Telmisseomding (aka Tell Me Something) (1999)

Set in Seoul, South Korea, a police detective (Suk Kyu Han) under a cloud of suspicion for receiving graft is assigned to a serial killer case. Dismembered bodies are being found around the city but the pieces are all mixed up, the body parts don't all belong to the same person. The common link is a young woman (Eun Ha Shim) who knew all the victims romantically and is apparently being stalked by the killer. But is she an innocent victim or is she complicit in some way? Directed by Yun Hyeon Jang, this was a massive hit in South Korea though its success wasn't duplicated in the U.S. It's a variation of American films like SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and SE7EN but a little more crudely done. The gross factor keeps it from moving into more elevated terrain. It's done cleverly enough even to the point of planting a huge red herring at the beginning which I bought hook line and sinker. The most interesting character is a young female doctor (Jung Ah Yum) who's ambiguous and even when the film is over, you're not quite sure who she is/was and what her motivations are. I enjoyed it but it doesn't quite have the resonance that a great thriller should have. With Hang Seon Jang and Joon Sang Yoo.