The other reviews are pretty spot on, considered altogether. You either love that the story behind the history is told, or you’re uncomfortable with it. But it WILL NOT let you remain untouched. I’m honestly sitting here stymied on what to say, because nothing seems adequate. Even so, I just want to pull this to the forefront of the review world for a little bit so more people can watch this absolute masterpiece of cinema.

I’ve said it before, I don’t often rate things a 10. I was actually torn this time because I find accuracy in history important. I still rated this that highly however because it walks in the gray area that surrounds the why in which a person became what he was, rather than the end result. Despite the memoirs that survive from that time, the truth of how he got there is still open to conjecture. This film takes a monster and turns it into a man, instead of the other way around.

Also as others have said, and I have to reiterate, the acting is just beyond phenomenal. As any role, and especially as SaDo, this man has a way of changing his entire countenance according to the character he plays. (I watched this with someone who had recently watched Chicago Typewriter with me, and he didn’t even recognize Eom Hong Sik (Yoo Ah In). He’s usually pretty damn good with recognizing faces, too.)