bangx-81344 This is one of my favourite films of all time! I'm a huge fan of Asian cinema and this one stands out as one of the best I've seen. I've watched it several times now and it never disappoints! It's beautifully filmed and I love how it all slowly builds up to the brutal end. I won't give anything away as I think it's better to watch it first time round without knowing what to expect. But to me, it's pure perfection!

Maz Murdoch (asda-man) Korea is such a stand-out country for delivering consistently sensational horror films, often in the revenge department. Oldboy is nothing short of a masterpiece and I Saw the Devil is one favourite films ever. The Koreans aren't afraid to push the barrier and also never fail to deliver a few large helpings of emotional wallops. They put a lot of effort into writing their characters, in order for the audience to invest in the film. Bedevilled is no different.Bedevilled is yet another example of Korean superiority. Thank goodness the loopy Kim Jong-Un has left South Korea alone because otherwise we wouldn't be getting these incredible pieces of art (or Psy!) which are important to our society. Bedevilled is a slow burner, but it's anything but boring. It takes it time in setting up its two female characters so the audience can care about them (even if one of them is a little more than unlikable) and thus not care about the slow pace of the film. However, I would say that if you're only into some slashing and dashings with thrills and spills, then stay clear, because Bedevilled delivers something much more than that.I think that Bedevilled is more complex than just a 'revenge movie' and I think too many people dismiss it as just that. To me Bedevilled was about a lonely woman who had been subjected to years of abuse from her husband and lack of support from the few islanders, yet always pushed it aside and treated it as nothing, until she cracks. I found Bedevilled very psychological and it brilliantly portrays the tragic mental breakdown of an isolated woman who just can't take any more abuse.The build up in Bedevilled is nothing short of brilliant. I loved the way it slowly switched main characters about a quarter of a way through. We initially follow a hard-nosed woman working in mainland Seoul who then goes over to a small island where her grandfather used to live to see her friend. Initially we don't really think much of her friend, because we've been following Hae-Wan who is also very self-centred. However, the film slowly allows Kim Bok-Nam (the friend) to surface and we begin to feel an unbelievable amount of sympathy for her as she's so badly treated by her husband.As I said before the build up is slow but extremely effective. I didn't find it boring in the slightest because it allowed the characters to develop, which in turn made the film more and more gripping as it went along. Eventually Bedevilled does explode after some truly shocking and devastating moments, but should we really be rooting for Kim Bok-Nam all the way? Bedevilled ends up being incredibly thought-provoking as well as exciting and visceral. The final moments pack quite an emotional punch and will have you glued to the screen. I especially liked the match cut which compared Hae-Wan to the island, suggesting a deep inner conflict with herself.Bedevilled is yet another masterful Korean film which manages to tick all the boxes. The actresses also end up being quite exceptional in their respective roles. The film also looks gorgeous in blu-ray, I'd highly recommend it. The cinematography is often breath-taking which adds an usual quality later on as the beautiful back-drop is also used for the scenery of such vile and hideous acts. Bedevilled is well worth your time and money. It reminds you just how amazing foreign films are.

suite92 Self-involved bank officer Hae-won (makes decisions about loans) witnessed an attempted rape, and does not want to identify the perpetrators for the police to support the victim's case.She gets people irritated with her at work, and her boss decides she should take a vacation. She goes to Moo-do Island, which is currently rather sparsely populated, where her old friend Bok-nam lives and also where she grew up.Oi, what a primitive island. Bok-nam's husband is a real control freak, and imports a prostitute from the mainland. He seduces Bok-nam's daughter, who is putatively his.Hae-won gets fired by e-mail. Nice touch. She's about to go home when Bok-nam tells her about the daughter. The matriarch of the island invites her directly to leave, or stay forever.Bok-nam tries to escape to Seoul with her daughter, early in the morning, before Hae-won wakes up. The husband beats her up instead, badly, and kills the daughter. Explaining this to the police officer who visited was amazing in the depth of the lying. The locals encourage the policeman to leave before Hae-won can go with him. He does.What could possibly go wrong at this point? That is basically the heart of the movie. Will Hae-won survive with these terrible people, who used to be her people? If so, what will she do when she gets back?-----Scores-------Cinematography: 10/10 No problems.Sound: 10/10 Just fine.Acting: 5/10 Yeong-hie Seo and Sung-won Ji were just terrible. The fellow who played the violent husband was even worse. The supporting players were OK.Screenplay: 5/10 Should have been a 30 or 40 minute short, part of an anthology. Stretched way too long.

Ben Larson There is no clue in the beginning about what is to come. One first suspects that Hae-won (Ji Seong-won) is going to be a victim as she witnesses an attempted murder. The stress of that causes problems at work, so she is forced to take a vacation.She heads to the island where she used to live with her friend Bok-nam(Seo Yeong-hee). Bok-nam's live is a living hell. Her husband beats her and takes all the money she earns to use on prostitutes, her brother-in-law rapes her repeatedly, and the old island women use her as a slave. She wants desperately to leave with her daughter before she is subjected to the same abuse.Things go from bad to worse before everything gets extremely bloody.