Synopsis. Deliver Us from Evil is a 2020 Korean film about an assassin who is unaware that his last assignment has a brother, dubbed the “the butcher”, who vows revenge. He then learns his previously unknown young daughter has been kidnapped. Can he save his daughter? Can he defeat “the butcher”?
What I liked.
Hwang Jung Min as assassin and father In Nam. He was ready to retire after completing his last assignment. He didn’t know that revenge would be a consequence. He didn’t know he had a daughter. He did the right thing and went to save her. Hwang Jung Min’s chemistry with the young actress Park So Yi was the emotional hook for me.
Park So Yi as daughter Yoo Min. Cute as a button, this little girl went from a safe life with her mother, to a kidnapped child, to a target for organ harvesting, to a pawn by a brutal killer. It was traumatic. The connection moment between father and daughter made this film. The coin, the pinky swear, and the promise.
Park Jung Min as Yoo Yi. Living a different life in Thailand than in Korea, Yoo Yi was reluctantly recruited by In Nam to help find his daughter. That turned out to be a good choice.
Writer/Director Hong Won Chan’s script and production. This isn’t an original or complex plot, but it delivered. The production values were rock solid. The multi country (Japan, Korea, Thailand) world these characters navigated was harsh. “The butcher” (Lee Jung Jae) was a terminator that wouldn’t stop until he found and destroyed In Nam. The story was centered in a seedy realm where cruelty and aggression were the norm. It wasn’t always easy to watch.
What I didn’t like.
Brutal and violent moments. It couldn’t be any other way given the story. This isn’t a sunshine and roses film.
Would I recommend Deliver Us from Evil? Yes. While not the best film in this this genre, if you can deal with the carnage, this is a well cast, acted and produced film. The underlying tenant of a father trying to save his daughter is what worked for me.
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