Too often on Netflix, I find myself saying: “No, I do not want to watch ‘From Dusk ‘till Dawn 3,’ ‘Mean Girls 2’ or ‘Bad Girls From Mars’.” After the Qwikster fiasco and opposition from many of Hollywood’s largest production companies, some quality films are only attainable by paying extra. This leaves Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” library filled with titles that are little more than cinematic santorum.
Even though Netflix attempts to tailor suggestions to individuals’ likings, more often than not, it results in groups of suggestions with bizarrely specific titles like “Sentimental Romantic Showbiz Movies.” If you don’t know what to look for, finding something good to watch is very difficult. However, lost in an endlessly growing queue and buried underneath thousands of rows of titles there are these few hidden Netflix gems:
“I Saw the Devil” (2010)
NR ( but not for children)
142 minutes, Horror/Thriller, Korean (English subtitles)
There’s a saying that “when going on a path of revenge, dig two graves.” I would add to that: Bring a camera crew, because the adventure will be awesome. Korean director Kim Jee-Woon’s “I Saw the Devil” is that adventure.
The movie follows Korean secret agent Kim Soo-hyeon (played by Byung-hun Lee from “G.I. Joe”) as he hunts the notorious serial killer Jang Kyung-chul (played by Min-sik Choi) who murdered his wife. Soo-hyeon’s strategy for exacting his revenge runs as follows: find, beat up, release and repeat. The serial killer, Kyung-chul, however, is not one to be trifled with. Beaten and bruised, Kynug-chul decides to fight back, resulting in an electric series of events.
Incorporating fast-paced martial arts fight scenes with tense and gritty characters and dialogues, “I Saw the Devil” will likely be unique from anything you’ve seen before.
You’ll like this movie if you enjoy gory thrillers, Asian cinema or kung fu movies.
Bonus hidden awesome movie you’ve already seen:
“Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie” (1995)
I don’t know about you, but I found my Halloween costume.
