In the new movie DEVILS out of South Korea, the devil really is in the details. Written and directed by Kim Jae-Hoon, the narrative builds and evolves at such a rapid-fire pace that it not only grabs your attention, it demands it. Stylistically strong and bloody as all get out, to call it a simple body-swapping crime thriller would be a disservice. Like many of the more fearless genre films coming out of South Korea, DEVILS is a transfixing, gleefully unhinged and brutally violent action-thriller that isn’t afraid to get a little messy.
Recently making its North American Premiere at the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival, DEVILS wastes no time by dropping viewers in on an ongoing police investigation into a group of brutal serial killer snuff filmmakers. Jae-hwan (Oh Dae-hwan), one of the lead detectives on the case, witnesses his brother-in-law get murdered by one of the lead members of the group, Jin-hyuk (Jang Dong-yoon). If Jae-hwan wasn’t strongly motivated before, he certainly is after this devastatingly personal blow. Later following up on a tip, Jae-hwan gets his chance to catch Jin-hyuk and doesn’t take no for an answer. After an intense foot chase through some rough terrain, Jae-hwan tackles Jin-hyuk and then… disappears.
While a rigorous search ensues for Jae-hwan, a month flies by with no sign of them. Then, out of nowhere, the pair literally crash into the police station. When Jae-hwan wakes up in the hospital, handcuffed to the bed, he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror and realizes he looks and sounds just like Jin-hyuk. With no memory of how or why, Jae-hwan becomes convinced that he and Jin-hyuk have somehow switched bodies. While this is clearly a lot to process, things crank up a notch when Jae-hwan realizes that a serial killer will be going home with his wife and daughter. Desperate to keep them safe, Jae-hwan goes to extreme lengths to keep Jin-hyuk satiated, use his new body to his advantage, right his wrongs and solve the mystery.
With a shocking amount of fantastical twists and turns (which I will be keeping tight-lipped about here), the high-concept, complicated narrative is both exciting and a little chaotic. You know that image of Charlie from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia with all the string and shit pinned to the bulletin board? Yeah. It’s kind of like that. What makes this work are the stellar performances from Jang Dong-yoon (PROJECT WOLF HUNTING) and Oh Dae-hwan (DELIVER US FROM EVIL).
Both having to balance and execute two different roles, their dual ability to telegraph and define unified characters convincingly is excellent. Transcending mere cinematic performance, this facet of the film becomes a key component in the story as well. Jang Dong-yoon especially delivers a truly unsettling and animated performance that must be seen to believe. Countering this madness are Choi Gwi-hwa as the Police Chief and Jang Jae-Ho as Jae-hwan’s young, rookie partner. By offering grounded, believable performances amidst sheer madness, DEVILS remains on the rails, even if just barely.
Visually, DEVILS looks fantastic. Dramatically and heavily lit, Chae Jung-seok’s cinematography imparts a visceral and kinetic energy into every frame. Never afraid to get uncomfortably close to the action, it’s a style that becomes further supported by the film’s decisive, energetic editing. Even when the third act of the film begins to toss plot holes about with admiring ease, it’s hard to hold it against the film, as it’s just so damn entertaining. My advice, just don’t think about it. I mean, we all enjoy FACE/OFF and FREAKY FRIDAY, right? Just imagine those films on acid with like, a thousand extra gallons of blood.
Underneath the messy madness, the conversation that DEVILS is having is an interesting one. Despite Jae-hwan and Jin-hyuk being on opposite sides of the law and intense mortal enemies, they are revealed to be more alike than different. Sometimes, the lines between right and wrong, cop and criminal, are far more blurred, far more often than anyone would like to admit. It’s a touchy topic, to be sure, but it’s one that DEVILS (intentionally plural) isn’t afraid to address. Brazen, bold and bloody, DEVILS offers a wild, refreshingly inventive and modern spin on the classic idea of body-swapping.
Tags: Chae Jung-seok, Choi Gwi-hwa, Crime, Fantasia, Fantasia 2023, Fantasia Film Festival 2023, Go Ah-mo, Jang Dong-yoon, Jang Jae-Ho, Kim Jae-Hoon, Oh Dae-hwan, Rachel Reeves, South Korea, Thrillers
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