H (2002) - Movie Review

Detective Kang (Jin-hee Ji) is a brash young detective with a lot to learn. What he lacks in experience he makes up for in attitude. He is assisting a seasoned investigator, Detective Kim (Jung-ah Yum), in a series of homicides that appear to be the work of a copycat killer. The homicides mimic the work of serial killer Shin Hyun (Seung-woo Cho) who has been in prison for nearly a year awaiting the death penalty.

As Kang and Kim close in on their prime suspect, things begin getting complicated. It seems that there is more than one copycat killer operating. The investigators engage in an intricate investigation searching for common threads. They focus on Shin Hun's fellow inmates as well as his visitor's list. But not all of the names on the list are scrutinized as closely as they should be. As the movie progresses, the investigation picks up tempo. The increasing tension builds to an unstoppable climax that seemingly unravels in slow motion.

The plausibility of this story tests the boundaries of common sense. Director Jung-hyuk Lee wrote this screenplay, which was an intriguing story in spite of the plausibility issue. The characters were adequately developed enough to make the outcome matter, although there were technical issues with some of the sequences. An investigator would not walk into a house in front of the SWAT team, which was one issue that irritated me. It was part of the action, but could have been re-written to add some credibility to a story that already stretches acceptable limits for a movie goer. Tactically, the SWAT team scores a zero...they should have left SWAT out completely if they were not going to at least try and hit a measure of reality. The complexity of the story created enough doubt to keep me guessing, although my hunch proved correct in the end. I did not figure out the "how" or "why" until the credits rolled and the title was explained. That helped to build the suspense and keep the audience off balance. All things considered, it was a worthwhile diversion.

Yum plays an introspective, cautious investigator. Her role is set as a stark contrast to the brash character portrayed by Ji. The pair worked well together, although Ji was not quite as polished in his delivery. The brashness came through fine but wasn't very subtle. Yum sometimes seemed too absorbed in her more cerebral role, which also felt overdone at times. I liked both of the performances, but they just felt a bit cartoon like. I think the fact that I liked the characters in spite of that fact may be a testament to the performances.

H received an R rating from the MPAA. The film did not contain any sensuality, but did contain some corpse nudity. The rating seemed to be a product of the intense violence and graphic portrayal of it. The film is about serial killers, so the violence is certainly contextual. However, the manner in which it is portrayed included several disturbing images, to include a dead baby and a live baby halfway inside and halfway out of a deceased woman. The scenes did not seem to be an attempt at shock effect. I think it was within the story line and did not cross any particular lines. But the imagery may cause nightmares. The film also had some strong language. I would suggest at least a teenage audience for this film.

I enjoyed H. The film had plenty of flaws but was unique in many ways. I liked the way Lee created suspense, I liked the plot twists and turns and I enjoyed the unexpected violence which often hit when we least expected it. The characters were engaging, although a bit flat. While I felt I knew where the film was going, I had no idea how it was going to get there. It was a fun journey. Mildly recommended. 6/10.