Forumrxes Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

forlornnesssickness Many brutal deeds in the film are committed by its unlikable hero Kang- do(Lee Jeong-jin). Kang-do('Kang-do' means 'robber' in Korean, by the way) works as a debt collector for some loan shark, and he is someone you don't want to mess with especially if you happen to borrow the money from his boss. Even if his poor debtors really have no money to pay back, he gets the money back by any ruthless means necessary. These unfortunate debtors usually work at the metal shops located on the narrow alleys of Seoul, so they are forced to get their hands or feet injured by their machines for paying him back through the insurance money they will acquire. During one comic but cringe-inducing moment, one debtor nervously asks him to cut both of his hands instead of only one hand because he needs more money to pay his debts and support his baby to be born.Kang-do's life is as barren as his debtors'. While his home looks a little more comfortable, he has lived alone in his apartment. He cooks for himself, and he usually brings live animals to his home for his dinner. Seriously, I do not understand why he prefers to buy a live chicken and then butcher it instead of just purchasing a dead one at a supermarket, but I guess this savage behavior solely exists for representing his beastly nature.On one day, his life is disrupted by the sudden appearance of one mysterious woman(Cho Min-soo), who claims to be his mother and apologizes to him for abandoning him not so long after he was born. Resentful toward his mother he does not remember, he does not believe any of her words and brusquely rejects her, but she keeps coming to him. She slowly insinuates herself into his daily life while behaving like a mother who tries to compensate for her unforgivable fault in the past. Though he harshly treats her, she sticks to him while doing what mothers usually do for their dear sons. She cooks for him, and she says genially to this detestable man who has probably never experienced love or kindness for a long time.Revealing or saying little about themselves, the characters of Kim Ki- duk's films are usually fascinating to observe for how they behave rather than who they are. The characters of "Pieta" are no exception; we do not know a lot about them, but what happens between them is a darkly compelling drama. There is quite a disturbing scene where Kang-do cruelly attempts to violate her with his own twisted logic, and you may wonder how much she can tolerate him, if she is indeed who she seems to be. Induced by her love without condition, Kang-do slowly reveals a vulnerable child with lots of hurts inside him; he eventually finds himself depending on her care, and they momentarily have a nice time together as a mother and her son.Is she really his mother? I don't dare to tell anything about that matter for not spoiling your entertainment, but let's say that I did not lose my interest while the movie changed its direction in the middle of the story for the reason you may easily guess in advance. Its second half is less engaging and less focused because of that, but the director/writer Kim Ki-duk provides a very realistic background for his relatively unrealistic story, and the gray, destitute underbelly of Seoul is vividly conveyed to us through its shabby metal shops and dirty alleys. His films have been well-known for their unflinching attitude to brutal violence, but "Pieta" thankfully takes a restrained approach to its equally savage violence while retaining its emotional impact intact. When I watched gleefully over-the-top violence in "The Expendables"(2012) right before watching this movie, I could have some chuckles, but I discovered that there was nothing laughable about the frighteningly realistic violence in "Pieta" even when it does not present it on the screen.The tension in the drama largely depends on the simple but fearless performance by Cho Min-soo, who deftly maintains the elusive side of her character even at the most emotionally anguished moment. You can feel the genuine emotions from her face, but you can never be sure about where they come from. Although Lee Jeong-jin feels strained and miscast compared to his co-actress, at least he supports her well during several tough scenes between them. Their characters may look silly when they behave like a mother and her little son, but we come to accept the emotional bond forming between them.Although he recently went through a rough time, Kim Ki-duk remains as one of the most interesting South Korean directors along with Park Chan- wook, Bong Joon-ho, and Hong Sang-soo. I have watched most of his works, and I admired many of them while recognizing their disturbing side. The unforgettable scene involved with fish hooks in "The Isle"(2000) still makes me flinch whenever I recall it, and "Bad Guy"(2002) was another disturbing relationship between a violent man and a woman who is suffered and degraded by him while stuck with him. After his best work "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring"(2003), his subsequent films became a little more gentle, but they are still the movies tough to watch. I did not like his previous work "Arirang"(2011), a self- portrayal documentary which can be called his version of "I'm Still Here"(2010), because I found it both painful and embarrassing to watch him on his supposedly bad days, but I hoped everything would be soon all right for him.

politic1983 A Kim Ki-duk film is one that will always bring with it a bit of controversy upon its release, if indeed it gets released at all. His films often border between the shocking, the strange and the sublime, taking the viewer through a range of emotions, often leaving them not knowing how to feel about them upon their conclusion. The appropriately- named 'Pieta' is a film that follows along these lines, switching between moments of extreme violence and revenge to tender moments between mother and son. Gang-do is a no-nonsense debt collector for a loan shark, often taking extreme force to scare his debtors into work-based 'accidents' thus triggering the insurance claims that are used as a guarantee of repayment. No payment, no more hands, but no more debt. Unconcerned by his victims, or the impact his actions have on their families, the cold- hearted cripple-maker's life is turned upside down when a woman arrives at his door claiming to be the mother that abandoned him when he was born. Eventually accepting her story, Gang-do gradually begins to see the error of his ways, finally experiencing the love of a mother, and taking pity on those to which he is to inflict pain. But with his guard now down, the now vulnerable Gang-do leaves himself open to revenge, having the tables turned on his own life and happiness. The film starts with an stream of torture inflicted on desperate men, unable to pay the always-inevitable-in-films high rate of inflation placed on loan repayments. All of those taking out these 'happy loans' work in small, independent workshops, complete with enough heavy machinery to cause rather a nasty 'accident' that any insurance company would believe. Though the violence is never fully shown on screen, building the anticipation and leaving it up to the imagination, it is enough to leave the viewer feeling a little uneasy. The film then moves into more easy roads, as the transformation of Gang- do begins, becoming a vulnerable son, dependent on his mother, and by the film's final twist he is a pitiful character. As he seeks redemption, the film has become a vehicle for tender moments, a far cry from the violence of the start. While there are inevitable plot holes along the way, the characterisation in the two leads is strong, in two strong performances from the leads, Jeong-jin Lee and particularly the relative unknown, Min-soo Jo, in the role of mother. As with his previous works, it's difficult to know how to feel at the end of 'Pieta', as Min-soo Jo's character battles with her own confusion as to how she should feel towards Gang-do. Controversial; love him or hate him; pick faults at the lack of professionalism in the film-making or marvel at the way he can conjure up emotion, Kim Ki-duk is a director that will probably always divide opinion, but will always provoke thought. politic1983.blogspot.co.uk

FilmCriticLalitRao Kim Ki Duk's 18th film "Pieta" describes the extent to which a loan shark would debase himself in order to recover money from penniless outcasts. This debt collector's methods are perversely mean as well as extremely violent. It is in such a hostile climate of mistrust that the arrival of a woman brings about some unforeseen changes which would completely transform their respective lives. However, there are no pleasant surprises for anybody as the woman turns out to be as beastly as her ill-natured son whom she left many years ago. By abetting her son in several vile actions, she proves that blood is thicker than water. The film's sole trump is its realistic portrayal of the underbelly of South Korean society with its unlucky outcasts who find it impossible to survive in a harsh capitalist world. It has been observed time and again that Kim Ki Duk's films are not appreciated by masses in his native land as viewers are highly skeptical of his pessimistic vision which portrays south Korean society as well as women in a negative light. This is one of the principal reasons why Kim Ki Duk's films end up being what can rightly be termed as "Film Festival Fodder". This is also the case with "Pieta" as it was rewarded at various international film festivals despite having been dubbed as a 'domestic box office failure'. Pieta is a very painful cinematographic experience which only loyal Kim Ki Duk admirers would be able to digest. As far as viewers ignorant of Kim Ki Duk's misanthropic vision are concerned, it is surmised that they would also leave the cinemas before the end of the film as it would not be in their interests to digest Kim Ki Duk's harsh cynicism.

Motherspot I did'nt enjoy this movie at all.The story was extremely boring to me. It took ages for something to enroll.Silly unbelievable things that suddenly happen between the main characters.I can see the Kim Ki Duk is a creative filmmaker.Although he's not a real favorite of mine, I'v seen several (much)better movies by him,However.. I DID enjoy the sparse camaratechnique's he made use of in this movie.It shows that it's perfectly possible to tell a story on 'film', that's been shot in the simplest way possible.(it looked like) only one camera,a few actors, sparse lighting and a story.The 'amateuristic'look of this movie added i.m.o to atmosphere of this story, and was a creative move... A pity that the story-told did'nt convince & captured me at all! And i do believe that a good plot or story make's these kind of movies.