Addicted (2002) User Reviews

I saw her first!

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 15 June 2012]

Brothers Dae-jin (Byung-hun Lee) and Ho-jin (Eol Lee) are both involved in car accidents that leave them in a coma. When Dae-jin regains consciousness he begins to exhibit mannerisms that suggest that he is possessed by his brother's spirit, which leaves Ho-jin's wife Eun-su (Mi-yeon Lee) uncertain how to react.

I watched the dreadfully dull Sarah Michelle Gellar movie Possession not so long ago, unaware that it was a remake of Korean drama Addicted, a film that has sat gathering dust in my box of unseen DVDs for quite some time now. On seeing that the original had a pretty decent rating here on IMDb, I decided to dig it out and thankfully found it to be the superior film, a classy affair that, unlike the remake, deals with its subject matter in a subtle and intelligent manner.

Like Possession, Addicted is a real slow-burn of a film, the narrative unfolding in a considered manner that I suspect will be way too leisurely for many viewers, but with the Korean film successfully avoiding the dumb plot holes and ridiculous characterisations that made its US counterpart difficult to endure, it proves to be a thoroughly engaging bittersweet romance, twisted and yet touching at the same time.

Smart and thought-provoking

[Xiayu · 8/10 · 6 June 2006]

An old idea given a new spin, this film ponders the idea of a living person possessed by the soul of the dead. But it's not the Exorcist - there's no horror, no gore, just intricate, unsettling emotions and impossible-to-answer questions.

Two brothers, Ho-jin and Dae-jin, are close but with the kind of tolerance and exasperation that comes from a lifetime of living with someone who is your polar opposite. Ho-jin is a carpenter who is about to have an exhibition of his carefully crafted furniture. Dae-jin is a bit of a lout, races cars for a living, and doesn't really pull his weight around the house.

They share a home with Ho-jin's wife, Eun-su. Ho-jin and Eun-su enjoy a special relationship, writing letters to one another daily and treasuring their good fortune at having found one another. On the day that Dae-jin is to race in a rally, Ho-jin, running very late, catches a cab to the speedway. Then disaster strikes: both brothers are simultaneously the victims of shocking car accidents. Both end up in the hospital in deep comas.

A year later, we see one of them awake. Dae-jin opens his eyes, staggers out of bed and catches sight of himself in the mirror. The significance of this is not overdone, but the shot is held long enough to let the viewer know that it's important. He is released from the hospital and goes home to pick up his life. It's slow going - he is often confused and distracted, frequently falling into very long sleeps, and physically shaky. He begins to adopt habits; watering the garden, making elaborate dinners, building furniture, putting toothpaste on Eun-su's toothbrush in the early morning. This freaks Eun-su out - these are all things that Ho-jin used to do.

It becomes clear that Dae-jin believes himself to be Ho-jin inside Dae-jin's body. The tension comes from the fact that, as he tries to convince Eun-su of this by revealing facts about her that only Ho-jin would know, the viewer is also likewise convinced. The question - is soul possession possible, and if so, is Ho-jin really living within Dae-jin - which outside the confines of this movie may strike you as rather silly, is treated in all seriousness and therefore works a treat. The ending, which I will not reveal, is highly ambiguous and therefore fitting.

The lead actors, Lee Byeong-heon as Dae-jin, and Lee Mi-yeon as Eun-su, are a perfect balance. Lee Byeong-heon in particular is quite amazing. His voice, his body language, his facial expressions, are all noticeably different when the transformation from Dae-jin to Ho-jin takes place. Lee Mi-yeon has an ethereal quality to her that makes Eun-su's struggle to believe all the more poignant.

At 114 minutes, this is well worth your time.

Worth watching

[martin-fennell · 8/10 · 15 October 2017]

Although, you will probably guess what's going on. You might not guess how it will end. But if you are a Korean movie fan, you probably will. Good acting, an exciting motor car race, and some really lovely colour scenes. Some of which reminded me of 50's Hollywood movies, particularly probably those of Douglas Sirk.

After falling in a coma, waking up in another body?

[AlainS · 24 February 2003]

Eun-su and Ho-jin are a happy married couple, after a few years of marriage still exchanging love letters. They life together with Hi-jin's bother Dae-jin, who is addicted to his car and drives races for his profession.

But this happy idyll is broken, after each of the two brother have an accident at the same time: Dae-jin has a car crash while racing and Hi-jin's taxi gets smacked by a truck.

When Dae-jin wakes up out of the coma, it's not Dae-jin speaking, it's Hi-jin!

This theme might sound familiar, but in this movie there are still some surprises waiting for you...

It is really worth watching!

Reminds of Korean TV dramas....OK for a soap

[pc95 · 6/10 · 12 December 2005]

I loved watched the Korean TV drama, "Terms of Endearment" from a year or so ago. This movie has the look and feel of a Korean TV drama. Problematic The acting at times shows through - as acting. There's an awful lot of smiling and mugging for the camera. Nevertheless I enjoyed the set up and wasn't really surprised by the "twist". This movie feels pretty clichéd and definitely contrived. The younger brother's character is identifiable and there are some good scenes with the 2 lead women. I was left wondering how the lead sister-in-law could actually not be angry or stomach the deception even though she was pregnant. Overall it wasn't too bad a movie. Good if you like Korean soaps, probably a little overlong if you don't.

Addicted to a wish

[ushiros · 9/10 · 2 July 2004]

Ho-jin (LEE Eol) and Dae-jin (LEE Byung-hun) are brothers in very good terms. They speak about everything to each other. The relationship has not changed after Ho-jin married Eun-su (LEE Mi-yeon). The three has made a happy family in the house in the suburbs which contains a workshop for Ho-jin, a carpenter, and a garage for Dae-jin, a car racer. But their happiness suddenly comes to an end and trials begin. On the same day at the same time, the brothers meet a car crash respectively -- Dae-jin during a car race; Ho-jin on his way to the racing circuit. They both fall into a coma, and one year later, only Dae-jin awakes from his coma. Dae-jin goes home, and he and Eun-su start the life without Ho-jin. Before long she finds the brother-in-law is somewhat different than he was. He waters the plants in the garden every morning, which was Ho-jin's part. He prepares dinner for Eun-su -- he didn't cook before; Ho-jin did. And he begins to repair furniture, saying that his fingers don't move like they did. Dae-jin tells her that he is Ho-jin. Eun-su cannot believe him. Does possession really happen? Has Ho-jin's soul taken over Dae-jin's body? But when she's inclined to accept him as her husband, more cruel trials are beginning. The twisted and detail-conscious story line has made the film soar beyond a simple possession story or a stereotyped romance. The performance of the two leading actors, LEE Byung-hun and LEE Mi-yeon is splendid! Especially Byung-hun's eyes are great. They shows purity and strong will at the same time. Without the eyes, the film might have not been a success. And Mi-yeon's ability of expressions is incredible. She's the kind of actresses who talk by their looks much more than words. When Dae-jin wants to enter her bedroom, or when she proposes him to talk together about Ho-jin and starts talking, the strained atmosphere build on the screen is enormous. (9 out of 10) - USHIRO Satoshi

Amazing Korean love story

[jsaleem-89705 · 10/10 · 16 January 2020]

This movie about two brothers life,their great bonding,respect for each other & older brother her wife their great love for each other but after accident everything changed Great direction,solid Script,Acting was very realistic & good,i love Lee Byung Hu a lot in this movie also Awesome story A must watch korean movie

It depended way too much on the twist

[KineticSeoul · 5/10 · 27 April 2010]

"Addicted" is a story about two brothers that live in the same house with a very good relationship, while the older brother is a nice and caring husband to his wife the younger brother played by Lee Byung-Hun is a carefree guy who is into racing. But things come to a drastic change when both brothers get into a car accident on the same day and the tragedy leads to both brothers into a coma, except the younger brother wakes up while the older brother is still in coma and things start to make a drastic turn from there. It's a somewhat boring film for most part since there is nothing innovative about it except the twist at the end which isn't much of a payoff either. Everything is just too slow and it felt like it dragged longer than it should have, nothing about it was really entertaining. It isn't even that smart of a film or thought provoking and it seemed to depend way too much on the twist near the end, and if your a movie vet it's sort of predictable.

5/10

not too much surprise

[tun9 · 5/10 · 11 July 2003]

In terms of the narrative structure, like many korean movies, the filmmakers did not employ any innovative techniques at all, a linear narrative approach is presented. Everything is brought out plain and slow, as a result audiences may find some scenes boring. Although there is a minor twist at the end, overall speaking, the plot is not too rich or entertaining. Whether it's worth watching depends whether you have the time and patience.

Don't take it too seriously

[zoe_smith · 3/10 · 2 July 2006]

Perhaps scoffed at by Western movies, the idea of reincarnation and second life is in fact a common theme in Korean productions. No surprise when it rears itself again, then...

Knowing in advance what was going to happen after I read a plot summary elsewhere, I was so disappointed in how the plot consequently unfolded. There was so much potential for suspense and drama - who was the younger brother? what was his motive? how had he gone about assuming a hidden identity? - but it didn't materialize until the very end. Why couldn't the director have turned this into a great movie and used more subtle nuances combined with more staggered chunks of revelations to the mystery that was unfolding? Arrggghhh! This movie will probably only please Lee Byung Hun fans. Western audiences will probably loathe it as it doesn't fit their cultural expectations of how a movie should unravel.

Farcical mess not a drama or mystery

[phuckracistgop · 1/10 · 2 April 2024]

This should be labeled as a fantasy flick, since it deals with supposed reincarnation, although the other brother didn't die.

And why is it that women in these movies lack braincells and fortitude? It's not like the older brother didn't tell how he met his wife to his younger brother, or the younger brother watched them do table sex.

But I take it that stupid people will miss the obvious plot holes. And now the girlfriend and sister in-law are going to play along with this Bull Excrement as if soul transference is a reality.

And as I suspected, the older brother confided with the younger brother his intimacies with his wife. But it was the girlfriend who sent the wife the original neckless and jewel, to which the wife was able to ascertain that she has been duped, yet the ending doesn't show her acting upon this revelation.

I didn't watch possession, so it's hard to say which one is worse. As for me, a Big Fat Failure.