I'm not sure where to start with this pile of crap. First of all, the motivation for the Geum-Ja's bloodthirsty revenge--she's angry because a kidnapping she was involved with ended in murder? Doesn't make her a very sympathetic vigilante, considering she participated in the crime. Further, the scenes of the children being abused before their murders were just plain exploitive and sick. Park uses them to try and generate an emotional depth that his film never earns.

The revenge plot plays out in a perfectly straight line that offers no surprises, no moral depth, no maturity. Revenge is glorified and that's that. This film has all the moral maturity and insight of a 13 year old boy (a very angry and disturbed boy at that).

On a different level, the film language and storytelling are just plain amateur. A lot of reviewers seem to praise Park's "unique" visual style, but it's almost never in service of the story (in fact more often the fancy moves serve to distract and remind you you're just watching a movie. a bad bad movie). I'm sure this film will bewitch some people who swoon over (any) Asian film, but those who are familiar with quality Asian cinema should steer clear.