An argument could be made either way for Say Yes and either side would have legitimate points for loving/hating this film. I however, loved it. On the one hand, Say Yes is a overly melodramatic, silly film. On the other hand it's also a ultra violent, blood drenched, tension fest featuring a delightfully twisted villain.
The film starts out rather slowly, telling us the story of Jeong-Hyun (Ju-hyuk Kim), a writer who just secured a publisher, and his beautiful wife Yoon-Hee (Sang Mi Chu). To celebrate their anniversary the couple decide to take a trip to Sokcho to see the winter beach. The romantic getaway is rudely interrupted by local psycho "M", a hitchhiker who terrorizes the couple. M (played wonderfully by Joong-Hoon Park) physically and mentally tortures the couple until the couple finally fight back. Which results in the inevitable disturbingly violent conclusion.
The story does bare some similar plot points with 1986's The Hitcher but is not a re-make. It's more of a revision of Robert Harmon's classic film and it works well. Frankly, the film is more reminiscent of the old HK thrillers with exploitational violence and disturbing twists and turns. Director Sung-Hong Kim decided to play around with the formula and produced a film which is (all fault's aside) fun, disturbing, and suspenseful at the same time.
The couple's performances are adequate, but M is the real reason to watch this film. Joong-Hoon Park is excellent as the calmly evil, psychopathic killer. His antagonist role holds the film together and after the first hour was up I wanted something seriously bad to happen to him. Simply put, M is a cold-hearted bastard and Joong-Hoon did a damn good job playing him. The couple's performances are decent, save a few overly melodramatic romance scenes that are in danger of becoming sappy. But they are played fairly straight out and you care enough about them to root for them.
Let's get this straight though. Say Yes is one wild and bloody ride. There are some truly sadistic scenes in this film leading up to a very shocking-and bloody-conclusion. If brutal violence is your thing then check this out. If not, just be warned the last half of the film is extremely violent and disturbing. But this is one of the reason's why I loved it.
The film does have some minor faults and one glaring one. First off, the major fault is that the couple truly make some stupid choices. I think most people wouldn't behave like this in similar situations. I had to dispel my sense of belief a few times during the film, thinking to myself, "No one would do that!" Aside from the main issue, my other gripe with Say Yes was that the film builds up to a climax that happens too early. The film's logical conclusion point comes thirty minutes from the end. Although irritating, the ensuing blood-bath that follows helps make up for it.
Bottom Line- Overall a satisfying thriller. Good suspense, a great villain, and loads of bloody violence save the film from it's faults.
The film starts out rather slowly, telling us the story of Jeong-Hyun (Ju-hyuk Kim), a writer who just secured a publisher, and his beautiful wife Yoon-Hee (Sang Mi Chu). To celebrate their anniversary the couple decide to take a trip to Sokcho to see the winter beach. The romantic getaway is rudely interrupted by local psycho "M", a hitchhiker who terrorizes the couple. M (played wonderfully by Joong-Hoon Park) physically and mentally tortures the couple until the couple finally fight back. Which results in the inevitable disturbingly violent conclusion.
The story does bare some similar plot points with 1986's The Hitcher but is not a re-make. It's more of a revision of Robert Harmon's classic film and it works well. Frankly, the film is more reminiscent of the old HK thrillers with exploitational violence and disturbing twists and turns. Director Sung-Hong Kim decided to play around with the formula and produced a film which is (all fault's aside) fun, disturbing, and suspenseful at the same time.
The couple's performances are adequate, but M is the real reason to watch this film. Joong-Hoon Park is excellent as the calmly evil, psychopathic killer. His antagonist role holds the film together and after the first hour was up I wanted something seriously bad to happen to him. Simply put, M is a cold-hearted bastard and Joong-Hoon did a damn good job playing him. The couple's performances are decent, save a few overly melodramatic romance scenes that are in danger of becoming sappy. But they are played fairly straight out and you care enough about them to root for them.
Let's get this straight though. Say Yes is one wild and bloody ride. There are some truly sadistic scenes in this film leading up to a very shocking-and bloody-conclusion. If brutal violence is your thing then check this out. If not, just be warned the last half of the film is extremely violent and disturbing. But this is one of the reason's why I loved it.
The film does have some minor faults and one glaring one. First off, the major fault is that the couple truly make some stupid choices. I think most people wouldn't behave like this in similar situations. I had to dispel my sense of belief a few times during the film, thinking to myself, "No one would do that!" Aside from the main issue, my other gripe with Say Yes was that the film builds up to a climax that happens too early. The film's logical conclusion point comes thirty minutes from the end. Although irritating, the ensuing blood-bath that follows helps make up for it.
Bottom Line- Overall a satisfying thriller. Good suspense, a great villain, and loads of bloody violence save the film from it's faults.
