Film Illiterate, wherein the proprietor records movies seen, and sporadic progress through assorted lists of the "best". Originally started after regretfully renting something forgettable for the third time. I've forgotten what, but never again! A tedious endeavour since 2005. Hello. 🙂
Ghastly and obvious
Another unfortunate proof of the maxim that even the greatest production values, the most talented cast and the best cinematography can't make up for a lousy script.
The setup is interesting enough: a young man, Lee Byeong-gu, is convinced that his former employer Kang Man-shik is really an alien. Only Kang's blood contains the key to contact the alien prince and save the Earth!
The method that he settles on is torture, shown over the next two hours in excruciatingly vivid detail. The narrative is pushed forward by a series of flashbacks and the two detectives investigating the case, but these sequences generally just interrupt scenes of mutilation, electrocution etc. The story that comes out of it is interesting -- Lee's story is heartwrenching -- and the supporting cast, notably Lee's girlfriend Su-ni, are very well realized.
So it's rather unfortunate that there's very little plot to speak of, and two hours of blood and screaming does not make for pleasant viewing. Even if the "surprise twist" ending had been a surprise -- and it was painfully obvious -- it would hardly have compensated for the fact that the rest of the film was little more than a disturbingly misanthropic revenge fantasy.
Don't bother.