Korean Movie Review: 세이 예스 (Say Yes)
A couple on a road trip happen upon a mysterious yet seemingly ordinary stranger - with an extraordinary demand they MUST say yes to.
"Sei Yeseu"
Release Information:
Directed by: Kim Seong-hong
Released by: Cinema Service (2001)
Running time: 105 minutes
Genre: Suspense | Thriller
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Synopsis
When Kim Jung-hyeon (Kim Joo-hyeok) finally sells his first book to a publisher he feels his luck is changing for the better. Using his new funds to buy a car, he then decides to treat his wife, Yoon-hee (Chu Sang-mi), to a much deserved romantic weekend getaway. On the road to Sokcho Beach the couple take a moment for coffee in a rest stop. While waiting, Yoon-hee happens to meet the eyes of a creepy individual sitting alone-and staring intently at her. Although he leaves as soon as Jung-hyeon returns, Yoon-hee cannot shake the uncomfortable feeling.
It seems that brief moment sets a cruel destiny for the three as Jung-hyeon accidentally hits the stranger pulling out of the parking lot. With regret and much unease, the couple allow the man, never introduced but called simply M (Park Jung-hoon), to bum a ride with them to the beach. And during the road trip M breaks his discontent, rude silence by stating to the pair that he's decided to kill them! Naturally, Jung-hyeon demands he get out of their car, bur the apathetic stranger remains blunt by telling him it was merely a joke. Yoon-hee insists they not make his bizarre attitude any worse by letting it go, but as soon as they reach Sokcho Beach Jung-hyeon throws him out, angrily admitting he did not want the oddball to know where they were staying.
And now sets the stage for an eccentric, dangerous cat-and-mouse game between the couple and the stranger, their celebration shattered as M continues to tail them from the beach to Kyeong-ju, psychologically toying with Jung-hyeon and playing on Yoon-hee's fears. He tells them his game will only end if they kill him, or-when forced into a corner at a most critical and deadly time-if Jung-hyeon just says "yes" to his twisted demand to ...
Review (Spoiler Warning)
Although not an original plot-not especially if you realized this was a re-make of the horror classic The Hitcher-Kim Seong-hong's work is not as bad as it may seem. I had no interest in the film going into it, honestly; I just wanted something to watch on a Thursday night. While I was a little bored through the beginning half of Say Yes, there was something in the back of my mind that was intrigued enough to remain glued to my seat. Besides, I always appreciate Park Jung-hoon's acting after having loved his performance in the crime-drama Nowhere to Hide. And actually, having stuck with it, I really enjoyed the movie by the end.
That's not to say it has originality, because it really doesn't. Plus it is terribly predictable. But the story is solid, the pace keeps itself steadily going, and the acting is perfectly executed! I believe it's the fine acting that delivers a splendid movie in the end, because even if the characters themselves are "normal", you are made to care what happens to them; credit for that I give to the cast and coherent, useful directing.
I mentioned Park Jung-hoon and as always he delivers as the psycho M. There is just something about this actor that fits his often times quirky roles, and while I first saw him as a goofy, grinning, fist-throwing detective, he was just as awesome as a calculating, emotionless and reserved killer. He brought a kind of depth to what could've been a very 2-dimensional character just by certain expressions or tone of voice; I was reminded at times of Norman Bates because we are never given any history or personal facts regarding M and I think this worked well for the story since then we can speculate. I myself could see him having a misunderstood, sad past like Bates.
All we know about M is, by his own admission, he suffered and has since developed such bad insomnia that he blames his craziness on that. He no longer feels anything and demonstrates it by breaking a glass and squeezing the shards until his hand bleeds. Yet for all his emotionless behavior, there are moments where he seems to almost crave attention and outside contact. He forces the couple to have dinner in a restaurant with him, then tries to share a late-night drink with them when he cannot sleep. And when they try to escape him follows a scene of M just laying in bed, listening to them go, and almost teary-eyed. It really gave the movie something more than taking the path of a standard, silly B-horror flick, and brought the actual ending to a higher level, I think.
Major kudos to Kim Joo-hyeok as husband Jung-hyeon, because even though I'd never heard of this actor before, he gave an amazingly passionate performance that wowed me. I always say fear and grief is no doubt THE hardest emotions to portray believably, but Kim showed great talent. The progression of emotions which went through his character is, to me, what this movie was actually about.
In the beginning he was a simple, everyday Joe-struggling to make ends meet with his new wife, whom he says he adores more than anything (and we don't get the full extent of that until the end). He tries to do right by everyone, even if it means giving a ride to a wolf-in-sheep's clothing, but then becomes like any other man when threatened. As the movie progresses, Jung-hyeon becomes more and more frantic as he tries to protect his wife and outwit the psychotic stranger, and even under physical torture he does not knuckle under to M's blood-thirsty desires. But there is a twist at the very end that is open to interpretation, but really turns the tables on this character's psychological state; I really loved the epilogue!
Another surprise performance was Chu Sang-mi as the wife. Previously I saw her in the fantasy cult thriller The Soul Guardians, and I was amused by her utterly POOR acting as the damsel in distress of that film. However, in Say Yes it seems she finally took acting lessons because her abilities to convey horror and fear were outstandingly better! I was shocked, to be frank; it was as if she were an entirely different actress! But she matched Kim Joo-hyeok perfectly, making them seem like a real married couple, and I'll be darned if she didn't show real fear and disgust through genuine expression and voice this go-around. Definitely better!
The character of Yoon-hee, again, gave this thriller a little more depth because as the couple is put under pressure we see more layers of her character peel away until we finally understand her thoughts. Through the movie we see how devoted Jung-hyeon is to his wife, but there are little indications from Yoon-hee that perhaps she does not feel as strongly as he does about their relationship. She does question him a lot, even though for the most part she is a demure wife, and it adds another level towards the final showdown. This deadly encounter with M seems to strengthen their marriage, which by the end is pure tragedy.
My only qualm with this movie is it does do that little B thing where the bad guy just will never die. I mean, they beat the crap out of M during their big confrontation scene and stab him with a pitchfork, yet he manages to still keep on coming. He crashes a huge diesel, yet comes out okay. Character-wise, you understand his need to keep on truckin' but plot-wise it is so over done that it's a little frustratingly funny.
And there is a certain point where the police are involved and I didn't feel their involvement was well explained. I was confused at how they suddenly knew M was the bad guy, when for a moment I expected the twist to be that they'd arrest Jung-hyeon. *shrugs* Those scenes were a little disorderly, and I'm wondering if it was just added to give veteran actor Ki Joo-bong a role, since apparently he has to be in everything. Otherwise, it's steady enough, and good.
With no cinematic thrills, no huge cast of extra characters, and a soundtrack that was fitting but not over-powering enough to be memorable, Say Yes is not an emotional powerhouse; it doesn't wear its feelings on its sleeve so to speak. And is not hugely frightening simply due to the fact that you've probably seen the action and events before-but thankfully it doesn't turn cheesy and become a rank horror. It definitely CAN feel suspenseful thanks to great performances, and I think this movie is not so much about the journey but about a fantastic ending! Seriously, I would recommend Say Yes just solely because of the finale.
There is a lot of violence and blood (blood everywhere) for those of you who like that in your dramatic horrors, but the very end appeases the psychological thriller fans like me and is so worth the watch!
And by the way, I've tried not to give away many big spoilers (mainly because there are not many in the movie) which is why I will not directly tell you what M tries to force Jung-hyeon to "Say yes" about. You'll just have to see the film.
(Originally published as nozomu_bunny to korean_cinema circa 2005.)