Bluebeard – Review

Cold weather with sporadic snowfall in March and April left people ready for sunshine near the Han River in Soeul, South Korea. So, what is unfreezing floating below in the river bed by the shore? Looks to be something bad…

On the bus to work sleeping through weather service updates is Byun Seung-hoon (Cho). He is a medical doctor and has a long day of colonoscopies ahead. Fun.

As the days roll on, it’s the same shit for him to sort through. One day however his office and apartment landlord Jung Sung-geun’s (Kim) elderly father (Shin) goes under for a scope. While the man comes out of his anesthesia the man begins murmuring what sounds like detailed methodologies to killing and disposing bodies. Uhhhh…

So begins a psychological journey into terror and confusion and Seung-hoon battles paranoia, nightmares, stress, and a possible murderer. If you like slow builds with solid tension and mystery, this one works alright. Performances are quite sound and there is plenty of creep infused.

Thrillers like this usually try to keep you guessing as to what is real and how much danger there is surrounding the protagonists. Bluebeard does a good job with everything despite feeling a bit familiar at times. Mostly though it retains its focus and dedication to its story, and primarily winds up delivering on its setup.

On top of the crime tale there are dramatic and cultural impacts to the story such as immigrants and their treatment, as well as substance abuse and troubled relationships, money stress and classist behavior.

This film worked for me as decently paced thriller even if the story ultimately didn’t blow me away as it got a tad convoluted and a touch outlandish. Even with the narrative swings, it remains competently done and well shot.