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I SAW THE DEVIL (AKMAREUL BOATDA)Movie Reviews
Korean language horror thriller about a secret service agent who attempts to avenge his wife's murder by torturing the serial killer responsible for her death. Cast:Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-SikDirector:Kim Jee-WoonRelease Date:March 4, 2011DVD Release:May 10, 2011From:MagnoliaLength:2 hr. 23 min.
MAY 10, 2011
I Saw the Devil (Akmareul boatda), Good Reviews, Mixed Key Cities
I Saw the Devil (Akmareul boatda) played in key cities to good reviews that at the same time were mixed. • Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "...a mind-boggling tale of serial murder and horrific retribution that will be this year's most controversial serious film." • And Amy Biancolli wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "...artfully depraved..." More Reviews Below...
I Saw the Devil (Akmareul boatda) Positive Reviews (26 Reviews, reviews below)
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a wildly violent, genre-pushing vengeance pic... Choi Min-sik goes to town as the embodiment of murdering, torturing evil..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 86 words, 03/04/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...operatically violent... Mr. Kim and his cinematographer, Lee Mogae, retain complete control of the film's fluctuating tones and impressive set pieces."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 412 words, 03/04/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...well-crafted... certainly more taut and even deeper than any American counterpart.... that doesn't mean its creepy, bloody, endless goings-on are any easier to endure."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 105 words, 03/04/11
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "When it comes to bloody revenge movies, it's difficult to beat the South Koreans.... a masterpiece of its genre... You won't soon forget it -- if you have the guts to see it."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 265 words, 03/04/11
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an inventive exercise on par with Korean director Jee-woon Kim's horror entry 'A Tale of Two Sisters' (2003) and 'The Good, the Bad, the Weird' (2008)."(See all of Bill Stamets's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 277 words, 03/25/11
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "Kim Jee-woon is a beast with disarming imagery... but has few resonating ideas, leaving the domino-tumble of brutality to become its own tiresome spectacle."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 206 words, 03/02/11
Bruce DeMara, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a journey that will make you cringe and bay for blood. It might also make you reconsider vengeance as a dish best not served at all."(See all of Bruce DeMara's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 473 words, 03/18/11
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a film conscious of its own absurd extremes and frankly, beautifully shot... The philosophical point is obvious and repeated several times."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 588 words, 03/18/11
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "Director Kim Jee-woon is a born filmmaker, even if this script (written by Park Hoon Jung and adapted by Kim) is unworthy of his efforts."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 03/18/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...makes you wish you knew how to scream 'O.M.G.' in Korean.... a jaw-droppingly-violent tale of a government agent who sets out to avenge..."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 659 words, 03/18/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a mind-boggling tale of serial murder and horrific retribution that will be this year's most controversial serious film.... a brilliantly realized celluloid nightmare."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 378 words, 03/11/11
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...an artfully depraved piece of South Korean torture porn... there isn't much humor to squeeze from torture porn - just a laughing cannibal..."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 378 words, 03/11/11
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...spectacularly bloody and vicious, but it's truly well-made.... Kim has a vivacious eye and teems with ideas about how to stage and pace sequences of silent terror..."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 189 words, 03/18/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "...so relentlessly ugly and garishly grim that it works. This is the stuff of nightmares, where even the good guy is bad, and as shock cinema goes, it packs a punch."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 294 words, 04/15/11
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "Kim Jee-woon is a beast with disarming imagery... but has few resonating ideas, leaving the domino-tumble of brutality to become its own tiresome spectacle."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 206 words, 03/02/11
Scott Tobias, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "...nasty... extreme even by the hair-raising standards of extreme Asian cinema. But for stout-hearted genre aficionados -- 'sickos,' if you will -- it's essential viewing."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 376 words, 03/03/11
Nick Schager, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...just hypocritical exploitation, which might still be acceptable... if the action weren't so draggy and rote, full of grisly butchery that vainly strives to shock."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 429 words, 02/27/11
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...operatically violent... Mr. Kim and his cinematographer, Lee Mogae, retain complete control of the film's fluctuating tones and impressive set pieces."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 412 words, 03/04/11
Rob Nelson, Daily Variety: OUTSTANDING "An unflinching gaze into the heart of pure evil and a perverse genre entertainment par excellence... beautifully filmed, carefully structured and viscerally engaging."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 819 words, 09/20/10
Elizabeth Kerr, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "...troublesome at best, offensive at worst.... [but] it's impeccably produced, and director Kim has a firm handle on every shot. The torture is creative to say the least..."(See all of Elizabeth Kerr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 458 words, 10/11/10
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...operatically violent... Mr. Kim and his cinematographer, Lee Mogae, retain complete control of the film's fluctuating tones and impressive set pieces."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 412 words, 03/04/11
20.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
I Saw the Devil (Akmareul boatda)'s reviews are separated by an average 20.5 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
I Saw the Devil (Akmareul boatda) (26 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:I Saw the Devil (Akmareul boatda)'s reviews cover 28.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 9,622 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 370 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
I Saw the Devil (Akmareul boatda) Coverage, Volume & Length (26 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 3.6 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
I Saw the Devil (Akmareul boatda)'s reviews on average broke 3.6 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is I Saw the Devil (Akmareul boatda)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
I Saw the Devil (Akmareul boatda) (26 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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