Blu-ray Review: BEDEVILLED (2010)

BEDEVILLED
Directed by Chul-soo Jang
Distributed by: Well Go USA

A while back I posted the trailer for a film called BEDEVILLED.  The trailer looked amazing and I was really looking forward to this film.  Well, I finally got chance to see it and I have to say I was blown away.  The trailer did not do this movie justice.   For those not familiar with the film, here is the basic plot from the Well Go website:

Hae-won (Seong-won Ji) is a woman on the edge: a series of incidents at work earn her a forced “vacation,” but when she travels to a remote island from a childhood visit, at the urgent request of her friend Kim Bok-nam (Yeong-hie Seo), she has no idea what devils of the past are waiting.
Moo-do Island is an unpleasant place to visit, and you definitely don’t want to live there. Bok-nam is crumbling under a weight of violence, sexual menace, and fear – with no means of escaping her tormentors. The vengeful rage that waits inside her is growing, and her sanity shredding. If Hae-won can’t help her escape, she may have to take matters into her own hands, once and for all.

Let me say that this review will not do this film justice.  I honestly am not a good enough reviewer to fully explain how good this film is.   This is not a true horror movie.  It's more of a dark drama, but it does contain some elements of horror including some very realistic killing scenes.   The film is shot very well, with some beautiful cinematography.   The scenery is beautiful, as most of the film was shot on Geumodo Island, South Korea.  The Blu-ray picture is crystal clear.

The acting in this film is brilliant, as well.   The characters are believable and you really feel for the character of Bok-nam.  Bok-nam is badly mistreated by her husband and all the other women of the island.  It is no surprise that she snaps and does what she does.  I don't want to say too much as I don't want to give more away than needed, but she gets her revenge.   Now obviously killing someone is never ok, but this movie gives you mixed emotions as you see Bok-nam extract revenge on her abusive husband.    She was the victim for years, but now she is the tormentor and her husband is the victim, yet you can't help but feel bad for Bok-nam and understand what she did.  This film messes with your emotions and at one point, my jaw was actually sore as I realized I was really clenching my teeth during a very suspenseful scene.

I usually watch movies at night after I get the kids in bed.  I am usually pretty tired and very seldom due do I finish a movie in on night.  Usually I fall asleep and will finish it the next night.  That was not the case with BEDEVILLED.   I watched this film all the way through and never even thought about falling asleep.  The movie held my attention the entire 115 minute running time and I don't think I would be exaggerating when I say that this is probably one of my favorite foreign films of all time.  Definitely in my top 10.   Check this one out asap!

I can't say enough good things about this film.  BEDEVILLED is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.  Special features include a Behind the Scenes featurette and the trailer for the film.

 
CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray