Addicted (2002)

I cannot but raise my hat in respect to any writer or director who surprises me. Even if I wouldn't be enjoying something much then I get surprised, my mind immediately erases everything else. Well that what obviously happened here.

I started seriously hoping to find an Lee Byung Hun film without the word Mature in the genre. I love mature stuff; especially with Lee Byung Hun. I know what you think. Stop right there!! But mature films cannot be recommended to everyone that's why.

Anyhow the story kept me on my toes, yes. It started getting slower so I thought they were going to ruin it but the twist was just shocking for me. And I loved it.

I wondered why they presented the couples' every day's life in a so detailed way but then I understood when everything fit its place.

Not your oh-my-god-how-I-could-have-lived-before-this-film work, but it's definitely worth watching. Watching Lee Byung Hun playing the psycho doesn't surprise me anymore but amazes me all the same. This guy is not your average actor. Lee Min Yeon did a great job here as well.
The ending soundtrack grabbed my heart but I couldn't find it anywhere.
I don't think I'll watch it again though it's good enough for that.

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Firstly, I think its worth noting that the only other 'soul switching' drama/movies I've seen are 'Secret Garden' and 'Freaky Friday', so going into this movie, I was intrigued as to how the cast and director would present the plot line on the screen.

The story line itself, as I've come to discover through research, is fairly popular in the Korean film industry. That being said, I thought the story was good - although its a slightly typical character setting, I still found it enjoyable. I must admit that I never suspected the plot twist (the main reason I've scored the story line so high); it left me reeling - which I was pleasantly surprised by... after I got over the initial shock. Overall, the story is very good and presented effectively by a talented cast.

Ah... the cast... I must admit that I fell for Lee Byung Hun in his role as Stormshadow in GI Joe - he is brilliant in that role! Byung Hun's performance in 'Addicted' was commendable. His character was, shall we say, complex? It requires a talented actor to perform this role and pull it off, Lee Byung Hun succeeded. As for the female lead, Lee Min Yeon, this is the first I've seen of her and I loved her performance. The two leads were very strong in this film and I have great respect for their professionalism (i.e. steamy bed scene) and talent.

I can't say much of the music in this film... some of the music I didn't believe was suited, notably the opening piece but as for the majority... it didn't really enhance the film but more rather compliment it.

I've rated the rewatch value as 'very good' because I honestly believe I would watch this movie again... it was a well executed film with a great cast. I haven't rated the rewatch value as higher simply because I think it'd be difficult to watch the film in the same way after seeing that plot twist (a brilliant one at that).Overall, 'Addicted' is a good movie that is well worth your time.

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