Telmisseomding (1999)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Yoon-Hyun Chang

Writers:

Yoon-Hyun Chang (writer)
Eun-Ah In (writer)

Release Date:

13 November 1999 (South Korea)

Genre:

Thriller | Horror | Crime | Mystery

Plot:

In Seoul, parts not matching of severed copses of three men are found in cars and bags left in public spaces...

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Police | Internal Affairs | Bag | Telephone Call

Cast

Suk-kyu Han	...	Detective Cho
Eun-ha Shim	...	Chae Su-Yeon
Hang-Seon Jang	...	Detective Oh
Jung-ah Yum	...	Seungmin Oh
Seok-Hwan An
Cheol-Ho Park
Jun-Sang Yu	...	Kim Ki-yeon
Hwan-Jun Lee

Also Known As:

Tell Me Something (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong bloody violence and gruesome images, some language and nudity.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:18 | Ireland:18 | Germany:16 | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 | Australia:R | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | USA:R | South Korea:18 | Japan:R-15 | Sweden:15

Company:

Koo & Cee Film

Soundtrack:

Red Right Hand

A Thinking-Person's Thriller

I've read the other comments and was surprised by the vast differences of opinion. This was a fantastic movie. It's not Seven and it's not Silence of the Lambs. It's all it's own. I'm an Anglo-American, but have grown up in Hawaii, a deeply Asian-influenced region. I think that makes a big difference in how you receive this movie. It has obvious American undertones, but sustains an Asian cultural subtext that some may not understand. The gore is secondary. Dialogue, too. Movement, real acting and phenomenal shooting makes this an event, not just a movie. The director, actors and even the lighting crew is showing us, not telling us a fantastic story.

The troubled cop beginning of this movie might feel problematic to some, but if you think about it, it really is telling you to not believe everything you think. You think this is going to be a film about one thing and it is about another thing. You think the killer is one character and it is another. Using all available to the genre and medium, the director wastes nothing. He uses music, cinemotagraphy, location, lighting and pacing to convey time, feeling and motive or inspiration if you will. Nothing is rushed and nothing is obvious. I loved that the longing the cop and the "victim" have for each other is so subtle, so quiet. It's almost smoldering and chaste at the same time.

The twists are fantastic, too. You are lead in one direction and you think, "Ah, ha. That's who I thought it was." and then you are told that is not correct. You are left second-guessing yourself to the very end.

A lot of people may feel unsatisfied with the ending because it doesn't tie everything up in a pretty bow. Why did the killer kill? What happens next? How did it happen? I like that. There is nothing more disturbing than being treated like a bumbling idiot by a director or screen writer. I want to think. I want to question. Just like the old saying if you have to have a joke explained to you, you don't get it. This movie needs no explanation. It needs critical thinking people to watch it. Just like reality, not everything is explained. This is a thinking-person's thriller. I certainly hope Hollywood does not re-make this film. It is perfect the way it is with it's Asian sensibilities and rhythm. I loved it!

It certainly is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time and probably the best thriller in recent memory.