Bluebeard (2017) Poster

(2017)

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7/10
Not your typical South Korean serial killer flick
ebossert15 August 2017
Note: Check me out as the Asian Movie Enthusiast on YouTube.

"Bluebeard" is about a doctor who moves into town for business, but suspects that the local butchers are actually murderers.

The first thing to understand about "Bluebeard" is that this is not your typical South Korean thriller that showcases a serial killer. The violence is tempered, with only a small amount of bloody imagery, none of which is particularly graphic. There are no highlight suspense sequences or exhilarating moments of intensity. Instead, this movie builds uncertainly with no therapeutic release for the viewer at all. This is not a crowd-pleasing feat of fun entertainment. It's more like a technical exercise in creating a traditional murder mystery with a lot of misdirection on the part of the filmmakers. This is a glacially paced movie that focuses heavily on psychology. And in that sense, I thought it did a good job.

If you decide to watch this movie, make sure that you're in a thinking mood. "Bluebeard" requires a bit of effort on the viewer's part because you must pay attention to the little details in order to appreciate the misdirections. In classic murder mystery style, I was constantly trying to figure out how to make sense of all the clues and pinpoint the identity of the murderer. And that theory changed as more evidence was presented to me.

I do think that some viewers will find this movie to be too slow for their liking. Again, there's not much "excitement" to this one, and it moves as slow as molasses in January. Even the answer to the murder mystery itself is revealed in a very matter-of-fact way. Some people may not be a fan of that either, especially if they're expecting a more intense conclusion.

But I do think that the positives of "Bluebeard" outweigh any negatives. I previously mentioned the proficiency of the murder mystery elements, but this film has very good direction as well. The director here is Soo-youn Lee, who previously gave us "The Uninvited" from 2003 – a very impressive psychological horror film that I strongly recommend. If you've seen that one, you'll know what to expect from "Bluebeard." Performances are also very good, across the board.

If you're in the mood for a slow burn, check it out.
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7/10
Interesting, compelling yet thought provoking
JakubBednar11 August 2017
Firstly I'd have to say if you like the trailer you will get something completely different. I watched this film thinking it was going to be something a little like the Hannibal series with a some cannibalism and quite a bit of blood and gore with a touch of Hannibal's class, I was dead wrong. There are twists in this film where they show you one thing and then confuse you by showing you what really happened a bit later on, this goes on throughout the movie almost right up to the end. By thought provoking I mean even 15 minutes before the ending I was still quite confused. The main drawback of Bluebeard is that it's almost 2 hours long with confusing twists but I stuck to my guns and really wanted to see the ending. I'd give Bluebeard a 6.5 but I lent towards the 7 because it has quality you'd maybe see in a film once a year. I would have given it a solid 8 out of 10 if it was half an hour shorter and wasn't as confusing as they made it. The ending is good I must say, if you have a couple hours of spare time it's worth the watch. I'll probably watch Bluebeard again in a few years, would be interesting what I think of it the second time around after seeing the "true" ending.
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6/10
Ambiguous ending
Misss2526 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is about a doctor who is recently transferred in infamous countryside known for serial killing. He is living alone small cheap apartment for saving money and he also got separated with his wife and his only son. He usually goes to clinic and returns to the apartment that's how he is spending his days until the day when he heard something suspicious from his apartment owner while he is under anesthesia in his clinic. He is talking about hide someone's identity from body,chopping fingers along with others parts and talking about having a human head in his shop. As soon as he heard these, he becomes scared and also suspicious of his owner who is also butcher.

On the other hand, a woman chopped body is found which is telecasted on tv which makes his suspicious deeper. He started living frighten. One night his wife came to give a chance to their relationship but failed and left the place. After that he started drinking with the owner son in the butcher shop, and suddenly remembered about the head so,he begins looking for it and somehow, he picked the head under intoxication and kept it in his fridge. After that night,he started living in clinic when he finds that one of the nurse has been stealing things.

A few days passed,the police come to investigate him as he was last person her wife met before she went missing. Also,the nurse who is been stealing things comes to his apartment and went missing.

So,who is the real culprit the butchers or the doctor?

I said, it has ambiguous ending but why? How the plot turns in the end somehow doesn't make sense or I really don't know how interpret the ending. I read ending in google and also watched explanation of the movie but they are same as I thought. Maybe these are plot holes:)

Spoilers, Okay,I get it the son and father are notorious serial killers who are really infamous in the area who have been killing for past 20 years and still now, no one has any clue about them. They a killed his own daughter -in-law /own wife and doctor's wife (shown in the dash cam)

How about the doctor whom killed the lady who provide him money?

Again,we see, there is a clear footage of the doctor who is loading the bag (of course, with a body inside) in his car. Also we found,the head is the lady of that woman. It doesn't make sense, why someone will keep a head of someone who he killed? If he has chopped her body off in several parts to dispose it, why would he keep it in his fridge?

What about the statements the old man made under under anesthesia about clear description of chopping the woman whose body is found?

When the chopped body is found, there were no finger but we clearly see, when doctor was loading, there were fingers.

I don't know how is this even possible, doctor killed the lady but however, the butcher chopped it and kept the head in their shop.

Sounds funnyy!!
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6/10
Almost too many twists to make sense of it
kluseba15 October 2018
Bluebeard, obviously inspired the French folk tale of the same name, is a psychological thriller with many ups and downs that left me somewhat confused. Some parts of the movie were brilliant, others were underwhelming and even the resolution is partially satisfying and partially disappointing.

The story revolves around a young doctor who has recently been starting to work in a clinic in a suburb of Seoul that is infamous for its numerous serial killer cases. The young doctor doesn't seem to have the best relationship with his divorced wife, fails to bond with his progressively estranged son, has socially awkward behavior, is constantly overworked and lives in a very small apartment due to serious financial problems. One day, he overhears his anesthetized patient and landlord mumbling about decapitating a human being. When the torso of a woman is found in a river a few days later, the doctor immediately suspects his aged landlord and his awkward son to be partners in crime and a duo of dangerous serial killers. The young doctor starts investigating independently, thus putting himself in great danger.

On the positive side, the movie oozes with a mysterious and almost surreal atmosphere from start to finish. The settings are sinister and at times claustrophobic. Lead actor Cho Jin-woong does an incredibly convincing performance as shy doctor who is gradually losing control of everything around him. The movie includes a few nightmarish dream sequences that are visually stunning and flirt with the horror genre. The simple but creepy soundtrack blends in perfectly. The story is intriguing enough to keep you watching until the lengthy resolution unfolds.

On the negative side, the film has a slow and sluggish pace. One expects the film to shift into faster gear at a certain point but this just never happens. Some of the minor twists are somewhat predictable, as most of them simply turn out to be nightmares which isn't too creative. The resolution overstays its welcome and tries to surprise with a double twist. This only works when a movie is thoroughly thought through like the brilliant A Tale of Two Sisters but Bluebeard is filled with incongruities and leaves you scratching your head rather than being amazed by a clever plot.

In the end, Bluebeard is worth your attention if you like slow-paced atmospheric psychological thrillers that challenge you to think along. However, the movie overuses its plot twists which end up being confusing or even nonsensical. Genre fans can give it a try but if you aren't too familiar with Korean thrillers yet you should watch A Tale of Two Sisters, Memories of Murder and I Saw the Devil before giving this one a try.
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7/10
Descent into madness
tsigoineruwaizen12 May 2019
Bluebeard was a welcomed surprise among other recent South Korean thrillers. While movies of this genre tend to be more frantic and action-packed, Bluebeard takes an U-turn from this and is quite a slow burner, focusing more on its plot and on the psychological aspects of its protagonist.

Although it has its problems, like the sudden cuts and confusing timelines, it does a pretty decent job all-around, delivering an entangling and disturbing narrative that leaves you questioning your own reality.
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6/10
Keeps you guessing until that predictable-yet-twisted climax! [+57%]
arungeorge1314 April 2020
The elaborate plot and the portentous South Korean setting prove vital in keeping this thriller thoroughly engaging. There's an undertone of horror right from the start of the movie but it's not overdone. What stops me from rating it higher are the convenient plot contrivances that pop up during the climax. It's a neat twist (after twist) at the end alright, but at times, it felt like two completely disjointed stories were being told.

Also, if you've seen your share of thrillers, the climax reveal wouldn't come across as a shocker either. The serial-killer element is what kept me wholly invested in the narrative - the trope, unfortunately, did not get the kind of layered treatment that I expected. Soo-Youn Lee unravels the twists in a slow-burn fashion, but the genre thrills are solidly placed. I'll admit it - it did work my brains for a good while, except for that ending. Why I keep mentioning the finale so much is because it made me feel like the writer initially took me on a mysteriously thrilling ride, then later took me on a completely different, less-thrilling one with an okay end-result. In other words, it felt very ready-made. Like, having to eat frozen food over freshly cooked.

Jin-Woong Cho delivers a chilling performance as the introverted doctor steadily losing control over what's happening around him. There are a few well-executed nightmare sequences that tease the director's interest in visual horror. There isn't a whole lot of violence (for a serial killer flick) but a decent amount of gore. If you are interested in a serial killer movie with umpteen psychological-thriller elements that need to be picked apart piece-by-piece, Bluebeard should be right up your alley.
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9/10
Bluebeard
blackmambamentality7 December 2018
What can I say about Korean crime and horror movies? When it comes to plot twists and character development Hollywood isn't even close. The plot centers around a middle aged Doctor whose life is in turmoil. He seems like your ordinary guy. This is one of the best movies I have seen in awhile it kept me enthralled.
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4/10
Not That good
forthatusage21 January 2020
Watch this movie because a lawyer who has a website about crime recommended it.. thought it would be a great watch.. but its just an average movie with predictable not so clever twists..
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10/10
One of greatest Asian movie
irzarh23 August 2017
Must watch this movie because they give an incredible story . Your emotions will be played while watching and will be unexpected ended. We talk about don't judge the book by its cover, it means a lot and happened in this movie, so you will be surprised along the movie. Correct me if im wrong with this review, but we need more movies like this! Totally crazy!
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Okay entertainment with two different stories in one, truth in the middle
Matt3458 July 2018
First of all: you will get your dose of Asian thriller which is what you are probably here for. However it's not a masterpiece or modern classic, but feels more like an "okay" smaller movie.

The reasons why it's not completely convincing or satisfiying have to do with the fact that it first tells one story and then a completely different story where some of the variables and personalities are changed completely. But the truth is again a little different.

This is not convincing not only because of lack of resolution but because there are no clues that could make one guess at anything beforehand or even looking back, but the stories are just told completely differently, which is kind of lazy and a cheap trick.

And all throughout the protagonist doesn't behave very reasonably, which is kind of a standard horror trope: all could have been prevented or at least been much easier if he had called the police right away (after the confession of the old man under unaesthesia or even later). Go figure. There are many stories that work that way, making one almost wonder if it's a deliberate, cheesy schtick... Certainly in some cases, however not in this one.

In this way, the story is deliberately bereft of some intelligence and self-awareness only to keep one guessing pointlessly and to keep the plot moving.
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