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H (Korea 2002)
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Director: Lee Jong-Hyuk
Producer: Oh Jeong-Wan
Cast : Ji Jin-Hee, Yum Jung-Ah, Jo Seung-Wu, Seong Ji-Ru, Lee
Eol
Synopsis :
The gruesome murders of three pregnant women bear a resemblance to
murders committed by killer Shin Hyun. The only problem for the
police is that at the time of the killings Shin was locked up in
prison and so they fear that a copy-cat killer is loose. Detectives
Kim and Kang are partnered up to solve the case. Due to a lack of
evidence, the detectives have no choice but to go to the prison and
talk to Shin to see what he knows about the killings…. |
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Review
by Martin Cleary
Some of the best films that have made their way out of Korea in the
last few years are those which have taken familiar film genres and
managed to give them a fresh and unique spin. I was hoping that H
would manage to accomplish the same task as it’s a serial killer
film that sounds fairly familiar to many other (mainly Hollywood)
serial killer films. Unfortunately, while the filmmakers borrow
(i.e. steal) generously from films such as Se7en and Silence Of The
Lambs - and they do have a few new ideas themselves - the film
doesn’t quite cut it as anything new. But still, as a genre film
it’s worth a look.
The film opens with some suitably grisly and atmospheric imagery of
a brutally murdered young woman who seems to have had her unborn
baby removed from her stomach (yep, it’s nasty!). From this opening
the film sets the dark tone very well and starts to build up a tense
atmosphere. For the most part the film retains the tension well, but
on occasion the film slows down to such a snails pace that it loses
it slightly. It’s also one of those films that it’s best to view
with little or no prior knowledge of the plot. The two main actors
are fine in their roles as the two detectives, both struggling to
come to terms with the case. Yum Jung-Ah doesn’t have much to do
except look haunted and withdrawn, although of course she’s easy on
the eye and does well in what is ultimately a fairly thankless role.
Ji Jin-Hee also gives a good performance. At times he verges on
going slightly over the top, but luckily he stops just short of
giving the role TOO much. At least the performance brings a bit of
life to some fairly low-key scenes.
The central ‘psycho’ figure of the film, Shin Hyun, is suitably
creepy.
Unfortunately he’s only a shadow of guys like Hannibal Lector and
John Doe and doesn’t bring anything new to the ‘psycho-behind-bars’
routine. But still, it’s fine and manages not to slip into being
cheesy (just).Visually the film is a treat – and just what we expect
from these types of serial murder films. It’s bloody and suitably
dark for most of the duration (see the screenshots!) with one key
scene being played out in bright daylight which is in refreshing
contrast to the rest of the film. Wisely most of the nastiness takes
place off camera and so for the most part we are left with only the
bloody aftermath – which is effective.
H is not a classic film, it has a few basic flaws – it suffers from
being over long and a slow-pace. Sometimes slow can be moody and
sometimes it can be a drag - H combines both of these two elements.
It’s a fairly average film throughout but still manages to keep the
viewers interest with a promise of some surprises, which to be fair
do eventually come. Eventually.
Sadly, it looks like the filmmakers were going for something in the
vein of the film Se7en, but manages to come nowhere near. H is a
cheap thriller in comparison, but taken on its own merits will keep
you interested. On the upside the film does at times manage to
create a tense atmosphere and it also has quite a shocking ending
which shows the filmmakers intentions to bring something new to the
genre. It’s an ending which will probably divide viewers into ‘like
it’ / ‘hate it’ camps. Personally I enjoyed it and was prepared to
forgive a few plot holes and a certain level of believability –
although the film is not really strong enough to stand up
particularly well to a second viewing.
Stills
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Notable Scenes: |
- The gruesome first murder scene
- The murder suspect uses his knife – in a nightclub
- The bizarre final revelation… |
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