User reviews

"Bad Guy (Nabbeun namja)" is an earlier film of Ki-duk Kim that is probably being released now in the U.S. due to the success of "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom)," but fans of that visually entrancing parable should be warned how very different this exploration of the depths of human nature is.

The style has some similarity in that there is no exposition and we have to connect images that tell a tale of two very different people over time. Context is everything as voyeurism keeps repeating along a sexual spectrum of men and women together -- to romantic or erotic or degrading or lustful or violent, full of obsession or love or hate or longing or disgust, whether in prostitution, a relationship, or rape.

A key context is emotions and degrees, whether by the man or woman, or mutual, or drained of feeling such that I'm not sure love has any meaning in this film. There's a recurring use of Egon Schiele's erotic art to make some kind of comparative point about a continuum of sexual images and their effect on the viewer.

The titular character is reminiscent of Quasimodo of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" fixating on Esmeralda if he were a psychopathic pimp in, I presume, Seoul's lurid red light district and played by the charismatic Jae-hyeon Jo, like an apolitical "Romper Stomper." I did get a little lost where he fit into the hierarchy of the yakuza-like gangster organization that controls the district, how much authority he has, and who was on top of whom to interpret their obsessions. Some of the encounters we see are presumably his limited fantasies as he miraculously recovers from various violently noble efforts to protect and reach out to the object of his affection that reminded me of the ambiguous ending of Jane Campion's "The Piano."

The film explores some of the same territory as the work of Catherine Breillat, but the context seems uneasily different when I'm the only woman in the theater and the director is male, perhaps because the central woman is always an object, even as she pitifully adapts to her various degradations, and even resists being freed from them. All the women in the film treat each other like the men treat them.

This is an extremely good film - highly recommended. It will not be to everyone's taste, but if you are not afraid of thinking during a film then you should find plenty to take away from this one.

Bad Guy is a film based on the central premise of a relationship built between what is effectively a hostage-taker and his hostage. What transpires is a stream of abuses, power-shifts, emotional turmoil, love, hate, violence, sex, and almost every other aspect of life. This is an extremely original story, well told, with fascinating characters that are extremely human... both the good and bad sides of humanity.

The production values are very high, great acting, direction, cinematography, script, music, everything is top notch.

Typically, Korean films are very much based in real characters, social issues, and have an earthy approach that humanises their films beyond those of most countries. Bad Guy is no exception... while it is violent, confrontational, and decidedly dark, it bristles with underlying emotion and shows life without the rose coloured glasses.

The characters are at times extremely emotional, and at others almost entirely emotionally void as they struggle constantly to keep their balance in circumstances that are spiraling around them.

This is not an 'easy' film, in that it does not hand feed the viewer, there are no 'Jaws' style music queues to let you know when to be scared. You will need to work out how to feel for yourself with this one, which is fairly rare in this day and age.

As said earlier, this movie is not for everyone, however if the concept sounds like something that interests you, then you should enjoy this film. If on the other hand you don't like the idea of watching a film based on the idea of a man forcing a woman into a life of sexual servitude, then stay well away from this film.

I saw this at the Melbourne International Film Festival (2002) and I think it's safe to say that it was the most uncomfortable and unpleasant cinematic experience I have ever had (and I loved 'La Pianiste'). One hour into it I was praying it would finish soon - I watched people leave the cinema with envy and regret. Only sheer bloodymindedness kept me sitting there until the end but I would have been happy if someone could have told me what happened. It left me with a nasty taste in my mouth that even large amounts of comfort food could not shift. It wasn't explicit in the way 'Baise Moi' was (although I could hardly watch one particular scene). No, what made it repulsive was how the story played itself out. The plot was wafer-thin after the girl joined the brothel and the film just seemed to go on and on. Dialogue and interesting characters - don't expect them here. I cannot comment on the artistic quality of the film - to me, a few interesting images do not a great movie make.

Beauty and the Beast was an original tale written by a French author in 1756 and is considered the gold standard for "unusual" love stories.

(The best movie version of the original story was also done by a French film-maker and reviewed here by this writer -- La Belle et La Bete) I am guessing that if you go back far enough you will find many versions of equally twisted love stories through history, because love at its core is not always the stuff of Valentine cards.

This extraordinary film is about love, it is also about justice, it is also about impulse control.

It also gives a whole meaning to the term "unrequited love." I recommend it but suggest you leave your expectations at the door. Even the publicists for the film seem to have got it wrong -- the artwork for the DVD suggest a seamy sex movie and in fact that approach is completely wrong.

Amazing.

In Seoul, and in every other major South Korean city, there are red light districts. Few local folks will admit to their existence. But Kim Ki Duk does. And he does even more. He shows us how they work, how innocent young women get trapped by the "business," how a sense of helplessness descends upon the prostitutes, and how painfully unwelcome and irrelevant their boyfriends, their husbands, their families, become.

To make a film with these themes central may not seem like a winning decision. However, this is award-winning director Kim's territory, and he does with the subject matter what he will. No, it's not pretty, so don't expect it to be. No, it doesn't end up with everything working out happily, because life rarely does, so don't expect that either. No, there is no fine, pat conclusion, because Kim knows better.

I noticed that this film contains bits of celluloid that was picked up off the cutting room floor after Kim's renowned "3-Iron" was made. Expect some unexpected scenes in this regard. Unfortunately, the film is ugly from the beginning, with an innocent young woman (the magnificent actress and Kim favorite Seo Won), taken into prostitution against her will through unlikely circumstance. She is not a willing prostitute and she rebels throughout the plot, much to her dismay. But Kim is so adept at this. Ugliness becomes beautiful, noise turns to stillness, the guilty transform to innocence and the truly innocent remain so. I gasp at such awesome presentation. From Kim, we expect this. Still, he can overdo it. Why, I ask, does Kim always place a woman in mortal peril? Is this a must for his stories, his fables? If so, what is he trying to teach us? Certainly, I hope, more than the fact that "sexploitation" exists in his home country.

"Bad Guy" is a beautiful movie, but I only grant it 7 of 10 because Kim has apparently become obsessed with sexual violence (reference "The Isle," "Coast Guard" and "Address Unknown"). Also, there is just too much emphasis placed on predictable fight scenes. Sure, such scenes can serve a purpose, but by 2002, Kim should know he doesn't need to resort to the horrific presentations he makes them. I appreciate what he is trying to accomplish: a counterpoint to his truly beautiful scenes. But do we really need to be hit over the head with sexual brutality again and again? Perhaps his own culture does and, like what Mean Streets and Taxi Driver offered America in the 70's, Kim is trying to do something similar for South Korean society in the 2000 oughts. We can but hope.

Kim takes risks in showing the world the dark underbelly of contemporary Korean culture. He is to be commended for that. But he is capable of presenting so much more, and that is precisely what this film lacks. Kim needs to stop using shock as his stock in trade, and return to his more sublime talents, such as presenting unlikely heroes and heroines. Most of his viewers are, I am sure, quite over blatant scenes of sex and violence. "We get it, Mr. Kim, thank you, offer us something more. We know you can. Make those scenes MEAN something. That is what made you attractive in the first place; do not forget it."

Quickly, as an aside, if anyone supposes, simply because of the similarity of titles, that "Bad Guy" is similar to "Old Boy" by Park Chan Wook, forget it. These two films are nothing alike, except that they are both good.

This film is just good (not great) and should be received by Kim Ki Duk fans with mixed reactions.

This is a very entertaining film. It contains sex and violence.(Yes that's what I said).The themes are very dark and at the same time this is a very loving film.It is certainly a challenging film and strangely being set in South Korea has many European sensibilities.If you think the world can be explained in terms of black and white then this is not an easy film. However if you understand that the world you live in has shades of grey then here is a multi coloured chunk to digest.I liked the central characters and found them very believable.This film shows particular skill in having very rounded supporting roles. The lives of these people even when violent or mundane and self destructive are very easy to comprehend.It is the first film I have seen by this director and it will definitely not be the last.

This is what I call a completely insane film. It is sick to see the transformation of the college girl into a whore. But as much as her love for the bad guy grows her servitude and her life as prostitute grows as well. This is not a decent film, on the contrary is sick. But wake up bad instinct in us, for the guys who have some fetish like this, this film is a sweet desert. The music fits with the film, and all the other elements are well balanced. If you do not like weird things you shouldn't watch this one. It's a heavy one. Full off violence in images and in his content. This is without any doubt a immoral but very enjoyable film by Kim Ki-duk.

Kim Ki-duk's "Bad Guy" brings the viewer to a world of violence, jealousy, unfulfilled desires and silly mistakes that gets undone under repetition, tonal shifts and a running time that goes a little bit for too long.

Sun-hwa is waiting for her boyfriend when she attracts the attention of Han-ki. Han-ki, who doesn't seem to care too much for others' opinions, decides to kiss her in front of everyone, including the boyfriend. Some soldiers that are passing by reward him with a beating. But the story of Sun-hwa and Han-ki is not over, and when she makes a mistake, Sun-hwa falls into the hands of Han-ki and his group, which will force her into a life of prostitution.

If you have seen any of Kim Ki-duk's movies you will already know his love for silences, the problems of communication, the gender relationships (including the more carnal side) in South Korea and other stuff. And "Bad Guy" has a little bit of everything. Sadly, all these interesting observations fall into a plot which suffers from bad pace, little originality and two characters who are little developed (you can see their arc development from moment one). Which is a pity, because the acting is good (even if Han-ki's constant mutism is overdone).

As a look into the darkness we all have within ourselves, it is interesting enough. But it cannot overcome its shortcomings, Kim Ki- duk overplaying his cards this time.

I loved Korean director Ki-duk Kim's The Isle, and this film is just as good. It may not be to everyone's taste as it is a dark film about obsession.

Han-ki (Jae-hyeon Jo) is a hood. We never really know how important he is, but he does run a brothel. He becomes obsessed with a beautiful college student, Sun-hwa (Won Seo), who rejects and disses him. He can't rise to her level, so he will bring her down to his.

He sets her up and forces her to borrow from a loan shark to get out of trouble. When she can't pay, she is brought into the brothel. He watches her humiliation from behind a two-way mirror.

Many weeks/months/years later, after Han-Ki goes to jail, one of his men offers to let her go. She realizes she cannot return to her former life. She stays.

The ending took a couple of twists and turns and ended up in a totally unexpected place. Brilliant!

I LOVE it when I find a new director who instantly appeals to me. Kim Ki-duk is my latest find; this is my third film of his, after SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN, WINTER...AND SPRING and THE ISLE, and it's just as engrossing and thought-provoking as those previous films. Yes, the subject matter might just be too dark and off-putting for some viewers, but nonetheless this is an expertly crafted South Korean drama.

The storyline is deceptively simple, as in the director's other films: a low-life street thug becomes obsessed with a beautiful young woman, who rejects him. He decides to punish her by forcing her - through a set-up crime which leads to her being in debt to her - into becoming a prostitute. This is merely the beginning of the story, however, which focuses on the unusual developing relationship between the pair.

BAD GUY is a slow moving film in which building scenes of simmering tension are shattered by bursts of sudden, harsh violence. It's a realistic movie that pulls no punches and is all the more effective thanks to the outstanding acting of Cho Jae-hyun as the thug and Seo Won as the broken woman. It's amazing that you don't end up despising the "bad guy" of the title despite his misogyny and crimes towards women and that despite all the depressing scenes this is somehow never a downbeat movie, just a very good one. I literally couldn't take my eyes off the screen...

This is not the best of movies, but I rank it high because it did it for me. Though the characters are not really presented to the viewer, they are developed through the movie by showing their actions. The plot is not really important here, and people that cling to whatever feminist or political agendas when discussing a movie are wasting everybody's time. It reminds me of an old Italian movie, I can't remember the name or actors because I've seen it when I was a kid, with a mafia boss that falls in love with a woman, kidnaps her but wants to charms her, rather that rape her. This is also about a generally violent man who's attention is captured by a beautiful girl and he also wants access to her soul, rather than her body.

The movie is full of contrasts and paradoxes, but what sets it apart is the atmosphere (I had my heart pumping a good part of the movie, without it being an action movie or anything) and the subtle way it reveals the deep needs of every character.

Its bad part, though, is that close to the end you keep expecting the movie to end and it doesn't. The slow pace of the movie doesn't help either, so a feeling of "is it over yet?" can easily set in.

I liked it, I recommend it to people who have the mood to see a psychological Asian movie about gangsters, prostitutes and the power of love.

This is one of my top 10 favorite films. The film has a fair amount of violence and some "uncomfortable" scenes, but you never feel that any scene is gratuitous. Each moment is part of the evolution of what it truly means to submit - to love - unconditionally. There is that moment in the film when the main actress finally allows herself to be led -- astray. A moment that may be hard for some to accept. Some have called Bad Guy misogynistic. But I think Bad Guy is quite the opposite. You might as well call the film "Breaking the waves" misogynistic. Kim Ki-Duk understands that to show a female character realistically you must be prepared to show her in all her forms, even the ones that we as women may be ashamed to admit to. What woman hasn't done something stupid and regretful for some man? How far are you willing to bend before you break to another's will for .... Love or just the possibility of love. The film Bad Guy is only a matter of degrees. You may think that as a woman you would never make the choices Sun-hwa makes in the film. But I say "Don't ever say never... because the first rule you will break will be your own"... But their is a certain amount of culpability that is shared between Han-ki and Sun-hwa in the film. A demand to lead and a willingness to be led are all that are required.

In the end this film is a love story. An unconditional love that requires you to love not in spite of your faults and weakness but because of them. Jae-hyeon Jo's performance is one of the most mesmerizing every captured on celluloid. And almost done completely without dialog. Which I didn't notice until the 3rd time in a row when I had first watched the film. It doesn't hurt that he is super sexy and easy on the eyes too. ;) The film is further enhanced by an exquisite soundtrack. Etta Scollo's "i tuoi fiori" may have been selected by chance but you would never have noticed. The film's climax is like watching a hot pan of oil just before it falls off the edge of the stove. That timeless moment of indecision - when the move to rescue becomes more dangerous than doing nothing at all.

With the work of South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-Duk, the viewer has to accept some very fundamental "flaws" that inherently seem to be a part of his work in a practical sense. The production values are always cheap, the soundtrack music is always tacky, the acting is never more than at the most basic level, there are continuity errors... in a word, his films always seem low budget and as if everything were shot in one take. Also he has almost an insistence on breaching realism and lapsing into his own vague allegory. His characters never follow any kind of real internal logic, but rather act according to the scenario he conceives. All of these factors amount to the reason I don't think I will ever be able to consider any of his films true masterpieces.

That said, in return for accepting these inherent flaws, the viewer is rewarded with a candid, unadulterated look into the creative mind of a very interesting person. Kim Ki-Duk's vision is relentlessly idiosyncratic, but very consistent and pure. Watching his films, you gain direct access into his thoughts. This is not film-making by committee, this is "auteurism" in the truest sense. That in and of itself is such a rarity that his films are worth seeing for this reason alone. And this film, "Bad Guy", is probably the purest, most definitive example of Kim Ki-Duk's vision. All the preoccupations that manifest in his other work are here: The mute, inexpressive protagonist, the seeming obsession with prostitution and the degradation of women in general, and also the director's tendency to eventually lead his characters into an incomprehensible fantasy world. Whether or not the viewer is willing to accept these illogical flights of fancy is purely a matter of taste, but personally i find his work fascinating solely because it is so stubbornly idiosyncratic and fueled by a remarkably pure sense of creative expression.

It was one of those DVDs I bought out of curiosity, being it on sale and being me interested in Korean films. However, I had no special expectations to it. Before I knew of it, I was completely absorbed by the story and the persons. Very few words, the few spoken in Korean so I do not even understand them, but this was compensated by the very intensive and expressive performance of the actors. I love the way the film has moments of total immobility, like the intervals of classical music, giving life and depth to the scenes, and allowing you to feel a connection to the individuals and what is happening inside them. Even when there is action, you never get a feeling of hurrying, there is always an element of space in time, giving place to both a story and the people part of it.