User reviews

This movie begins well as the young couple are tricked into giving a ride to a sullen, brooding man. Tension mounts as the man is apparently stalking them after they finally get him out of their car. However, once it has been established that the passenger is dangerous--which happens within the first 30 minutes of the film, the movie is unable to maintain any real suspense. In lieu of suspense, we are given graphic violence. The torture scenes are extended, disturbing, and unnecessary and the battle that should have been the climax of the film comes 30 minutes to early. Everything that happens after that, which is meant to be shocking, comes across as anti-climactic and predictable. The final scene also seems so out of character for the person involved that it is ridiculous and should have been omitted. I left the theater with a headache.

This technically well made but highly sadistic thriller is basically an inferior Korean remake of The Hitcher with a bit of Seven thrown in. While the film is different enough from The Hitcher to not qualify as a remake, there's no doubt at all that the filmmakers here saw the 1980's Rutger Hauer film--there are two scenes, one in a restaurant where the psycho tries to taunt the hero into killing him, in The Hitcher with a gun and this film with a knife, and a second where the hero falls asleep in a police station only to wake up and find the cops murdered--that are too similar to be a coincidence. As dark as the American film was The Hitcher was still entertaining because the movie moved quickly and had numerous well-directed action set-pieces. Say Yes, in contrast, is largely lacking in action besides the sadistic torture scenes late in the film.

South Korean thrillers are amazing, that much is fact. From the hammer swinging, octopus chomping lunacy of 'Oldboy' to the obscenely violent and visceral 'I Saw the devil', they've been kicking the pampered backside of Hollywood's cookie cutter film industry for a good decade now. Sadly, the success of these movies (along with 'The Chaser', 'The Host', 'The Yellow sea' and more) has, in a way, conspired to make 'Say yes' a slightly disappointing movie in comparison.

To celebrate their anniversary, Jeong-Hyun takes wife Yun-Hie on a romantic road trip along the coast, however it's not long into their journey that the happy couple encounter the mysterious (and outwardly hostile) Em, when they back into him with their car. Using this as excuse to demand a lift to the next town, Em begins to show a dark side, openly threatening the couple, who soon realize that their lives could well depend on getting as far away from this man as possible. Unfortunately for them, Em has a sadistic game in mind and has chosen them to play it with.

If all of this sounds familiar, then you, like me, have no doubt seen 'The Hitcher', the seminal psycho hitchhiker flick where a magnificently evil Rutger Hauer takes a young traveler on a horrific and unforgettable journey into hell (figuratively speaking). This film shares a LOT of DNA with 'The Hitcher', from small details like the psycho's trench coat, to larger details, such as the entire plot, a couple of set pieces and much of the character Hauer so skillfully created in his movie. That's not to say that Joong-Hoon Park is not good as Em, he's excellent, genuinely creepy, intimidating and clearly mad as a box of dog dicks (this is one area where he manages to separate his character from Hauer's, who is SO evil that it seems as if he might be the devil himself, Em, on the other hand, is drawn as simply being utterly insane), there are just too many tics and line deliveries that seem a little TOO familiar.

Putting the possible plagiarism to one side, there is plenty to recommended about 'Say yes'. Both of the other two performances in this three-hander are excellent, Ju-Hyuk Kim in particular, as protective and devoted husband Jeong-Hymn, is not afraid to play his character as fairly unsympathetic for a good portion of the film, ignoring his wife's advice and actually engaging in this competition with Em, at least until the full scope of his plan (and his insanity) become clear to him. Sang- Mi Choo acquits herself very well too, despite a severely underwritten role, her character really only serving to keep the stakes high for the increasingly desperate Jeong-Hyun.

Director Sung-Hong Kim manages to maintain an air of tension throughout the film right up until the final 40 minutes, where a series of false endings kill the pace somewhat. Thankfully everything comes back together during the actual finale, it's grisly, shocking, intense, everything I expect from a Korean thriller, and makes me wish that the rest of the movie, which never really rises above being just 'good', could match it.

'Say yes' is a very watchable thriller, with fine performances, it's just a little derivative and a little too much like an American production when compared to other Korean efforts with stronger identities and a little more imagination.

I have seen many good Korean Movies including thrillers and movies with darker overtone, but this one sucks. The director seems to be a sadist, who happened to get someone to produce some junk. The movie lacks any sort of entertainment value and is not even a thriller. I can't believe someone really made such a movie. Even though acting is OK, the story line and the feeling it leaves is awful.

I am sure, I am not going to see any movies of this director. No sense of movie making, and utter disappointment in having thriller moments. All this has is showing scenes with psychopath wasting the reels with badly shot scenes and showing more blood and violence thinking that makes it thrilling. Very disappointing movie and I strongly recommend skipping all the movies of this sort.

In Seoul, when the aspirant writer Jeong-hyun (Ju-hyuk Kim) finds an editor for his book, he buys a car and calls his wife and translator Yoon-hee (Sang Mi Chu) to travel to Sokcho to celebrate in style their first anniversary of marriage. He promises an unforgettable trip to her, and their happiness is briefly interrupted when the couple has an incident with a drifter (Joong-Hoon Park) that asks them for a lift. The guy chases them and irritates Jeong-hyun, provoking his reaction in public. Along the next days, the expressionless man proves to be a psychopath to the couple, but always without witnesses. When Jeong-hyun and Yoon-hee believe they have escaped from the man, they find that he is a sadistic murderer in their tail and they have to fight to survive.

"Sae-yi Yaeseu" is an excellent combination of "Cape Fear", "The Hitcher" and "Duel" but with a great difference in its conclusion. Hollywood would never let a gore and noncommercial unhappy end like in this movie. Joong-Hoon Park is perfect in the role of a deranged psychopath that decides to destroy the life of the couple just because they are happy. His exaggerated indestructibility recalls T-1000 in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day", but it works, increasing the action and the suspense of the story. The gorgeous Sang Mi Chu shows a wonderful chemistry with Ju-hyuk Kim, contributing to a darker and also ambiguous end. I regret that this film is totally underrated in IMDb User Rating. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Morra ou Diga Sim" ("Die or Say Yes")

This Korean 'Hitcher' may lack Rutger Hauer but it still has style and if the, admittedly disturbing, first half strikes one as fairly mild watch out for the bone crunchingly wild last 40 minutes or so, which are so, over the top.

If as seems possible, Hong Kong is having to reign in some of it's cinematic excesses under pressure from their new bosses on the mainland, then this little domain seems keen to take over in the torturous, gut wrenching and bloody stakes.

Not overly original but tough indeed and some really nasty stuff. So, why not say yes to this little seen film?

Say Yes is a taut, slick, thriller that deserves to be seen. Well made, well acted, well directed. It is fast paced, twisted and sick, as a good thriller should be.

This is a film that balances nicely between gritty realism, and heightened-realism, without falling into the realms of "hollywood-realism". For example, there are car chases and crashes, but nothing explodes, and the cars stay crashed! While the story of a couple picking up a hitcher who then terrorises them has obviously been done before, this movie has enough originality and realism to make the simple premise fresh and entertaining.

There are some quite gruesome and bloody moments to keep you squirming, and plenty of tension. This is a great little thriller and well worth a watch.

I've watched this film twice so far and in my opinion it's one of the best thrillers I've seen to date from Asia, whilst not being as good as the likes of 'Infernal affairs' or 'Chaser' I still rate this highly all the same.

The bad guy is very good and totally believable in the role, as are the couple who he decides to prey on and generally make their lives a misery, whilst slowly driving them mad with every psychological/physical turn.

There's a consistently good atmosphere in the film which is at times brutal to a pretty high degree.

The film is about the right length, overall a very good watch, it probably won't blow you away, but it's much better than most thrillers over the past 5-10 years or so, well worth checking out.

It's from just before the big boom of South Korean horror and along the same time period as the Ring francise. It's part Psycho; The Shining and other US movies rolled-into-one. However it is very well-produced and well-made.

I really don't understand the low rates. Do people just troll Asian movies with bad ratings because they are gory or something? I don't get it.

The acting is solid. It's not over-acting. It's polished. The direction is great. Lots of good dangerous stunt sequences which have been done well. There is a lovely documentary of the making-of in my Third Window Films' DVD release.

It's odd that this film did not get more overseas' acclaim as it is a perfect late-night-popcorn-slasher-and-romance-kinda-film. Especially appropriate that the most beautiful love story between Yoon-hee and Jung-hyun. In today's term of short-term romance and impossible dating apps this is a breath-of-fresh-air!

Special shout out for the leading three protagonists. Yoon-hee; Jung-hyun and Park Joong-hoon played their parts superbly. Park is a great Director and actor. His tanacity and aggression reminded me of Kitano in his yakuza movies!

Really underrated movie. Please watch it! 8/10.