Tell Me Something (Ws Sub)

Starring:Suk-kyu Han, Eun-ha Shim, Hang-Seon Jang, Jung-ah Yum, Seok-Hwan An, Cheol-Ho Park, Jun-Sang Yu, Hwan-Jun Lee
Director: Yoon-Hyun Chang
Studio: Kino Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Very Engaging Thriller. Not quite up to 'Seven'.
I liked it..........
Not Great, But Not Bad Either: Watchable!
INTRICATE AND SMART THRILLER
had me hooked...

Tell Me Something (Ws Sub)
Starring: Suk-kyu Han , Eun-ha Shim , Hang-Seon Jang , Jung-ah Yum , and Seok-Hwan An
Director: Yoon-Hyun Chang
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000648YF
Release Date: 2002-05-14

Customer Reviews:

Very Engaging Thriller. Not quite up to 'Seven'........2007-04-27

`Tell Me Something', written and directed by Korean Chang Youn-Hyun filmed with Korean dialogue, with both English dubbing and subtitles, is touted as a thriller comparable to `Seven', `...only twice as creepy'. While this is a superior movie and shares several plot devices with `Seven', it is certainly not as good. And, while the talents of Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Spacey go far to raise `Seven' above the level of the usual thriller, the difference between the two movies has much more to do with the writing than with the acting.

Both movies are driven by the acts of a serial killer with an unusual pattern, and both perps are sought by policemen with `issues'. One important difference is that while we learn the identity of the perp midway through `Seven', and catching the killer is a major element of the story, we (and the police) don't realize the identity of the perp until the very last scene, as the perp is leaving Korea, presumably leaving the reach of Korean law enforcement.

Since the drama centers on the identity of the perp, with at least two false suspects cast in front of us, we are distracted from the thinness of other parts of the story. In `Seven', one of the most interesting aspects of the plot in the early going is the perp's pattern, with special emphasis on letting the audience in on the pattern before the less classically trained cop (Brad Pitt) catches on. He only gets it when retiring Detective Freeman lets him in on the significance of the words citing one of the seven deadly sins. `Tell Me Something' is far more interested in graphic gore and violence.

This movie is pretty clever in letting out clues, the significance of which may only be evident to people with special knowledge. One clue that intrigues me is the perp's use of gloves while dissecting one of their anesthetized victims. While a cursory look may have one assume they are latex surgical gloves, they are actually cotton gloves, the kind worn by art conservators to handle very delicate materials. The clue is so subtle, I'm not sure whether it is intentional or simply a mistake by the prop crew, who failed to get real surgical gloves. In any event, it is an important clue to the identity of the real perp. Thankfully, it points to one of the red herrings as well as the real villain.

One of the weakest bases of comparison with `Seven' is that the police never really make much of the killer's pattern. The pattern does contribute to a sense of foreboding, as the pattern creates a predictor for the next victim, but the script never explains the pattern or why the perp chose it.

It's surprising that most of these excellent new Asian thrillers and horror movies owe much more to European film styles than they do to American styles, either modern or classic `film noir' style. The filming and stagecraft seem to rely heavily on French `new wave' technique. What this looses, and what the American's do so well, is humanizing the principle characters, while doing such a good job of hiding or confounding the perp's identity or motives, as in Kevin Spacy's roles in both `Seven' and `The Usual Suspects'. While much is made in the opening scenes of the personal distress of the lead police lieutenant, played by Han Suk-gyu, it has relatively little influence on the plot, unlike the home life sub-plot involving detective Brad Pitt in `Seven'.

One interesting aspect of this DVD is the fact that the dubbed and the subtitled English do not agree. In fact, it's amazing at how often they disagree. Fortunately, this is not biblical translation, so the differences are largely of importance only to people who know Korean. For myself, this is not a serious matter, since I know not one wit of Korean, so I get nothing out of watching with Korean dialogue and English subtitles. Viewing with the dubbed soundtrack on and all subtitles off is the least distracting.

Even though this may not compare favorably with the very best of American thrillers, it's still darn good suspense and, as The New York Times' review states, `...creates jolts of anxiety and pinpricks of dread.'

I liked it.................2007-04-08

a detective under investigation for receiving money is assigned to work a serial killer case to redeam himself in the department. the corpses they find never have their limbs intact it is a mix of limbs from other corpses not yet discovered. he does discover the link between the corpses is they all dated the same woman. very good movie but whatever you do....do NOT watch the dub...the dub voices are horrible.

Not Great, But Not Bad Either: Watchable!.......2007-01-11

I was given this film by a friend a few years ago, and just watched it again recently. The film is not the greatest of suspense, or thrillers, but it is a watchable film. Moreover, the film was an improvement over many of the suspense films that were being released in South Korea at the time of its release in 1999. It is good to see that films coming out of South Korea seem to be getting better and better as the months and years go by. Therefore, I beleive the film, while not great does deserve a watch. Before buying the DVD, however, you might consider renting it first. Several of my friends did not particularly care for the film, but I did not think it was that bad.

The film is about a serial killer who dismembers his victims. I don't want to go into too much detail about the killer, as this will ruin the film for those of you who have not seen it. The film was billed as the "Se7en," of South Korean cinema, and although the similarities deal with a serial killer, they are very different films. If you can stomach serial killer films [I am not really into these types of films] then this film will not be a shock to you: Especially since so many films today seem to be desensitizing so many people with its violence; this one does not seem as horrific as some I have seen lately. However, the violence in the film is not gratuitous violence, since it does deal with a serial killer.

The film stars (Han Suk-gyu) as detective Lieutenant Cho. Lt. Cho is being investigated for graft by his department; and as a reprieve until further investigation, he is assigned to this serial killer case. The reason is that no one has been able to solve these killings. The killer leaves bags of the dismembered victims bodies around the city of Seoul. However, the torsos, arms, legs, and heads of each victims has been mismatched with the bodies. However, all of the victims have one thing in common, and that is they were once romantically linked to a woman named Suyeon Chae (Shim Eun-ha). Suyeon Chae's role is pivotal in the film. There are many subterfuges occuring in the film which leaves you guessing. Futhermore, just when you think the film has tied up all loose ends, it is actually at the very ending of the film where the case is really solved. All in all not a great film, but not bad. Recommended with caution.

INTRICATE AND SMART THRILLER .......2006-12-05

I don't know why but first film that comes to mind thinking of "Tell Me Something" is "Se7en". Although they have practically nothing in common except criminal plot and maybe obscure atmosphere. If to seek some other movies to compare "Tell Me Something" with I'd recall also-Korean "Face" and "Koma" from Hong-Kong. "Tell Me Something" is not a typical asian ghost story that can be expected by some viewers, it's a straightforward criminal thriller where you'll be guessing till the very last minute who kills and dismembers Seoul citizens leaving their limbs in different parts of town.

"Tell Me Something" is masterfully crafted. It keeps you on the edge of your seat for all its duration not letting go. And the usual Korean manner of letting a story flow slowly doesn't contradict the intense atmosphere of this film. This slow-paced narration co-exists peacefully with strained cop vs killer story-line, and you wonder how it's possible. But that's the way many asian movies are. Here you have all the necessary accessories of a great thriller - a hard case investigation with a dodgy killer involved, some gory details and a twist in the end that comes totally unexpected. Many times authors let us on the wrong track and it seems everything is so predictable but this feeling is deceitful - you'll be much surprised in the end. So don't trust your first impressions.

We usually don't pay much attention to music in movies, but here you definately will. It's utterly compelling, I don't remember another flick where music helps so much to create the general atmosphere. "Tell Me Something" is quite melancholic although it's a thriller, and after watching you'll keep asking yourself how the filmmakers managed to mix all these details that seemed impossible to be put together. Anyway it's a great example of asian thriller, Korean in particular. I guess you may be a little confused about it if you're not familiar with this kind of pictures, but if you are, you'll like it for sure. And certainly "Tell Me Something" will require a second run to understand everything because it's quite intricate and complex.

had me hooked..........2006-09-29

this was a great movie... had me hooked from the opening scene while the tension kept building til the final conclusion of the film...i would recommend this movie to any fans of asian cinema...worth the purchase...gonaa watch it again

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