Thirst
Song Kang-ho in Thirst
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By Tom Powell. |  |
Monday, 12, Oct 2009 04:52
Directed by Park Chan-Wook, starring Song Kang-ho, Kim Ok-vin and Kim Hae-sook, out October 16th in cinemas, running time 133 mins.
In a nutshell...
Priest turns vampire, gore-fest ensues
What's it all about?
Sang-hyn is a priest who selflessly volunteers for a secret vaccine development project meant to eradicate a deadly virus. However, the virus takes the priest and a blood transfusion is required to save him.
The blood Sang-hyn receives though is infected and slowly turns him into a vampire. Struggling with his new blood-lust the priest's faith is also further strained when he falls for his childhood friend's wife Tae-ju (Kim Ok-vin). The two embark on a whirlwind romance filled with passion and destruction.
Who's in it?
Thirst marks Song Kang-ho's fourth collaboration with director Park Chan-wook. He has starred in a number of Korean blockbusters including The Host.
Kim Ok-vin, a former beauty queen, starred in Voice, Dasepo Naughty Girls and most recently starred in The Accidental Gangster.
Any chance of any Oscar?
Thirst picked up the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival as well as being a huge blockbuster in Korea.
What the others say
"It was too long, but Thirst is a film that stays in the memory. It's a film about trust, betrayal and the dangers of acting on impulse, which makes it rather conservative in that it appears to be a keep-it-in-your-pants movie." - Empire
"Through it all, Park's film never loses its big, bloody-fanged grin. Expect sex (weird), blood-drinking (through a straw), stabby-bitey violence (lots) and laughs (even more)." - Little White Lies
So is it any good?
Oh wow, how on earth do you start to describe Thirst... Well first up it's gory, really gory; it makes any other vampire film you may have seen, say Blade for example, look like the goddamn Jungle Book.
The genre is obviously a tried and tested one so coming up with a new vampire film can always run the risk of looking a tad jaded; unless of course it features anyone by the name of Robert Pattinson. However, Park's take is a triumph... well at least for the first hour.
One of the major successes of the film is its unexpected comedic element. It's testament to the sort of film Park has made that the lighter moments are absolutely crucial in helping to relieve some of the unbearable tension witnessed during the two hours plus. For be warned, there are many times during Thirst when viewing is so anxious and excruciating that it threatens to redefine the word terrifying.
The gore factor in Thirst is turned up to 11 with the expectation of something horrific about to happen an absolute constant. The leads are also both superb, Song Kang-ho as the gentle naïve priest turned sensual vamp and Kim Ok-vin who plays the femme fatale role with a real passionate sexiness.
The film, however, is tragically and perhaps fatally damaged by its length. At 133 minutes, Thirst is at least 40 minutes too long and as the gore continues to splatter the screen it starts to lose its edge and you begin wishing it would all just hurry up and end. The final scene is actually brilliantly played out and works to all the film's strengths - comedy, passion and tragedy. It's just a real shame it doesn't occur a lot earlier.
6.5/10
Richard James