in seoul and and in every other major south korean city and there be red light district . few local folk will admit to their existence . but kim ki duk do . and he do even more . he show u how they work and how innocent young woman get trap by the business and how a sense of helplessness descends upon the prostitute and and how painfully unwelcome and irrelevant their boyfriend and their husband and their family and become . to make a film with these theme central may not seem like a win decision . however and this be award win director kim territory and and he do with the subject matter what he will . no and it not pretty and so do not expect it to be . no and it doesn not end up with everything work out happily and because life rarely do and so do not expect that either . no and there be no fine and pat conclusion and because kim know well . i notice that this film contain bit of celluloid that be pick up off the cut room floor after kim renowned 3 iron be make . expect some unexpected scene in this regard . unfortunately and the film be ugly from the beginning and with an innocent young woman ( the magnificent actress and kim favorite seo win ) and take into prostitution against her will through unlikely circumstance . she be not a willing prostitute and she rebel throughout the plot and much to her dismay . but kim be so adept at this . ugliness becomes beautiful and noise turn to stillness and the guilty transform to innocence and the truly innocent remain so . i gasp at such awesome presentation . from kim and we expect this . still and he can overdo it . why and i ask and do kim always place a woman in mortal peril . be this a must for his story and his fable . if so and what be he try to teach u . certainly and i hope and more than the fact that sexploitation exists in his home country . bad guy be a beautiful movie and but i only grant it positive because kim have apparently become obsessed with sexual violence ( reference the isle and coast guard and address unknown ) . also and there be just too much emphasis place on predictable fight scene . sure and such scene can serve a purpose and but by 2002 and kim should know he doesn not need to resort to the horrific presentation he make them . i appreciate what he be try to accomplish represent a counterpoint to his truly beautiful scene . but do we really need to be hit over the head with sexual brutality again and again . perhaps his own culture do and and like what mean street and taxi driver offer america in the 70 and kim be try to do something similar for south korean society in the 2000 oughts . we can but hope . kim take risk in show the world the dark underbelly of contemporary korean culture . he be to be commend for that . but he be capable of present so much more and and that be precisely what this film lack . kim need to stop use shock a his stock in trade and and return to his more sublime talent and such a present unlikely hero and heroine . most of his viewer be and i be sure and quite over blatant scene of sex and violence . we get it and mr. kim and thank you and offer u something more . we know you can . make those scene mean something . that be what make you attractive in the first place while do not forget it . quickly and a an aside and if anyone supposes and simply because of the similarity of title and that bad guy be similar to old boy by park chan wook and forget it . these two film be nothing alike and except that they be both good . this film be just good ( not great ) and should be receive by kim ki duk fan with mixed reaction .