Monster (2014)

I could have enjoyed it way more, if it was not for the poster and synopsis, which are completely misleading. What I expected was a simple dark revenge story, that is led by violence and desperation. What I've got was two kids (as Bok Sun developmentally wise could be considered a child) running away from a serial killer and some unnecessary family drama.

It should have been a game of wits (on Tae Soo's side) and will (on Bok Sun's side), but the chase between them barely took place. We've got a serial killer being used by his family members and Bok Sun trying to run away and be safe with Na Ri, whom she started treating as her sister. It's hard to even say this movie had much tension, because every time something interesting happened, we were back to some useless side plot lines.

That said, the acting was quite good. Especially closer to the end, Min Ki truly gave the "monster "vibes" and delivered a creepy performance. Overall, rather than a terrifying killer, he looked like a loser.

I didn't quite understand the tone the director and writer wanted to give this film. The differences between funny, bright and silly moments with Bok Sun did not match the serial killer gore and craziness of Tae Soo, and that did not match the family dynamics happening in the side plot. All the new scenes got me out of the mood the previous scene had gotten me into.

Overall, I kind of had fun, but because of the synopsis I kept anticipating the fight off between the two main characters and the cat and mouse chase, when I don't really know who the cat and who the mouse is... but it never truly happened.

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So, if you like bloody, psycho, revenge movies, you will like this. One thing I will say, is Lee Min Ki is OUTSTANDING in this. He is so believable with his actions and facial expressions. It is about a woman, Park Go Eun, wanting revenge for the murder of her sister. She is a little off mentally, which helps her, because it makes her fearless. Again, I can’t say enough about the male lead. He made this movie. At times, it was hard to watch because I had to turn away a few times due to the violence, gore and blood. It is definitely a movie that kind of stays with you, if you know what I mean. Just don’t watch it before you go to sleep.

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