Viciado

"Addicted" is a story about two brothers that live in the same house with a very good relationship, while the older brother is a nice and caring husband to his wife the younger brother played by Lee Byung-Hun is a carefree guy who is into racing. But things come to a drastic change when both brothers get into a car accident on the same day and the tragedy leads to both brothers into a coma, except the younger brother wakes up while the older brother is still in coma and things start to make a drastic turn from there. It's a somewhat boring film for most part since there is nothing innovative about it except the twist at the end which isn't much of a payoff either. Everything is just too slow and it felt like it dragged longer than it should have, nothing about it was really entertaining. It isn't even that smart of a film or thought provoking and it seemed to depend way too much on the twist near the end, and if your a movie vet it's sort of predictable.

5/10

Ho-jin (LEE Eol) and Dae-jin (LEE Byung-hun) are brothers in very good terms. They speak about everything to each other. The relationship has not changed after Ho-jin married Eun-su (LEE Mi-yeon). The three has made a happy family in the house in the suburbs which contains a workshop for Ho-jin, a carpenter, and a garage for Dae-jin, a car racer. But their happiness suddenly comes to an end and trials begin. On the same day at the same time, the brothers meet a car crash respectively -- Dae-jin during a car race; Ho-jin on his way to the racing circuit. They both fall into a coma, and one year later, only Dae-jin awakes from his coma. Dae-jin goes home, and he and Eun-su start the life without Ho-jin. Before long she finds the brother-in-law is somewhat different than he was. He waters the plants in the garden every morning, which was Ho-jin's part. He prepares dinner for Eun-su -- he didn't cook before; Ho-jin did. And he begins to repair furniture, saying that his fingers don't move like they did. Dae-jin tells her that he is Ho-jin. Eun-su cannot believe him. Does possession really happen? Has Ho-jin's soul taken over Dae-jin's body? But when she's inclined to accept him as her husband, more cruel trials are beginning. The twisted and detail-conscious story line has made the film soar beyond a simple possession story or a stereotyped romance. The performance of the two leading actors, LEE Byung-hun and LEE Mi-yeon is splendid! Especially Byung-hun's eyes are great. They shows purity and strong will at the same time. Without the eyes, the film might have not been a success. And Mi-yeon's ability of expressions is incredible. She's the kind of actresses who talk by their looks much more than words. When Dae-jin wants to enter her bedroom, or when she proposes him to talk together about Ho-jin and starts talking, the strained atmosphere build on the screen is enormous. (9 out of 10) - USHIRO Satoshi

In terms of the narrative structure, like many korean movies, the filmmakers did not employ any innovative techniques at all, a linear narrative approach is presented. Everything is brought out plain and slow, as a result audiences may find some scenes boring. Although there is a minor twist at the end, overall speaking, the plot is not too rich or entertaining. Whether it's worth watching depends whether you have the time and patience.

Although, you will probably guess what's going on. You might not guess how it will end. But if you are a Korean movie fan, you probably will. Good acting, an exciting motor car race, and some really lovely colour scenes. Some of which reminded me of 50's Hollywood movies, particularly probably those of Douglas Sirk.

Brothers Dae-jin (Byung-hun Lee) and Ho-jin (Eol Lee) are both involved in car accidents that leave them in a coma. When Dae-jin regains consciousness he begins to exhibit mannerisms that suggest that he is possessed by his brother's spirit, which leaves Ho-jin's wife Eun-su (Mi-yeon Lee) uncertain how to react.

I watched the dreadfully dull Sarah Michelle Gellar movie Possession not so long ago, unaware that it was a remake of Korean drama Addicted, a film that has sat gathering dust in my box of unseen DVDs for quite some time now. On seeing that the original had a pretty decent rating here on IMDb, I decided to dig it out and thankfully found it to be the superior film, a classy affair that, unlike the remake, deals with its subject matter in a subtle and intelligent manner.

Like Possession, Addicted is a real slow-burn of a film, the narrative unfolding in a considered manner that I suspect will be way too leisurely for many viewers, but with the Korean film successfully avoiding the dumb plot holes and ridiculous characterisations that made its US counterpart difficult to endure, it proves to be a thoroughly engaging bittersweet romance, twisted and yet touching at the same time.