An Exercise In Nonsense

A Masterpiece!

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

As I watched this film, I kept asking myself: What's the killer's motivation(s)? Not until the last few minutes did that become clear – well, as clear as it could be, given the narrative structure: reminiscent of the plot of Se7en (1995) but with the addition of a number of flashbacks that do more to confuse than to wholly satisfy.And, there are obvious nods to not only Se7en, but Silence of the lambs (1991), also, particularly the cinematography and scene construction. At one point, echoing a scene from the former, Detective Cho (Suh-kyu Han) is lying exhausted in a rain-soaked alley way, while the killer sits waiting in his car, only two metres away; but instead of running Cho down, the killer screams away into the rain. In another scene, Cho is in an elevator and looks up to see bright blood dripping from the hatchway, and then also dripping down the wall; suddenly, the hatch breaks and buckets of blood cascade onto him. Add to that are the many interior scenes in run-down tenements and so forth, all evocative of the spooky corridors of those earlier films.Still, the story is interesting, in a macabre way: across Seoul, body parts turn up in black plastic bags, but not all parts belong to the body. Somebody is perpetrating murder piecemeal. Enter Detective Cho, somewhat under suspicion for corruption but handed the case as way to redeem his career. More mixed-up body parts are discovered, but no hands with fingerprints. So, no clues. Until a head appears with teeth fillings that can be traced. One thing leads to another until Cho finds himself knocking on the door to Chae Su-Yeon (Eun-ha Shim), a young woman who knows all the male victims.And so begins the real mystery for Cho - and the viewer. Through questioning and a series of flashbacks, it looks like Chae is in the frame; yet, murders continue while she is under surveillance. Suspicion falls upon her father, who, from Chae's account, is shown to be a sadistic, authoritarian figure; but he can't be found. And then there's a further nod to another thriller, Kiss the girls (1997), where the idea of a deadly duo is raised and then quashed when a prime suspect is himself reduced to a jumble of parts in a bag. All very messy for Cho, and increasingly so, because he appears to be attracted to the sweet Chae Su-Yeon, a complication he can do without, you would think.In a way, I can also compare this film to the manner in which David Lynch constructs his films. When you see any of the more recent Lynch films, the real mystery (and challenge) is how to understand the story. For Tell Me Something, the problem is how to understand the mystery because, as I said, the killer's motivation(s) is the key. And yet, at the end, there is no absolute clarity, even though the identity is obvious. So if I provide my understanding here and now, I think that would detract from the pleasure of unraveling it for yourself. Meanwhile, I'll continue to ponder the significance of the title, the significance of which escapes me.However, the production is excellent and the special effects (dismembered bodies, body pieces, heads, gutted torsos and so on) are so realistic they may cause some people more than just some discomfit. It will certainly satisfy the slash-and-gore set who liken this movie to Italian giallo cinema, exemplified by Dario Argento's works such as Deep Red (1977), Tenebre (1982) and others. It's classified as a horror film and I think that's justified, given the underpinnings of the story and the camera work.I can't comment much on the acting as I'm not familiar with the actors or Korean cinema, having seen only a few; generally, however, I think the actors performed quite well.Recommended for those who like a mixed bag of horror, mystery and thriller...and body parts.

Detective Cho is a troubled man. He has had to cope with personal loss and his career as a cop is in crisis as it appears he is corrupt and has been on the take for years. Redemption often takes unusual forms and for Cho it is the form of dismembered corpses, discovered in various places. The body parts are mixed up and fingerprints and other obvious identifying marks have been removed. Told to work quickly and form his own team, Cho is assigned to the seemingly impossible case.Another reviewer has already spotted the irony of this film being rather disjointed so I must nod to them as I steal their gag because that is a good description of the film. It isn't so much that there are too many clues and too much going on (as another writer said) but more that it didn't do enough to hold the audience. I never really felt like there was a good mystery building up here to the point that I was gripped by it but only to the point where I was half-interested in it. It had style up to a point but I didn't think the substance was there to back it up. As with many Korean films, the commercial influence from the west is present and here the aspiration seems to be Se7en but it falls a long way short.The cast are OK with Han and Jang working well together in the classic partner combo. Han was too restrained and difficult to read but Jang was good albeit in a very obvious sidekick way. Shim was fine but she is just part of a cast that really don't work that well mainly because the material isn't there for them. An interesting affair at points, this mostly failed to grip me and only intermittently did it managed to get by with style and some gore. Frantically needing more pace and/or depth though, this isn't good enough to be worth watching it ahead of the many, many better serial killer thrillers out there.

I watched this movie after having watched A Tale of Two Sisters, another movie that required cliff notes, mostly because of my interest in Jung-ah Yum (the step-mother in Tale of Two Sister). Unfortunately Jung-ah's talents are mostly wasted in this film, although she does a good job with what she has.The film itself seems to confuse complex with clever plotting. Plus there are some annoying reality lapses...Starting with Detective Cho, not only unwillingness to consider Chea a suspect, but actually giving her his gun? Also Chea's friend Seungmin was another obvious suspect (her surgical talents, her early ties to Chea) that somehow was overlooked - until the end of course.Still and all, not a terrible movie...It relies on a bunch of the cliques of the genre; the femme fatale, the 'buddy' cop who gets killed, the unrelenting rain...But it does a credible job with the material. Could have been a particularly gruesome Raymond Chandler story set in LA, which is both good and bad since Chandler's novels also relied on some complex plots. Don't believe me? Rent The Big Sleep and try following that movie.So a 6 for the decent acting, and consistent film noir tone.

"Tell Me Something" was a big hit in South Korea and it's not a big surprise for me.Lieutant Cho,while under investigation for corruption,is suddenly thrust into a higher priority serial killer case.A mysterious killer is leaving garbage bags full off dismembered corpses around Seoul.With the amputated arms and legs mismatched,the victims are nearly impossible to identify.Some of the body parts found are soon linked to a beautiful woman played by Shim Eun-ha."Tell Me Something" is a grisly and eerily dark thriller heavily influenced by Italian giallos of the 1970's.The film features a deranged killer,a captivating mystery with plenty of red herrings and even a piece of art that figures prominently in the climax.It's stylish and offers a few very gruesome death scenes.The gore effects are fairly convincing and the film is filled with darkness and creeping dread.So if you are a fan of Italian giallos or disturbing Asian horror give this masterpiece a look.Highly recommended.