Korean cinema superstar Han Suk-gyu (Shiri) stars as Lieutenant Cho, a cop on the edge who, while under investigation for graft and mourning the recent death of his mother, is suddenly put in charge of a seemingly impenetrable mystery. Dismembered corpses are being found in garbage bags around Seoul. However, the surgically-amputated arms, legs and heads are mismatched, rendering the victims nearly impossible to identify. When Cho discovers that all the victims were once romantically involved with the same woman, Suyeon Chae (Shim Eun-ha) becomes the focal point of the investigation. Growing more suspicious of Suyeon, even as he becomes more entranced by her icy charm, Cho realizes that the secret to the horrifying murders lies in the carefully guarded memories of her past.

"Revenge is a confession of pain" - Unknown

TELL ME SOMETHING is one pleasant surprise.

Less about serial killing than it is about pure, unadulterated, human need to seek and administer vengeance, TELL ME SOMETHING is tight, its pacing is measured, and its surprises - slowly unfolding one right after the other - are truly frightening. As Asian pictures have shown an increasing willingness to produce some of the most horrific and stylish explorations of human depravity (seen any Takashi Miike lately?), it was only inevitable that a picture drawn from the same vein as THE BONE COLLECTOR, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, or SEVEN see the celluloid light of day from across the ocean.

Police Lieutenant Cho (Suk-kyu Han) finds his career is in serious trouble: a maverick brought up on charges of police corruption, he's only a heartbeat - or one mistake - away from losing his career. However, a brutal murder pulls him back from the brink, but the circumstances turn even more bizarre than he originally expected: the head, arms, and legs of the dismembered body don't match up, only meaning that there are far more victims - measured only by the carnage - out there waiting to be found. The body has been dissected with uncanny surgical precision. The department immediately reinstates Cho because of his experience: he's the only detective with the expertise to head such a dangerous investigation. As it turns out, all of the victims are former lovers of a reclusive artist, Chae Su-Yeon (played with poised subtlety by Eun-ha Shim). Cho is certain that not only are her remaining friends in danger but also she stands the greatest risk to fall prey to the predator, and now he must race against time to uncover the secret of her past in order to unravel the mystery of their mutual present ... and, possibly, her future.

Drenched in an atmosphere thicker than ten film noirs put together, TELL ME SOMETHING is a stellar 'whodunnit' - an innovation to traditional crime procedurals that predates the success of such television programs as CBS's "CSI," "CSI: Miami," and "CSI: New York." The clues - the gory forensics - are all over the place, thanks to the handiwork of the killer, and it makes for more than one bloody moment after another. The story keeps the audience guessing: once you think the killer is exposed, another clue is unearthed, and the game begins again. In fact, TELL ME SOMETHING keeps you guessing right up until the end . and then some. A cerebral combination of the police procedural and a crime thriller's strongest elements, the film presents a roller coaster full of suspects with an equal number of motives.

However, it isn't until the very last scene of the film that the true killer is revealed ... along with a motivation of perfect evil, of pure revenge . as the script wrings out one last clever twist that will doubtless haunt the viewer into repeat viewings, searching for the telltale clues that were missed along the way.

Extraordinarily edited and dripping with bloody suspense, TELL ME SOMETHING is not for the soft-stomached. The film boasts a fair share of blood and flesh scenes, shockingly simple in their construction but packing one terrific visual wallop. The performances, especially of the two leads are dead on, no pun intended. The film is far from perfect; there are, in fact, a few clues that probably would've been disclosed differently, and one situation regarding a youthful neighbor of the disturbed Chae is a bit hard to swallow. However, these drawbacks are minor to the overall story, and they do little to diminish the utter sense of dread, despair, and futility overwhelming Lieutenant Cho in the film's closing moments.

Be warned: watch it with the lights on.

COMMENTS
I've read reviews about this film before and most of them were positive, saying the film was like Seven and Silence of the Lambs. I guess in a way it can be similar to the two films, but is it as good? Not really. I mean, this movie is good, but to say it's as good as the other two films is crap, because those are excellent films. This film leaves you thinking though. It introduces many plot twists and it makes you suspect everyone. Though, due to all the plot twists and such, it left me a little confused and I lost track of what's going on at some parts.

I have to admit that the ending was pretty cool, even though I didn't quite understand it all. It was said that this movie was really gory, but I didn't think it was. There are a lot of body parts laying around and such, but I don't consider that gory. I thought it was very cool how the killer would leave body parts in garbage bags anywhere in the city so people could find it. In one scene the bag was left in an elevator, while in another it was left in a busy highway. Very cool.

The film does drag a bit in some parts, but that's to further the plot of the film, so it didn't bother me too much. The acting was pulled off well as usual and so was the directing. There was lots of blood and a few really interesting scenes. I was hoping to see more of the killer in action, but they didn't show much. There aren't any real scary or creepy moments, but a few suspenseful ones.

I would have given this film a higher rating, but I was kind of let down because they didn't show as much action or anything from the cop or the killer. I was also hoping to see more gore. I still think it's a good film though.

OVERALL
Compared to such films as Silence of the Lambs and Seven, but doesn't really live up. A good film none-the-less. Check this movie out and pay attention to the many plot twists.

Perhaps in part to these soaring expectations, the finished product was met with some disappointment, with clever viewers dubbing the film "Tell Me Nothing." Criticism focused mostly on the storyline, which was felt to lack excitement. Part of this can be blamed on its packaging: the movie calls itself a "hard-gore thriller," when in fact its genre is more complex. At times introspective, at times losing itself in its dark scenery, the film is better described as a slow mystery, strewn with eruptions of gore.

Visually, the film is very interesting. More than any other Korean director, Chang Yoon-hyun knows how to capture the moods and look of the city. I attribute much of the success of Chang's first film to its urban feel and sensibility; in Tell Me Something, he further enriches his palette to create images of the city that at times resemble painting. Chang also plays off the star image of Shim Eun-ha in a wonderful scene in the killer's workshop, where her face is reflected on a series of photographs resembling a video wall. For those that remember the gut-wrenching car accident in The Contact, this newer film features another, beautifully-choreographed crash. And finally, one cannot overlook the imagery of the victims' bodies, dismembered and arranged on tables in horrifying geometrical designs. Although in some ways this film has fallen victim to its own hype, it has drawn a tremendous number of viewers and provides a fascinating addition to this year's crop of films.