Ok, I'm going to try to do this... just beware, like every Ki-duk Kim movie the summary doesn't do it justice. Especially Bad Guy because the summary gives a "Why would I want to see this?" vibe to it. As I said on the Samaritan Girl review, trying to summarize a Ki-duk Kim film is like trying to describe the way a meal tastes delicious if you just ignore the fact that it looks like shit.

A thug, Han-ki (Jae-hyon Jo), sees a young virgin college girl, Sun-hwa (Won Seo), and becomes instantly attracted to her. After making her feel uncomfortable she gives him a dirty look and walks off. Han-ki doesn't like it and once her boyfriend comes he forces a kiss on her. After being pried off and beaten to a pulp by random military dudes he begins to plot against her. He sets her up to steal money and she falls for it. To pay off her $15,000 dept she is sold to a local brothel run by Han-ki. Han-ki spies behind a one way mirror as Sun-hwa's once normal life is ruined by a life of prostitution. As he watches her... he falls in love.

Bad Guy was the first Ki-duk Kim movie I saw and it holds a special place in my heart. With the context of the movie... that actually sounds rather disturbing. I will say this for every single Ki-duk Kim movie I review, his movies are more of a work of art than a movie itself. Don't expect everything to be explained, hell, don't expect anything to be explained. He leaves it open for you to interpret. Don't think logically, think past that. Ki-duk Kim's movies have many unrealistic events that happen, but the overall effect is more real than any other movie. He shows sides of humanity that people hide, ignore, and don't understand.

Bad Guy is a sad gritty movie. For an hour and 40 minutes you watch as Sun-hwa's life unravels. Everything she once knew is thrown down the gutter. I wanted to hate the guy that destroyed her. I didn't want to like him. Sadly, that didn't happen. The characters are so human that I could not help but feel for both of them. Han-ki doesn't speak throughout the entire movie but you can tell how he feels by his actions. Both Han-ki and Sun-hwa's thoughts and emotions flow out of their eyes and face better than words ever could. Though what is so great about Ki-duk Kim is that he lets you determine how you will feel for the characters. He shows you the events and your emotions take over.

The whole movie Han-ki battles with himself on his guilt and needs as Sun-hwa battles to stay together. She begins to get used to the life she's in, and the only emotion she has to herself is her hatred towards Han-ki, the man who ruined her life. But hatred is an intense emotion, a passion, and she begins to become confused about what she wants. Her struggle to maintain sanity while being thrown into a life completely different from her own tore me up. I could feel exactly how she felt, and it hurt. Same with Han-ki. It didn't help that he was constantly being attacked by someone. I lost count on how many times he was stabbed. That man won't die! All the characters in Bad Guy were believable. They were very very human.

My only problem with Bad Guy was... trying to figure out the ending. After the first time I watched it I did not understand quite what happened. Now, the characters ACTIONS at the end were very very believable, given the circumstances. It's not really the ending itself that confuses me, but the answers to questions you had before added even more questions. A lot of people have multiple theories about the ending, and I have my own, but it's best to leave it up to the imagination. If you expect to not quite understand the ending then I think you'll be fine.

Yet another Ki-duk Kim movie that was wonderfully directed. Some how he can make such dirty settings so beautiful, but gritty at the same time. The score was absolutely wonderful. I Toui Fiori by Etta Scollo is by far one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. I cannot listen to that song without getting chills, if not cry. The song adds so much emotion to the parts of the movie it was played. Etta Scollo has such a beautiful voice. The rest of the score fit the movie perfectly. It was not overbearing, but just enough to add to it.

Every actor/actress in this movie was amazing. Won Seo (Sun-hwa) blew me away. Her emotions felt so real, she really did seem like she was in the situation her character was in. Jae-hyon Jo (Han-ki) was perfect for his role. He was so good at conveying his emotions without even speaking. And when he finally did speak, it had such an impact.

This is definitely not a movie for everyone. If you're not very open minded, get offended easily, and were completely turned off by the summary then I don't suggest this movie at all. But there's a good possibility you didn't even get this far. However if you found any part of the review just slightly intriguing, then I highly recommend Bad Guy. I absolutely love it, and it tears me up every time I watch it. But even if you are interested, proceed with caution. It is a very gritty film and there is a lot of realistic sex (not prettied up like most movies). Well, I say a lot, but considering the setting of the movie it's pretty tame. I was expecting a lot worse. I highly highly suggest watching the trailer first. No matter how many times I watch that damn trailer I still get chills.

Scenes that impacted me the most:
~ When Sun-hwa is putting on her lipstick in the mirror while Han-ki watches. The emotions behind her eyes... wow.
~ The first beach scene. Etta Scollo's I Toui Fiori really amplified the impact of this scene.
~ When Sun-hwa visits Han-ki in jail... it kills me.
~ The first client Sun-hwa has. It was the most impactful "sex" scene, and it really bothered me and made me feel uncomfortable. I felt like I was in Sun-hwa's shoes.

Things I learned from Bad Guy:
1) Whatever you do, DO NOT PISS OFF THE CREEPY GUY STARING AT YOU!
2) You can make a weapon out of thick poster paper.
3) Puking on someone kinda... kills the mood.
4) Being hit over the head by a brick and stabbed multiple times on different occasions cannot kill a man.
5) Life sucks.
6) Humans feel more comfortable with what they know, not what they want.

Bad Guy is available to buy at the following vendors: