Best movie of this year hands down!

Wonderful character development!

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

'THE RED SHOES' is a supernatural tale with its center revolving around a pretty typical plot involving a mother alone with her daughter, struggling in the world. The reoccurring images you see in far too many Korean ghost stories are present here. There are pale faced girls with long black hair hanging in their face and cursed artifacts that bring misfortune to those that possess them. But there are enough unique touches paired with an intriguing performance by the lead actress that helps to elevate its status.Sun-Jae unexpectedly goes home in the middle of the day to find her husband banging some other woman. She moves out on her own with her young daughter Han Tae-su to an inexpensive apartment near Goksung Station. She meets handsome young architect, In-cheol who is designing her eye clinic and the two embark on a relationship. On the subway on her way home Sun-Jae sees a seemingly abandoned pair of shoes she cannot resist picking up. The shoes bring the worst out in people, including her daughter who becomes obsessed with them on sight. When a friend is found dead and her daughters behavior becomes more severe, Sun-Jae and In-cheol will need to solve the mystery behind the cursed footwear before it's too late.Bloody death scenes filmed in sterile white environments can be extremely effective. The opening scene of 'THE RED SHOES' is an outstanding example of this. There are some cherry props also. The main character is obsessed with shoes. The depth of the obsession is shown with a massive glass store display prop. The stacked glass boxes showcases each individual pair of shoes. The visuals are strong throughout. There are some respectable moments of suspense, but not nearly enough of them. Violence and gore is slim but I enjoyed what there was of it. The performances were strong and there is some interesting character development. I found the lead actress, Hye-su Kim fascinating. The love interest, In-cheol is very easy on the eyes. The problem is, that I liked the films individual pieces more than the completed work. I had a serious issue with certain "spooky" images. One in particular stood out because it is a carbon copy of something I've seen in at least two other films and seemed completely irrelevant to the story. Obviously added in for mood, it was totally ineffective. There are some predictable plot twists that also bog it down. The story is uneven and trips over its own feet, but ultimately for a ghost story it just isn't very scary. That said, I still think this is a really nice looking film with strong performances and enough special touches that it's worth a watch.

Actually they are more shocking pink, but the tale of obsession and possession and madness starts (after a killer opening) when a woman discovers her husband is having an affair. She moves out with her daughter into a new apartment. She discovers a pair of pink shoes on a subway and its all down hill from there.Dark, bloody (its rains down in gallons) disturbing film is a good thriller for most of its running time. The dark imagery is truly frightening and disturbing even if the tale, ultimately, makes no sense. There are things in this film that really bothered me even if they may have been over done. Visually this film is great, it will curl your toes at times (The opening in the subway is truly classic and one of the best things I've seen all year. I've seen it a couple of times it still delightfully, freaks me out). The story, which echoes the classic story and events decades earlier in the films time line, really doesn't work. The problem is that as long as it doesn't have to explain anything this film is fine, however once it has to begin to wrap everything up it stops working. Its juggling too many implausible things to explain neatly. I like the pieces of this film much better than the whole thing.For those looking for an Asian Horror film that isn't long haired ghosts this film is worth a look (You want to see the opening). I'd rent it or see if cable runs it before you buy it.

The Red Shoes uses every Asian Horror motif we've seen many times before. Most notably the young, attractive, professional female lead who's got a cheating husband and a daughter that goes freaky. Its plot is constructed around some 'thing' that connects the natural and supernatural worlds via the kid. There's a hip, interested, and understanding 'other man' hanging around, helping when he can. The infamous J-Horror Goth Chick even makes appearances. If all this is a deal breaker with regards to your viewing pleasure, skip this one. If it's not, then add it your queue immediately.The red shoes, usually referred to in the singular in this film, are really more of a fuchsia pink set of come find me pumps. The "Red" is surely meant to symbolize blood, as in "blood on your hands", but I digress.It's the production values of The Red Shoes that make it worthwhile. This is a good looking film whose creators clearly cared about doing it well. The cinematography is creepy and creative, accentuating the sense of dread with distortions, colors and inspired scene locations. The soundtrack is understated and almost peaceful—it's not used to create tension where none exists. And the script, typical of Asian Horror, is loose enough for the viewer to choose from a number of interpretive styles: is it a dream, a figment of some dreadful imagination, or is everybody a different aspect of a multiple personalty? The Red Shoes doesn't break any new ground but if you are a fan of the genre this is a professionally put together package.

Yeah sure they are pink shoes but its a metaphor. They are "red" because of all the blood and gore and stuff. Get it. Anyway this movie is excellent. It is definitely not what i expected. It is surprisingly emotional, sad and beautiful. There is lots if disgusting blood and gore thats for sure and its the goriest part in the first subway scene. This movie also has an interesting story line based in the hans Christian anderson tale "the red shoes". It also has the first sex scene sort of thing i have ever seen in an Asian film. It will haunt my dreams forever. It has fights between the mother and the 5 year old daughter which makes you just want to scream at the screen STOP. because it is such good acting. It is so horrible in a good way that they would hurt and kill each others family just to have the shoes.