A game of cat-and-mouse not for the faint of heart.
read more
Deliver Us From Evil is an action thriller directed by Hong Won-chan and stars Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-jae.
Hired assassin In-nam (Hwang Jung-min) plans to retire after carrying out his last mission. But that final task causes a rabid, ruthless gangster, Ray the Butcher (Lee Jung-jae), to pursue In-nam's death.
The cat-and-mouse chase starts off in Japan and South Korea before moving onto Thailand as In-nam tries to rescue a nine-year old girl kidnapped by a local crime syndicate. There, he joins hands with Yoo-yi (Park Jung-min), who helps In-nam search for the kid.
This film sees the on-screen reunion of Hwang and Lee, 7 years after appearing in 2013’s New World together. It is clear that the two main stars have amazing chemistry from the way they skilfully breeze through their action sequences.
Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo’s expertise helped translate the intricate fight scenes to screen, delivering a spread of sequences that not only keep you on the edge of your seat but also in full awe of the spectacle in front of you. Despite the non-stop exhilarating action, much of the film’s violence and gore were implied rather than shown. This tasteful delivery leaves room for the viewers to ‘fill in the blanks’ themselves rather than be visually force-fed everything.
Hwang gives a very real performance of skilled but tired assassin In-nam but it’s really Lee’s standout performance as Japanese-Korean gangster Ray the Butcher that really takes the cake. I don’t know if it’s his soulless sinister smirk or his merciless swag but he truly instills fear and terror every time he’s on screen, all while donning bright colours and fancy prints no less!
Deliver Us From Evil is one of the most anticipated summer blockbusters in South Korea and it definitely lives up to its hype.
read less