Monday, August 9, 2010

We are the Sprocket Holes vol. 157

Kim Ji-Woon's I SAW THE DEVIL Banned From Public Theaters In Korea.

by Todd Brown, August 8, 2010 4:37 PM


So, just how hard edged is Kim Ji-Woon's upcoming revenge thriller I Saw The Devil? Hard enough that producers have been planning to release it with an 18+ rating - the highest rating given to films approved for public release in Korea. The rating they've been given - and given twice, now - however is one known as 'Limited Screening', a highly restrictive rating that only allows the film to be screened in special theaters that only show adult films. Currently no such theaters exist, meaning the film has effectively been banned.

Originally submitted for ratings review a month ago, the film has undergone re-editing since first being hit by the rating but to no avail. The rating stood a second submission and distributors have now called off scheduled press screenings while they try to address the ratings board concerns and get a rating on the film that will allow them to actually release it. The official concern? Scenes that "severely damage the dignity of human values."

Kyung-chul is a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. He has committed infernal serial murders in diabolic ways that one cannot even imagine and his victims range from young women to even children. The police have chased him for a long time, but were unable to catch him. One day, Joo-yeon, daughter of a retired police chief becomes his prey and is found dead in a horrific state.

Her fiance Dae-hoon, a top secret agent, decides to track down the murderer himself. He promises himself that he will do everything in his power to take bloody vengeance against the killer, even if it means that he must become a monster himself to get this monstrous and inhumane killer.


One of the most hyped films of the year thanks to its pairing of actors Lee Byung-hyun (A Bittersweet Life, The Good The Bad And The Weird, GI Joe) and Choi Min-Sik (Oldboy) with the director of A Tale Of Two Sisters, this sort of thing will only liken heighten the anticipation for the film around the world - it premieres as part of the Toronto International Film Festival in September - but could be a huge blow to its domestic success unless they can get things sorted quickly.


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