'The first' covered in cruelty and violence, fresh but regrettable 'devils'

The movie 'Devils' (director Kim Jae-hoon) is a 'first' for everyone. It is a new genre created by combining 'body change' and 'thriller', and it is a film that gave the titles of the first villain and first leading role after their debut to the leading actors, Jang Dong-yoon and Oh Dae-hwan, respectively.

Detective Jae-hwan (Oh Dae-hwan), who lost his precious colleague and family to the heinous serial killer 'Jin-hyeok' (Jang Dong-yoon), chases after him, driven by hatred to catch him. While on the run, Jin-hyeok falls off a cliff with Jae-hwan and goes missing. A month later, after a chase, Jae-hwan wakes up in the hospital room and finds out that Jin-hyeok and Jin-hyeok have switched bodies. In the end, Jae-hwan starts a chase to catch the killer with Jin-hyeok's body.

Director Kim Jae-hoon, who was in charge of directing, said, "I wanted to give a new and fresh feeling by combining the subject of 'body change' that is familiar to the audience with a thriller." So far, films that have used the subject of 'body change' can be easily seen in romance and comedy genres such as '18 Again', 'The Dude in Me' and 'Daddy and Daughter', but they are rare in thriller films.

The beginning of 'Devils' is not just the material. This is the first commercial feature film debut of director Kim Jae-hoon, who has worked as an assistant director on various feature films such as 'Pirates: Bandits to the Sea' and 'Don't Cry Mami'. It is the 'first villain' of actor Jang Dong-yoon, who even beat a convenience store robber with a good face, and is also the 'first leading role' of Oh Dae-hwan, who took on a screen lead for the first time after 20 years of debut.

Is it because it's a 'first'? Fresh, but a bit too much. Jang Dong-yoon is a serial killer who enjoys murder and shoots snuff films (videos of people being killed or committing suicide) that are broadcasted. The level is so high that it is difficult for many audiences to enjoy it. You may want to leave the theater in the middle as the body is mutilated and the cruel scene is repeated several times to the point that you want to turn away.

The role of Oh Dae-hwan, a detective who has lost his family and colleague, is also over-set, which hurts the plausibility of the film. Detective Jae-hwan, who lost his colleague to a murderer and seeks revenge, puts another junior colleague in danger again.

Is it because of the excessively violent scenes already in the stimulating material of 'snuff film'? 'A new genre, first feature film, first villain, first leading role', everything is a 'first' movie, but it's a shame that the taste of that 'first' can't live because of the cruel and violent gods.

It will be released on July 5th. Youth not allowed. Running time 106 minutes

Reporter Kim Se-ah, Ten Asia haesmik@tenasia.co.kr