South Korean Revenge Movies: C or D / S&D, etc.

Old Boy & the other Vengeance trilogy films, I Saw The Devil, Bedevilled, etc.

man I have complicated feelings about these movies

yeah me too!

I'm trying to get my head around how moral in these films is usually that revenge doesn't pay - that it destroys the soul of the person seeking revenge. So is this a conscious indictment of the audience for having been transfixed by 120 minutes of convoluted torturous revenge-seeking? Or is the "no happy endings" rule penance the audience goes through or something?

I'm a big fan of s korean cinema but this is a weird topic for a thread

maybe seek yr answers here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccJn0hVME78

why do you think it's a weird topic for a thread, Edward?

The Chaser, now that was an edge-of-your-seat kind of revenge movie. Caught me in its web like very few other thrillers.. bleak stuff, though.

I dunno, picking some films that don't have much to do with each other except their country of origin and sharing one of the most common action/thriller movie themes.... like starting a thread saying django unchained, the straw dogs remake, only god forgives: discuss.

korean films usually have bleaker outlooks and are offhandedly transgressive, which gives their revenge flicks a certain zing, but those strains also run through their comedies, thrillers, art films, horror pics, etc.

xp

Hong-jin Na's next one The Wailing looks like ridiculous fun. despite it's flaws I thought The Yellow Sea was brilliant, probably need to watch The Chaser next.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43uAputjI4k