of us; in a way, even our killer that treated others in nonredeemable ways saw the devil outside of himself.
I'm not much of a fan of the action genre, but knowing that there is a bigger, bittersweet meaning behind the scenes that do contain crazy amounts of action is great. It's nice to see a film that provides reason behind character actions; those scenes ensure that they aren't just a bit of fast-paced fun, but telling us more of the characters and the film's narrative. It reminds us of the fragility of the human mind and how emotions can take control of us; how emotions can take us down unspeakable roads in life.
