Some can handle the grotesque, obscene, and vulgar scenes of certain movies, while others detest it and see no place for it in cinema whatsoever.

Rating: 10/10 (24 May 2005)

I can appreciate the fact that many viewers of films have specific tastes. Some can handle the grotesque, obscene, and vulgar scenes of certain movies, while others detest it and see no place for it in cinema whatsoever. While I respect your opinions, I must question the extent of many of the negative reviewers' knowledge of contemporary film-making and story-telling. For one, a negative reviewer actually reviewed Ghostbusters 2 as their favorite movie. Second, the overgeneralization of this film being slow-paced is TOTALLY off-based. I cannot understand the sentiment here. Could this maybe based upon the disappointment negative reviewers had about the revelation at the end? Each scene has purpose in pushing forward the plot. If you watch enough Law and Order you can appreciate the pacing of this film. Third, the "payoff" in this film is not to explain the motive behind the revenge, but it is when the viewer sees that the main character (Oh Daesu) is not as obsessed with revenge as the antagonist (Lee Yujin). The roles are reversed, the protagonist understands the rage that is a part of revenge through the eyes of his nemesis. It is not Daesu's idea of revenge that is baffling, but Yujin's overly diligent extent for revenge. And as much as the reason (a spread rumor) may seem stupid or irrational, the extent to which Yujin will go to torment his enemy is what is ultimately revealed. Yujin forces Daesu to understand. (Most psychological thrillers payoff when you understand the villain's thought process, not the events that transpire afterward.) This must be stressed. Why else would he force him into such an incestuous outcome? Wouldn't Yujin have let Daesu die after his multiple suicide attempts? Daesu is in love with Mido, yet he didn't know she was his daughter. But the Taboo tied to the incest causes an interesting sense of conflict. The same sense of conflict that Yujin was conflicted by.
You see that this is an underlying theme throughout the film, the idea of revealing your dark secrets to the world. This is expressed throughout the film: in the opening scene ("I want to tell you my story"), while Daesu is imprisoned and writing in his journal, the clues left by Yujin for Daesu to discover, the "childish" quote that expresses the idea of loneliness and the emptiness of having no one to "cry" to.
Like I said, this film is not for everyone. Especially for the clowns that think Ghostbusters 2 is a classic (still can't grasp this). I think if many negative reviewers are going to criticize the positive ones for rating this movie highly, you should do this site "justice" by explaining what type of movie watcher you are before totally ripping down a film that is too advanced for you to understand.
This is surely not the best film ever made but it is easily not the worst. It receives a 9 because of the expression of such intense emotion (in one scene, Daesu's anger becomes so intense that the window in Yujin's penthouse shatters) and portrays the thought processes of the vengeful in a dark and calculating manner.
All in all there are many layers that are still waiting to be found. I still have many questions that I am trying to answer about this film, and I have already viewed it twice (although, most people won't be able to endure a second viewing).