It seems like the turn towards the crime thriller, which was actually one of the driving forces behind the current popularity Korean cinema enjoys, is back for good, as titles like “The Childe”, “Hopeless” etc eloquently highlight this year. Kim Jae-hoon also moves in the same direction for his feature debut, by coming up with a movie that channels John Woo's “Face Off” significantly, but definitely going much further.
Devils screened at Fantasia International Film Festival
Having lost his colleague who was also his brother-in-law to a serial murderer two years ago, homicide detective Jae-hwan is unable to contain his hatred toward the murderer and dives headfirst into hunting the brutal killer, in a way that blurs the lines of who is the criminal and who is the lawman. Eventually, he comes face to face with the murderer Jin-hyeok, actually getting him exactly where he wanted, but at that exact moment, an accident takes place. Waking up in a hospital, Jae-hwan realizes his body has been switched with that of the murderer. To protect his family, which is now in the “company” of the killer, and uncover how this whole thing happened, Jae-hwan becomes even more desperate and violent.
Kim Jae-hoon directs a film that unfolds in two axes, one evident and one more philosophical. Expectedly, the evident one concerns the change of identities and how the two men find themselves having to adapt to a completely new environment, hide their identity from their new “allies” and also convince the former ones of the unlikely change. Expectedly, the way they continuously fail dictates a significant part of the narrative, with the struggles they face resulting in agony, tension, and a series of action scenes that can only be described as brutal. Furthermore, the mystery about how all this happened also permeates the story, adding even more to the aforementioned elements.
Check also this interview
The philosophical ones revolve around the concept of good and evil, with Kim presenting two rather ambiguous characters, both of which eventually seem to linger towards the latter, with what changing, essentially, is who “wins” the title of ‘victim' and who of ‘aggressor'. Furthermore, as time passes, the director also includes the everlasting concept of crime and punishment, which is presented in harsher and harsher fashion as the movie unfolds. This approach will remind many of “I Saw the Devil”, although the change of identities and capacities here has a much more literal hypostasis.
All the aforementioned look (and are) quite intriguing to watch, but the truth is that, after a point, both direction and story lose their sense of measure, with Kim including a number of hyperbolic aspects as much as a number of crucial “easy ways out” that definitely harms a story that is captivating to a point. This aspect, and the inevitable melodrama that becomes part of the narrative again close to the end, are essentially what strip “Devils” from being great.
On the other hand, in terms of production values, the film is top notch. Chae Jung-seok's dark and gritty cinematography mirrors the psychosynthesis of the protagonists to perfection while providing a great setting for the rather brutal action. Go Ah-mo's editing results in a fast pace that also suits the aesthetics, while the flashbacks are well placed within the narrative in order to allow the story to unfold in the best way possible.
Jang Dong-yoon as Jin-hyeok and Oh Dae-hwan as Jae-hwan play off each other nicely, with the first being a bit more excessive in his villainy. The scenes where the two co-exist are all among the highlights of the movie, along with the many action scenes.
“Devils” has some issues with its script, particularly regarding the closing of the story, but as a whole, it offers much entertainment and it is bound to satisfy fans of violent crime thrillers.
