H

A dangerous serial killer, Shin-Hyun, turns himself in to the police, declaring himself to be the author of the brutal crimes involving young women facing motherhood. Now he is in prison awaiting the death penalty, but the brutal crimes have not stopped, as a mad assassin continues to kill using the same technique and style as Shin-Hyun. Solving the case, entrusted to the homicide agents Kin Mi Yun and Kang Tae Hyun, will be more difficult than expected. For the series "In the East, films are not all the same," in 2002 in South Korea, "H" is released, an interesting thriller that unfortunately did not receive, at least in our country, the success it undoubtedly deserved. Released quietly for the home video market only, "H" turns out to be an effective and engaging thriller that draws inspiration, in style and form, from various American-style thrillers but does not abandon entirely Japanese characteristics such as the unhealthy atmospheres of metropolitan violence. The film, directed by Jong-hyuk-Lee, rises well above the average of classic products from the East because it uses in a rather engaging way an intriguing story that, although at times may remind one of more famous Western thrillers, one above all "The Silence of the Lambs" (the policeman who interrogates the dangerous detainee to obtain information about the serial killer), can at times also be quite innovative and original. But it is not only the plot that makes "H" a particularly engaging film because one can also notice a considerable care for the technical aspect, especially regarding the photography (particularly well-crafted) and the sets studied down to the smallest detail (particular care is given to the crime scenes). The characters, from a character standpoint, have also received considerable study and particular delineation; among them, the two main agents who, although they may fall into certain stereotypes (he, a competent and extroverted policeman, she, an agent who puts work before everything but speaks little due to a trauma experienced at work years earlier that led her to lose a very dear colleague), still result particularly well-crafted and not at all two-dimensional. But the true strengths of the film lie in the magnificent and innovative game built around the title and, the cherry on top, the crude and macabre gore scenes optimally represented and that, although the murders almost always occur off-screen and the viewer will rarely witness the brutal murders, still manage to be particularly disturbing (notable are the discoveries of the first two cadavers: the first, a woman with her respective child removed from the maternal womb and thrown in a dump; and the second involving a pregnant woman whose abdomen is ripped open). Of course, some flaws can also be noticed in the film; among these, it is worth noting a rhythm a bit too slow in the central part of the film (but such slowness is in no way synonymous with boredom because the slow pace is clearly intended) and the succession of too many plot twists at the end that make the story a bit complex and therefore, to fully grasp each single step, it would be necessary to undergo a second viewing. In conclusion, this "H" is a Korean-style thriller (and apparently in Korea they really know how to do it, just think of that small gem that is "Old Boy") very effective, capable of engaging and not disappointing both thriller lovers and horror lovers thanks to the staging of particularly realistic and disturbing murders. It undoubtedly deserves at least one viewing.