Monster

This instantly became one of my favorite films, even when I watched it without subtitles and couldn't understand a lick of Korean. I adore that the hero is a grown woman with a developmental disability and her relationship with the child has so much chemistry. The way in which the villain disposes of his victim's bodies and collection of mementos of his murders was my absolute favorite detail. It's the iconic theme that I always think of to identify this film. The cinematography is excellent as well as the acting. The script combines humor and horror in a fluid way that does not break immersion. The only thing that would make this film better in my opinion is to stray away from the campy blood splatter effects, but thankfully they are hardly used. What more, the minimal amount of blood used up until the climax made it all the more impactful. I definitely recommend.

This Korean drama has three main characters; Bok-soon, who may be a little slow but is happy enough running her vegetable stall at the local market hoping to fund her younger sister's university tuition. She is however prone to violence if confronted. Tae-soo, a potter who lives in a remote house; he is also a serial killer. Finally there is Nari, a nine year old girl. Their lives will become tragically entangled after Tae-soo's brother asks him to retrieve a phone from a woman who is blackmailing his boss. That woman is Nari's older sister. Tae-soo kills her and tells Nari to run; he will come after her and kill her and anybody she asks for help. She meets Bok-soon and this leads to her sister's death. Together Nara and Bok-soon flee. Bok-soon is determined to save Nari as well as avenge her sister. Tae-soo is now after both of them.

I found this film to be very enjoyable and not what I expected. There is plenty of drama and the violence, of which there is quite a lot, is bloody and brutal; that was expected. What was not expected was the fact that it frequently manages to be rather funny and there is a touching relationship that develops between Bok-soon and Nari. The cast is solid; especially those playing the three leads. Locations are used well and the cinematography is great; at times things had an almost dreamlike feel to them, most notably a foggy scene in a forest. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of Korean films who are looking for something a little different.

These comments are based on watching the film in Korean with English subtitles.

I really didn't like the story, it was pretty straight forward. Unlike the traditional korean thriller, it was dull. If have already watched too many Korean thriller, you are not going to love it. Besides,I also think the monster character is too exaggerating. Too much violence is shown which is really difficult to watch. But one thing that I liked most is the bonding between two girls. Though they are biological sisters, they seem pretty conncted. Yet rest of the movie is sh**.

Where is the story?

Just the serial killer is trying to find those two girls who were successfully escaped from his hands. The movie all about finding them and trying to kill them.

A couple awkward parts here and there, but still, a tense and brutal movie!

I first saw Kim Go-Eun in "Memories of the Sword" (which I plan to watch again sometime; I don't think I paid enough attention to it last time), and now, this creepy thriller "Monster". And after this film, I simply must say: I ADORE her acting soooooooooooooooooooo much!!!! She commits to the role incredibly well, occasionally making me laugh, as well as making me cringe and whisper "oooo", or "eeek", or "woah", during an intense scene, or if she does something totally unexpected! After seeing Memories of the Sword again, I'll be able to compare both roles she played, while also preparing to check out some other performances of hers. But after today, I think I may personally like her performance in this brutal shocking thriller the best!! No lies here!

Definitely a sick and twisted villain too! Nice job to that actor's work as well!

Another dramatic Korean film that doesn't disappoint. This picture contains a rich evil businessman and his crimes. Through a series of events a psychotic killer is unleashed. The film switches back-and-forth between heart warming scenes and scenes of mayhem, death, and destruction. Events unfold where the victims start piling up until we get to our female protagonist. The two young characters are no match physically for the psycho adopted hitman that has been unleashed on them. You will find the action very believable whether it is in a crowded city or in the beautiful countryside. While the ending is satisfying it does not go over the top.