As always, unfortunately (?) with asian films, at least two versions are officially released. One for the local market, and one for the international audience. Usually, one of these version is awefully butchered. But in the case of Kim Jee-woon’s I Saw The Devil, it’s not that simple. Both versions offer interesting extra details. Let’s have a deeper look!
Warning! this article includes spoilers & graphic pictures.
International Cut @ 00:10:55 // Kyung-Chul cutting his victim’s arm off, just before the ring falls into the sewer [00:03 sec]
Korean Cut @ 00:24:09 // Kim Soo-hyeon’s friend walks to his car, comes in and gives him the GPS tracking device. Then, Kim Soo-hyeon walks out the car.
Korean Cut @ 00:26:25 // Some cops are watching the first suspect, they’re also being monitered by Kim Soo-hyeon [00:28 sec]
Korean Cut @ 00:27:00 // Extra shot on the TV [00:02 sec]
Korean Cut @ 00:45:59 // The Police chief talking on the phone, then have an argument with his daughter in front of his flat [01:16 sec]
International Cut @ 00:42:01 // An opening aerial shot on the greenhouse [00:05 sec]
International Cut @ 01:00:22 // Before going teasing the young nurse, Kyung-Chul threatens the old doctor in his office [00:16 sec]
International Cut @ 01:08:28 // The achilles tendon cutting scene is a little bit longer, and more gory, and more way more painful [00:05sec]
International Cut @ 01:12:10 // The butcher burns some more victims’ clothes, then, he feeds his dogs human meat. [00:33sec]
International Cut @ 01:15:44 // At the dinner table, the butcher eats raw human meat [00:11sec]
International Cut @ 01:15:27 // At the dinner table, they talk about human meat. Kyung-Chul tells the butcher eating this food has turned him crazy. Then, he painfully stands up [02:23sec]
Korean Cut @ 01:23:06 // Kim Soo-hyeon turns his car’s engine off to get closer [00:34sec]
Korean Cut @ 01:26:19 // Kyung-Chul has sex with the wife’s butcher [02:21sec]
International Cut @ 01:20:34 // Close-up on a cigarette [00:03sec]
Korean Cut @ 01:28:49 // Close-up on Kyung-Chul [00:04sec]
International Cut @ 01:21:16 // The butcher looks in the freezer for leftover guts, but he doesn’t find anything. [00:18sec]
Korean Cut @ 01:29:29 // The butcher on his way to get the chained-up girl [00:08sec]
International Cut @ 01:50:14 // A longer shot on the face of his father-in-law, which has being crushed. In this version, the father received one more hit before the ring bells [00:06sec]
Korean Cut @ 02:01:58 // Longer shots on the face of the father [00:04 sec], and on the face of Kim Soo-hyeon, who starts to cry.
International Cut @ 02:13:04 // A little bit longer shot on the guillotine, with the headless body of Kyung-Chul [00:02sec]
And there’s also some other small differences. For example, Kim Jee-woon used different takes, or angles to cover the exact same scene. Or sometimes, the scene order has been slightly modified, like when Kim Soo-hyeon reaches the cannibal’s house, it appears right after the sex scene in the korean version, but in the international cut, it’s been added after Kyung-Chul’s smoking time.
So, it would appear the main difference between these 2 versions is the pacing of this hardcore rollercoaster. Both have equal violent scenes, yet the international cut looks rougher while the korean cut looks more sick. Narratively speaking, characters stay the same, one version just seems to go straight to the point while the other tries to emphasize this whirlwind of violence.
You should know the ending song used during the final shot is different in each version. Somehow, this is maybe the most important change as it directly affects the mood of this conclusion. A slow song in both cases, but with a slightly different feeling. Check by yourself!
• International cut
• Korean cut
Source: REQQER@Blu-ray.com’s post
