Fantasia International Film Festival 2023– South Korean filmmakers have a talent for creating bloody revenge movies with an artistic flair. Just consider Oldboy and I Saw the Devil. Written and directed by Kim-Jae Hoon, Devils carries on the tradition. It’s a brutal, colorful feature with a body swap twist.

Dae-hwan Oh stars as Detective Jae-hwan. During the first 15 minutes, he loses his partner/brother-in-law to a serial murderer, Jin-hyeok (Dong-Yoon Jang). Not only does Jin-hyeok murder a member of the force, but he and his minions make snuff videos that they share on the dark web. After that pedal to the medal opening, some time passes before Jae-hwan and his colleagues identify the killer. After a heated chase and a car accident, the two wake up in each other’s bodies. From there, several layers unfold. The other detectives work on tracking down the other killers, while Jin-hyeok takes over the detective’s life, even moving in with his wife and children. He has his face and memories, after all.

As impressive as this film is visually, it really wouldn’t work without the strong performances by the leads, especially Dae-hwan Oh. Both actors have the difficult task of essentially playing two characters, but in many ways, Dae-hwan Oh steals the show here. One minute, he’s a noble detective, doing his best to avenge his brother-in-law. The next, he inhabits the role of a serial killer, masking the truth from the rest of the force and the family. He’s all kinds of creepy in the role as a killer, with eerie facial expressions and an unsettling smile to boot. Likewise, in the moments we see Dong-Yoon Jang act as a twisted murderer, the performance is just as hair rising. He gives a sadistic tinge to the role with his maniacal laughter as he slices, dices, and chops up victims. Both actors deserve accolades for taking on such challenging parts.

From the get-go, this is a visually arresting film. In that opening, for instance, victims are painted with Da-Glo colors before they’re chopped up. The film also employs blood-soaked tones to underscore the violence, and this feature certainly splatters the walls red. There are prolonged torture scenes on par with other South Korean revenge movies. This one certainly isn’t for the squeamish, but the gore feels as inspired and expressive as the rest of the film. It’s not easy to watch, but it’s certainly oddly decorative in its own right.

The film does hit a bit of a snag when it explains the body swap scenario. This comes a little past the halfway mark, and it’s too convoluted. However, it does create moral ambiguity to the detective’s character, which adds another layer. Still, sometimes over explanation is no good for the narrative, either. That said, all of this ramps up to a nail-biting finale where the two men finally face off. It’s worth the wait and salvages the few narrative bumps that occur just prior.

Devils is quite the thrill ride. It carries on the tradition of rich and engrossing South Korean revenge cinema. The leading men turn in top-notch performances, and the body swap thread puts a twist on the classic revenge tale.

7.5 Out of 10