I Saw the Devil
SPOILER: Jang Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik) is a dangerous psychopath serial killer. He has committed infernal serial murders in diabolic ways that one cannot even imagine and his victims range from young women to even children. The police have chased him for a long time, but were unable to catch him. One day, Joo-yeon, daughter of a retired police chief becomes his prey and is found dead in a horrific state. Her fiancé Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun), a top secret agent, decides to track down the murderer himself. He promises himself that he will do everything in his power to take bloody vengeance against the killer, even if it means that he must become a monster himself to get this monstrous and inhumane killer.
Despite its modest budget of $6.0M, I Saw the Devil became a financial success, earning $13.0M worldwide—a 116% return.
17 wins & 21 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
I Saw the Devil (2010) showcases meticulously timed story structure, characteristic of Kim Jee-woon's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 24 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Joo-yeon waits in her broken-down car on a snowy road, pregnant and engaged to Kim Soo-hyun, a secret service agent. She calls him affectionately, showing their loving relationship before tragedy strikes.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 16 minutes when Soo-hyun receives the final forensic reports and realizes the police investigation is going nowhere. His fiancée's killer will likely never be caught through conventional means. He decides to hunt the killer himself.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 35 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Soo-hyun identifies and confronts Kyung-chul for the first time. Instead of killing him or turning him in, he makes the conscious choice to enact a cycle of torture: he will catch, hurt, release, and re-catch him repeatedly. He plants a tracking device and begins his revenge game., moving from reaction to action.
At 73 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat False victory: Kyung-chul discovers the tracking device and realizes someone is deliberately toying with him. The power dynamic shifts. The hunter-prey relationship becomes mutual. Stakes raise as Kyung-chul begins actively trying to identify and destroy his tormentor., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 107 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Kyung-chul kidnaps and threatens Joo-yeon's family directly. Soo-hyun arrives to find them in danger. He realizes his revenge game has caused innocent people to suffer and has made him complicit in additional deaths. His moral authority dies. He has become what he hunted., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 114 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Soo-hyun decides to end the game permanently. He abandons the torture cycle and commits to final, definitive action. He will kill Kyung-chul, but recognizes this won't redeem him or bring peace - it will only complete his transformation into a monster., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
I Saw the Devil's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping I Saw the Devil against these established plot points, we can identify how Kim Jee-woon utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish I Saw the Devil within the action genre.
Kim Jee-woon's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Kim Jee-woon films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. I Saw the Devil represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Kim Jee-woon filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Kim Jee-woon analyses, see The Age of Shadows.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Joo-yeon waits in her broken-down car on a snowy road, pregnant and engaged to Kim Soo-hyun, a secret service agent. She calls him affectionately, showing their loving relationship before tragedy strikes.
Theme
After discovering Joo-yeon's murder, her father (a police chief) tells Soo-hyun: "You cannot become a monster to catch a monster." This establishes the central thematic question of revenge and moral degradation.
Worldbuilding
Serial killer Kyung-chul brutally murders Joo-yeon. Her body parts are found in the river. Soo-hyun learns of her death and attends the funeral. Police investigate but have limited leads. Establishes Soo-hyun's training and resources as a special agent.
Disruption
Soo-hyun receives the final forensic reports and realizes the police investigation is going nowhere. His fiancée's killer will likely never be caught through conventional means. He decides to hunt the killer himself.
Resistance
Soo-hyun conducts his own investigation, tracking down leads the police missed. He questions medical supply workers, analyzes evidence, and uses his intelligence training. He narrows suspects and begins surveillance on potential killers.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Soo-hyun identifies and confronts Kyung-chul for the first time. Instead of killing him or turning him in, he makes the conscious choice to enact a cycle of torture: he will catch, hurt, release, and re-catch him repeatedly. He plants a tracking device and begins his revenge game.
Mirror World
Soo-hyun interacts with Joo-yeon's grieving family. Her sister and father represent the normal path of grief and justice. His future father-in-law's warning about becoming a monster serves as the moral counterpoint to his vengeance.
Premise
The "promise of the premise" - the cat-and-mouse torture game. Soo-hyun tracks, attacks, and releases Kyung-chul multiple times. Each cycle becomes more brutal. Kyung-chul continues killing others, and Soo-hyun must prevent or witness these murders while maintaining his game.
Midpoint
False victory: Kyung-chul discovers the tracking device and realizes someone is deliberately toying with him. The power dynamic shifts. The hunter-prey relationship becomes mutual. Stakes raise as Kyung-chul begins actively trying to identify and destroy his tormentor.
Opposition
Kyung-chul goes on the offensive, threatening Soo-hyun's family. The police begin connecting Soo-hyun to crime scenes. Soo-hyun becomes more violent and reckless. His moral descent accelerates as he crosses lines he previously wouldn't have crossed. The cycle of violence escalates beyond his control.
Collapse
Kyung-chul kidnaps and threatens Joo-yeon's family directly. Soo-hyun arrives to find them in danger. He realizes his revenge game has caused innocent people to suffer and has made him complicit in additional deaths. His moral authority dies. He has become what he hunted.
Crisis
Soo-hyun confronts the reality of what he has become. The father-in-law's words echo. He sees his own reflection and recognizes the monster. Dark contemplation of whether revenge has any meaning when the avenger has lost his humanity.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Soo-hyun decides to end the game permanently. He abandons the torture cycle and commits to final, definitive action. He will kill Kyung-chul, but recognizes this won't redeem him or bring peace - it will only complete his transformation into a monster.
Synthesis
Final confrontation at Kyung-chul's family home. Soo-hyun systematically hunts him down. He forces Kyung-chul to experience the fear and helplessness his victims felt. The execution is methodical and brutal, witnessed by Kyung-chul's own family, creating another cycle of trauma.
Transformation
Soo-hyun sits alone, weeping. He has completed his revenge but gained nothing. The closing image mirrors the opening - but instead of love and warmth, there is only emptiness and grief. He has destroyed the monster but become one himself. The thematic question is answered: revenge destroys the avenger.