Powerful

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Or steamy silly thriller. Whichever you prefer.Detective Seon-woo (a quite funny Hee-soon Park) has been suspended by the police, so he works as a private investigator in adultery cases. He gets involved with one of his clients, who has asked him to get evidence against her husband, while the husband is with his lover in the next room. He falls asleep and when he wakes up, discovers that the wife was actually the lover, the lover the wife, and that the husband and the real lover, the one that got him on the case, have been killed. Seon-woo is an fight against time to find the real killer, as the police starts to suspect him.Complicated? Not really, but "The Scent" over-complicates things and becomes silly in the process. Quite silly. The idea is to make a thriller, with a couple of steamy scenes, that will grip the viewer to the seat, but the director seems more interested in show cleavage than in the mystery. The actors do a good job, but the material is thin. The action is good, but the mystery becomes silly, and there are a couple of moments where the film almost loses its audience.As it is, "The Scent" is a fun enough movie, that could be way more if it had had a more assured hand and better focus.

This is a Korean thriller flick that isn't too bad but isn't really good either. So in a way it's just decent in my opinion. This director made a debut with his film "No Mercy" which has a way more serious tone going for it and the ending that leaves a mark. This one doesn't really leave an impact but it's still watchable. And trying to figure out the mystery at hand is done alright. As soon as you think you know what is going on it throws a curve balls that throws you off a bit. I didn't particular find the comedic elements all that funny but I guess it can be difficult when it's a serial murder mystery. The story is about a private investigator who is a sleaze and cheats on his good wife. And the main way he makes money is by tracking down other cheaters for his clients. Which makes him a despicable character and a hypocrite. But during one of his jobs he finds himself in a bit of a pickle when he passes out because of certain circumstances. And finds his clients dead body next to him and another dead body in the other room of a hotel. With one lady who is somewhat of a witness played by Park Si-hyeon. And thus it becomes a chase where the private investigator is trying to track down the killer and the other investigators and cops tracking down the killer as well. But the evidence points to the private detective. So the plot is alright but there really isn't all that much tension or anything that makes this movie stand out much because even the comedic parts are kinda bland. The main thing that stands out though is how the director incorporated erotic sequences into the plot with Park Si-hyeon. I never really thought of Si-hyeon Park as a great actress but she fits this role because her seduction will really pull the audience in. She plays the very methodical character but the problem is her plan goes way to accordingly when there is many loopholes and ways her plans can be altered. Which bother me a bit while watching how everything plays out. Well the male audiences at least that are straight. This movie kinda reminded me of the movie "Tell Me Something" except not as bloody or gruesome and because this goes in a less serious tone. Also the ending tries to make it seem like the protagonist did something heroic when it was basically his own self incentives he was after, obvious. Also it makes it seem it's okay for husbands to cheat on their wife which might offend some female viewers. Overall it's a watchable erotic thriller nothing more.6.6/10

Truthfully, I want to watch this movie just because there is Lee Gwang Soo on cast. I read the genre and rating on IMDb.com, and when I read Lee Gwang Soo name, I really want to watch it. I also read that it was Thriller movie, but why the movie poster show an actress with hot pose? I can't get it. Then I start to watch, and I aware if there is some ghost or aliens or other creatures (since it was thriller), but the opening is not creepy. I just think, aha, maybe it is just an affair movie with some comedy. There are some erotic scene that should be rated +18. But I have got goosebumps! I'm shocked, because the woman beside the main actor is murdered by unknown subject. And the story begin, I'm curious enough so I can't stop or pause it while watching. But the plot and the ending is very good. It is a thriller movie with some hot scene, but with the great composition. This movie is one of my favorite Korean movie.

You'll probably be of one of two reactions after seeing the poster for 'The Scent' – one, you're thinking that you must watch it for Park Si- yeon, the ravishing beauty doing a Demi Moore-like 'Striptease' pose; two, you'll dismiss it as yet another skin flick, the kind meant to draw the crowds at the infamous Yangtze cinema. If you fall into the latter camp, then we're here to stop you from dismissing this thriller a little too quickly – yes, it does have a generous bit of skin in it, but trust us when we say that its pleasures aren't quite so superficial. Only writer/ director Kim Hyoung-jun's sophomore film, it is a surprisingly satisfying blend of the thrilling, the erotic, and rather unexpectedly the darkly funny. Framed around a murder mystery, the story at its core has a police detective named Kang Sun-woo (Park Hee Soon) racing against time to clear his name after waking up one night next to a dead woman in a hotel room. Not only does he have to stay one step ahead of his colleagues – especially the hard-nosed Seo (Kim Jeong Tak) – he also has to figure out whether the irresistibly alluring Kim Su-Jin (Si-yeon) is his ally or his enemy. Unlike the typical South Korean crime thriller however, Hyoung-jun literally turns up the heat by injecting a fair amount of eroticism. Sun-woo turns out to be no ordinary detective, but one just resuming duty after a two-year suspension following his affair with a police chief's wife. His predicament also came to be only because he has been moonlighting as a private detective tracking (ironically) adulterous spouses, this time trailing Su-Jin's apparently philandering husband whom he also finds dead in the next room. And boy does it sizzle when Sun-woo and Su-jin get together – the reason why this film gets the highest R21 rating – the former barely able to keep his head together when she flirts with him. You might think that with so much crime and passion swirling around, this is going to be a grim sober viewing experience. We thought likewise too, but Hyoung-jun directs the proceedings with some well-placed humour. Instead of playing it dead serious therefore, Sun-woo's nervous anxiety is bound to make you crack up as you watch how his previously cocksure attitude dissolves into timid insecurity. The supporting characters also lighten the atmosphere – including Sun-woo's bumbling sidekick Gi-pung (Lee Gwang Su) and his trusting policeman partner Han Gil-ro (Joo Sang-wook). It's a tricky juggling act keeping the drama, comedy and the erotic in balance within the same movie, but Hyoung-jun pulls it off with aplomb. The central murder mystery keeps you guessing until the very end, the sexual tension between Sun-woo and Su-jin crackles with passion and intensity, and the bits of comedy let you catch your breath along the way. Credit goes to Hyoung-jun for not sacrificing style over substance, and the tightly woven plot that gives just the right amount of detail and attention to characters large and small is a testament to that. In no small measure, Hyoung-jun owes the success of his movie to his ably chosen cast, all of whom we are happy to report have been selected based on their aptitude. Hee-soon may not be a recognisable name here, but his brazenly charismatic performance here is one of the reasons why the movie remains compelling throughout. As the pressure turns on his character, Hee-soon's increasingly edgy portrayal is riveting to watch. You'll find it hard too to take your eyes off Si-yeon, who pulls off one of the most memorable femme fatale roles in recent cinematic memory. She is captivating to say the least, and her seductive turn after largely TV drama roles is certain to raise the pulses of guys in the audience. The chemistry between Hee-soon and Si-yeon is sizzling, and if you had belonged to the former camp who are watching the movie largely for these scenes of passion, rest assured that you won't be disappointed. But really, this review is meant for those who are likely to avoid this Korean thriller with the impression that it is nothing more than a softcore porn flick masquerading as a legitimate movie. Ironically, the attention-grabbing poster might just turn discerning viewers away from a well-crafted movie that is tense, taut and for the lack of a better word hot-blooded. And if you need one more reason to catch it in the cinemas, then remember this – it's rated R21 in its full glory, so you won't be able to see it in the comfort (and perhaps privacy) of your home anytime soon.