Tell Me Something (1999)

A series of hideous yet insidiously precise murders are taking place in the city and two detectives, Cho and Oh (played by Suk-kyu Han and Hang-Seon Jang, respectively) are on the case. The clues lead them to a lovely artist named Chae (Eun-ha Shim), who was romantically involved with all of the victims. She tells them about Ki-yeon (Jun-Sang Yu), her possessive ex, who happens to be a surgeon and has the medical knowledge to pull off the crimes.

Of course, things aren’t so simple. Detective Cho, the younger of the two cops, is a mess. Internal affairs has been after his ass for years over some screw-up from his past. And he can’t resist the morose charms of Chae, the poster child for damaged goods. Will he be able to keep his head (both of them) on straight and solve this case before anyone else ends up sliced and diced and on display for the world to see?

I first heard about this film (directed by Youn-hyun Chang) while reading an old Videoscope magazine and it sounded intriguing. Tell Me Something is a gruesome little thriller with some giallo influence for sure. The acting from all involved is very good. My only complaints are that the film is wee bit pretentious (though it is earned for the most part), the pacing lags a bit towards the end, and the score is pretty dated. But even with those minor quibbles, I’m glad I checked this one out. There is a lot of tension, ghastly gore setpieces, and the atmosphere is gritty and full of dread. Recommended despite its minor flaws.