Bakjwi (2009)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Chan-wook Park

Writers:

Seo-Gyeong Jeong (writer)
Chan-wook Park (writer)

Release Date:

30 April 2009 (South Korea)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Plot:

A failed medical experiment turns a man of faith into a vampire. |

Plot Keywords:

Medical Experiment | Vampire | Experiment Gone Wrong | Priest | Blood Transfusion

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Kang-ho Song	...	Priest Sang-hyeon
Ok-vin Kim	...	Tae-joo
Hae-sook Kim	...	Lady Ra
Ha-kyun Shin	...	Kang-woo
In-hwan Park	...	Priest Noh
Dal-su Oh	...	Yeong-doo
Young-chang Song	...	Seung-dae
Mercedes Cabral	...	Evelyn
Eriq Ebouaney	...	Immanuel
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hee-jin Choi	...	Nurse
Woo-seul-hye Hwang	...	Girl with a whistle
Hwa-ryong Lee	...	Professor Ku
Mi-ran Ra	...	Nurse Yu

Also Known As:

Thirst (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Evil Live (International: English title) (working title)
Untitled Chan-wook Park Project (International: English title) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic bloody violence, disturbing images, strong sexual content, nudity and language.

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:18 | USA:R (certificate #45440) | Australia:MA (2009)

Company:

CJ Entertainment

Movie Connections:

References Sam gang yi (2004)

finally reveals his true ego

It was interesting to see UNIVERSAL logo in the beginning of film. I believe it's the first Korean movie to get distribution from a major American film distribution before the film was actually completed.

to be honest, I didn't like this film as much as Vengeance Trilogy, throughout the viewing.

as another commentator said, his style hasn't changed at all. Rather, he is kind enough to explain everything that could be taken ambiguous by the ordinary audience, which he never bothered doing in his previous films.

HOWEVER, he goes further and gets 'franker' with his philosophy. Zola's 'Thérèse Raquin' and its plot line plays a major role in the film along with characters created by the screenwriter and CW Park.

Yes, I admit that the plot line is not as fresh as Let The Right One In, though, unleashing issues such as redemption, guilt, lust, religion, and etcetera through this priest-turned-vampire character, is interesting enough to watch for 143 minutes.

Acting is superb by any character, Music is sometimes cheesy but overall very brave, Cinematographer/Costume designer... they are all regulars in Park's films, so you won't be disappointed.

I'm concerned that everyone yet to watch this film has so much expectation: DON'T!

Yet, I'm always amazed to see how internationally acclaimed Park is, regarding his vast usage of nuances through Korean language that is near-untranslatable to other languages. I guess there's something that still speaks to the international audience.

Empty all of your expectations, and enjoy it.

p.s. there's not much resemblance to "CUT"