A goofy and over-the-top mess that doesn't do anything with what could have been an interesting concept. The film boasts strong visuals but a sluggish narrative that drags on for what seems like an eternity. It stalls many times with false conclusions before continuing on for nearly two-and-a-half hours. By the end it just becomes repetitive and tiresome - the violence is never as shocking as it wants to be and the visual effects are terrible. The central performance from Song Kang-ho is solid and Kim Ok-vin is convincing as a seductress of sorts, but the film fails to let you sympathize with any of these characters in favor of ridiculous segments that seem to be there just to push boundaries. It is most similar in tone to television's "True Blood," except that series handles the blending of camp and horror in a much more successful manner. And compared to recent vampire flicks such as Let The Right One In, Thirst just doesn't compare. C-

I'm no stranger to Asian cinema, but I'll tell ya... every time I see a Korean film I think to myself: Wow, that culture has some very different beats than others...

Vampire Priest.

Tell me that hasn't been pitched before! But why not?! It's a brilliant hybrid with exceedingly disturbing undertones (not to mention, the seriously freaky overtones). It's a natural story that I expect to see thoroughly colonized over the next hundred years of literature and film.

The acting is superb - - Thank God! This would be merely the whirl of a distant wind, if it weren't for the fine performance from Kang-ho Song as the bloodsucking clergyman, and even more miraculously - - the captivating bravura performance by Ok-vin Kim as the future Mrs. Vampiress Tae-joo - - she's brilliant + nude.

But as I say the Korean vibe is hard to grok. Or perhaps, what with this being the third film I've seen by director Chan-wook Park, I've just slipped into his good 'ol boy Lynchian POV of Korean reality...

I don't know anymore - - I'm still disoriented from having just watched Thirst...


out of

B


Chan-wook Park has been hit/miss for me so far. While I really enjoyed Oldboy (and even moreso on repeat viewings), I thoroughly hated Symathy for Lady Vengeance. As a fan of horror and with the recent vampire films wave I was of course interested in his addition to the vampire genre and as expected this film did not play by the rules.

The film deals with a Catholic priest who after a medical experiment ends up a vampire. During the experiment he became infected with a fatal and incurable disease and while his vampirism saved him it's only as long as he keeps drinking blood that the disease is suppressed. But the disease is not the only thing suppressed in this film. As he undergoes his change, the priest experiences a sexual awakening and desires that he feels guilty for having, especially since they are directed towards an acquaintance's wife. But this is only the beginning of this 133-minutes long vampire love story.

Quality-wise Thirst falls inbetween Oldboy and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance in my opinion. It's a lush film full with religious allegorisms, eroticism, themes of suppressed feelings and, well, some full-on vampire scenes in which Park isn't afraid to show quite lots of blood. However I was also surprised by pretty big amounts of dark humor in this one. In particular the hallucinations of the two main characters in the middle of the film (you'll know which ones I'm talking about once you see it) are morbidly funny. The film is also very well-acted. Kang-ho Song, The Host's protagonist, fits the role of the tortured priest very well, but he is outshined by his female counterpart, played by the beautiful Ok-vin Kim. Whoever, its Ha-kyun Shin as Tae-Joo's incompetent childish husband who manages to steal the show in most of the scenes he's in.

The movie's also commendable on the technical level. The cinematography is without a doubt one of the best I have seen all year. Visually, it is a very appealing film. The play with colors is nicely done.

However, its main problem lies in its over-ambitiousness. With the aforementioned 133-minutes running time it overstays its welcome a bit. Around 20 minutes could have easily been cut out. The film does drag from time to time. At the same time, it also tries to tackle on a lot of topics and plot threads at the same time. Instead it should have had more focus. A better editor could have elevated this solid film to a near-masterpiece, but as it stands it is an ambitious, but also flawed vampire epic that doesn't even come close to the greatness of Let the Right One In. It is, however, a very interesting and daring spin on the genre.

7/10 -> B-

I think Libs pretty much said it all. But also I would've preferred if the whole movie was more dark-comedic in tone just like those hallucinations Libs mentions.

lol? That was Dr. Lecter, not me. Damn avatars.

LOL. I saw Kermit and didn't even read the username...

Totally batshit insane. And not in a good way.

Is it too much to ask for a grim, edgy vampire flick THAT'S ACTUALLY ABOUT VAMPIRES?