History Film / ISawTheDevil

** Even the despicable serial killer Kyung-chul evidently has people he cares for [[spoiler: as when he hears the voices of his abandoned elderly parents and young son (that he seemed to take efforts in keeping separate from his crimes) trying to visit him while he's trapped in a guillotine he begins to genuinely panic and frantically begs them to leave so they won't have to see him gruesomely die. It's quite harrowing and one of the actions that solidifies Soo-hyun's descent into a monster.]]

''I Saw the Devil'' is a 2010 South Korean {{revenge}} action-thriller film directed by Kim Ji-woon (''Film/ATaleOfTwoSisters'', ''Film/TheGoodTheBadTheWeird'', ''Film/ABittersweetLife'') and starring Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik.

** In the end, [[spoiler:[[NotSoDifferent Soo-hyun smokes a cigarette]] and uses it to burn Kyung-chul]].

* UnderestimatingBadassery: Soo-hyun eventually [[RealityEnsues discovers what a bad idea it is to keep a murderous psychopath alive to toy with]].

* RealityEnsues: [[spoiler:Soo-hyun may have gotten his revenge by murdering Kyung-chul, but he ends up causing huge amounts of damage, including his father-in-law being grieviously injured and his sister-in-law being killed. Never mind the fact that he also [[HeWhoFightsMonsters becomes]] [[EvilvsEvil just as monstrous as Kyung-chul was in his pursuit for vengeance.]]]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: What happened to the schoolgirl and the kidnapped victim in the cannibal's house? We see them scurry away as Soo-hyun battles Kyung-chul, but there's no follow up.

* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: When Soo-hyun first drops in on his first suspect, he's busy masturbating to porn in his room. He decides to alert him of his presence by cutting his computer's power just as he's about to finish.

''I Saw the Devil'' is a 2010 South Korean {{revenge}} action-thriller film directed by Kim Ji-woon (''Film/ATaleOfTwoSisters'', ''Film/TheGoodTheBadTheWeird'', ''Film/ABittersweetLife''). It stars Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:One of Kyung-chul's preferred murder types is decapitation via guillotine; he is ultimately offed in that fashion by that same blade, in a particularly twisted setup organized by Soo-hyun. He's left holding between his teeth a rope which connects to a door and then up to the blade. When his familys arrives later, they inadvertently trigger his decapitation by opening that door and pulling the rope out of his teeth.]]

* RevengeBeforeReason: Soo-hyun strives for revenge over all other factors, even after being begged to stop by his fiance's family, and even though it puts a number of other people in peril.

* SayingTooMuch: While talking with Soo-hyun, Squad Chief Jang makes the [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom fatal error]] of [[spoiler:bringing up the TrackingDevice Soo-hyun planted in a nearby Kyung-chul ''just'' as his sedative wears off]].
* SerialKiller: Kyung-chul has killed around a dozen women, as evidenced by the items in his lair.

* SmallNameBigEgo: Kyung-chul. Even though he's a sleazy serial killer whose only known "friend" is [[spoiler: a psychotic cannibal]], he thinks very highly of himself and [[spoiler:doesn't change his tune until the moment he is brutally killed.]]
* SoftGlass: Averted. Soo-hyun knows that this is not true; the only time he jumps through a window, he wears gloves and a rather thick hoodie, and also grabs a sheet of cloth for extra protection.

* TooDumbToLive: A woman standing at a deserted bus stop at night lets herself get convinced to accept a ride from a very insistent stranger in a van. She ''does'' hesitate quite formidably, but ultimately caves. [[spoiler:She is killed for it.]]

** A more minor example is [[spoiler:the transmitter he plants on the school bus Kyung-chul drives for similar purposes]].

* UnderestimatingBadassery: Soo-hyun eventually [[RealityEnsues discovers what a bad idea it is to keep a deranged psychopath alive to toy with]].

** Near the end of the movie, [[spoiler:Soo-hyun succeeds in getting Kyung-chul to [[AintTooProudToBeg beg for his life like so many of his own victims]]. Subverted in that it was an act on Kyung-chul's part]].
** [[spoiler:Then played straight when Soo-hyun leaves and Kyung-chul's parents and son come to visit him. Kyung-chul really starts to panic as they're about to see him in the state Soo-hyun left him in, holding a rope with his teeth that, if released, would let the guillotine down]].

* WickedCultured: The cannibal Tae-joo enjoys listening to classical music while preparing his "meals".

* RealityEnsues: [[spoiler:Soo-hyun may have gotten his revenge by murdering Kyung-chul, but he ends up causing huge amounts of damage, his father-in-law to be grieviously injured and the death of his sister-in-law. Never mind the fact that he also [[HeWhoFightsMonsters becomes]] [[EvilvsEvil just as monstrous as Kyung-chul was in his pursuit for vengeance.]]]]

* RasputinianDeath: [[spoiler:Kyung-chul survives a lot of serious injuries at the hands of Soo-hyun before his guillotine finally does him in -- namely being beaten unconscious, losing several fistfights and cracking a couple bones in the process, taking a fire extinguisher multiple times to the face, getting his Achilles tendon severed, getting his head split open with a rod, taking a hot cigarette to the face, and being impaled through the cheeks.]]

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:One of Kyung-chul's preferred murder types is decapitation via guillotine; he is ultimately offed in that fashion by that same blade, in a particularly twisted setup organized by Soo-hyun. He would be left holding the blade up by a rope between his teeth that connected to a door. When his family would arrive later, they would inadvertently trigger his decapitation by opening that door.]]
* HypocriticalHumor: Kyung-chul often calls everyone "crazy" and/or "psycho".
* IdiotBall: The police has it bad. They have called Kyung-chul in before, and know where he lives. So [[spoiler: when Kyung-chul left all his evidence at the crime scene at the start of the movie, why didn't they get him then?]]

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Soo-hyun manages to see to the end of his retribution against Kyung-chul, resulting in his death, but by this point, it's clear he's lost everything. His career as a police officer is in jeopardy because of the sheer amount of damage he's caused in his pursuit of vengeance, his father-in-law ends up grievously injured, his sister-in-law ends up ''dead'', and in having Kyung-chul decapitated [[KickTheDog right in front of the guy's parents and son]], he realizes that he [[HeWhoFightsMonsters has become just as monstrous as Kyung-chul had been]]. By the end of the movie, he's walking away from all the carnage he's caused, crying hysterically ([[AlternateCharacterInterpretation and maybe even laughing]]), completely alone.]]

* GroinAttack: Soo-hyun attacks his first suspect by smashing his groin with a hammer.

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Essentially the core of the film, as it's explored in Soo-hyun's increasingly sadistic persistence in exacting revenge against Kyung-chul, as well as discussed by other cops commenting on his behavior.

** [[spoiler: Then played straight when Soo-hyun leaves and Kyung-chul's parents and son come to visit him. Kyung-Chul really starts to panic as they're about to see him in the state Soo-hyun left him in, holding a rope with his teeth that, if released, would let the guillotine down]].

* AxCrazy: Kyung-chul reveals himself to be a danger to just about everyone around him. Even after getting his hand mended by a doctor, he nearly decides to murder the doctor over some gentle scolding. The only reason he relents is because he turns his attention on the doctor's attractive nurse. All of this is part of what makes Soo-Hyun's catch-and-release plan so reckless.

--> "I'll promise this. I'll give him pain that's 1,000 times... no, 10,000 times more painful."

* AintTooProudToBeg: Double subverted. [[spoiler:When Soo-hyun finally gets Kyung-chul exactly where he wants him to execute his final act of revenge, he seemingly breaks down and begs for his life, but then drops the act and states that since he cannot feel pain or fear -- the exact things Soo-hyun wants him to feel the most -- Soo-hyun has already lost. However, once he leaves Kyung-chul holding up his own guillotine blade by a rope in his teeth that connects to a door, his family arrives and starts to open the same door, at which point he begins letting out very real, very terrified pleas for them to leave. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard It]] [[OffWithThisHead doesn't boot.]]]]

* SayingTooMuch: While talking with Soo-hyun, Squad Chief Jang makes the [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom fatal error]] of [[spoiler:bringing up the TrackingDevice he planted in a nearby Kyung-chul ''just'' as his sedative wears off]].

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Soo-hyun manages to see to the end of his retribution against Kyung-chul, resulting in his death, but by this point, it's clear he's lost everything. His career as a police officer is in jeopardy because of the sheer amount of damage he's caused in his pursuit of vengeance, his father-in-law ends up grievously injured, his sister-in-law ends up ''dead'', and in having Kyung-chul decapitated [[KickTheDog right in front of the guy's parents and son]], he realizes that he [[HeWhoFightsMonsters has become just as monstrous as Kyung-chul had been]]. By the end of the movie, he's walking away from all the carnage he's caused, crying hysterically ([[AlternateCharacterInterpretation and maybe even laughing]], completely alone.]]

** In the end, [[spoiler:Soo-hyun smokes a cigarette and uses it to burn Kyung-chul]].

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:One of Kyung-chul's preferred murder types is decapitation via guillotine blade; he is ultimately offed in that fashion by that same blade, in a particularly twisted setup organized by Soo-hyun. He would be left holding the blade up by a rope between his teeth that connected to a door. When his family would arrive later, they would inadvertently trigger his decapitation by opening that door.]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Soo-hyun's constant catch-and-release torment of Kyung-chul gives the latter time to find out Soo-hyun's identity. Kyung-Chul then [[spoiler:tracks down Joo-yun's family, beating her father within a centimeter of his life and killing his sister outright]].

--> ''I'll promise this. I'll give him pain that's 1,000 times... no, 10,000 times more painful.''

** When Tae-joo tries to remove the screwdriver pinning his hand on the table. The handle promptly comes off with a humorous "pop!" He slams the table in frustration.

* AintTooProudToBeg: Double subverted. [[spoiler:When Soo-hyun finally gets Kyung-chul exactly where he wants him to execute his final act of revenge, he seemingly breaks down and begs for his life. Soo-hyun asks if he's heard that a lot from his victims, at which point Kyung-chul drops the act and states that Soo-hyun has already lost, seemingly subverting the trope and draining Soo-hyun's power. However, once he leaves Kyung-chul holding up his own guillotine blade by a rope in his teeth that connects to a door, his family arrives and starts to open the same door, at which point he begins letting out very real, very terrified pleas for them to leave. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard It]] [[OffWithThisHead doesn't boot.]]]]

* NothingIsScarier: While the film shows almost every detail of {{gorn}} available in the plot, it's notably hush-hush on [[spoiler:what exactly Kyung-chul did to Se-yun, Soo-hyun's sister-in-law. We see a glimpse of her body after the fact, but that's it]].

* LonelyPianoPiece: Soo-hyun's theme, used to full effect over the film's closing shot.

After his fiancée is horrifically and indiscriminately murdered, government agent Kim Soo-hyun (Byung-hun) vows to avenge the murder by any means necessary. He eventually finds the killer in [[BigBad Jang Kyung-chul]] (Min-sik), a psychopath to whom kidnapping, raping and murdering young women come as easy as breathing.