H (2002)

Directed by Jong-hyuk Lee

Starring Jung-ah Yum (A Tale of Two Sisters, Tell Me Something), Ji-ru Sung (Memories of Murder, Public Enemy}, Jin-hee Ji

H is one of those films that Ive read so many poor comments about that I watched it with very low expectations. That was probably for the best because if I hadnt had low expectations Id probably just be carping on about how much it blatantly rips from Se7en and Silence of the Lambs. Despite the obvious connections it does have enough originality to hold it together and provide a decent serial murder mystery with some original ideas. 

A series of murders are taking place in Seoul, all the victims are women and are copycats of a serial killer (Shin Hyun) who has been behind bars for several months after giving himself up. Of course the police question the interned murderer, this is where it heads into Silence of the Lambs territory as he appears to be in control of the inquisitors, diverting the questioning and giving off an air of enigmatic superiority (certainly no Hannibal Lecter though) and a series of cryptic clues.

As for the elements that tie it in with Se7en, each victim has been chosen carefully and with reason, each has been killed in a way that (to the killer) suits their supposed crime, the crime scenes are also quite grotesque which is also similar to Se7en. 

To find the killer the police must delve deeper and deeper into the mind and crimes of Shin Hyun, he is extremely misogynistic and further into the film the police discover why. There is a twist at the end that reveals the H of the title and although its fairly easy to work out what it means beforehand, the finale is still quite surprising.

Although you may think the fact that all the victims being women and the misogynism of the original killer make this sound like a very masculine film youd be wrong. The two emotionally strongest and certainly most intelligent people are women, one a police detective whos boyfriend (also a detective) died during the search for the original killer and the psychiatrist who sees the confidentiality of her patients as more important than the murder of someone she doesnt know.

Quite slow paced with a central character (detective) who is a little too melodramatic for his own good, this film wont change your life and does not compare with Memories of Murder or Tell Me Something (which I feel I may have underrated) but its not that bad either. If you do see it, expect the worst and you will find a fairly decent film, believe me, Ive seen far, far worse than H.

Cheers Trev 

BBFC rated 18 

R2 Pal dvd available from Tartan Video