friend Kim In-seo as Se-jung, Tae-joo's girlfriend Yoon Chae-young as Han Song-yi, nurse Nam Bo-ra as Section Chief Oh's daughter Jung Ji-yoon as Junior high female student Alternate versions The Korea Media Rating Board forced Kim to recut the film for its theatrical release, objecting to its violent content. The film received a "Restricted" rating twice, preventing any sort of release in theatres or on home video and promotions as well. Seven cuts were made with the total runtime of removed material between eighty and ninety seconds. Release I Saw the Devil was released in South Korea on August 12, 2010. The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival on 21 January 2011. It also received screenings at several other international film festivals, including the Fantasporto Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Sitges Film Festival, San Sebastian Film Festival and the London Korean Film Festival. North American distribution rights were acquired by Magnet Releasing which released it on a limited basis on March 4, 2011. Optimum Releasing distributed the film in the United Kingdom. Critical reception The review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of , with a weighted average of , based on reviews from critics. The website's "Critics Consensus" says the film is "Never flinching during its descent into depravity, [...] a pulverizing thriller that will give bloody satisfaction to audiences who like their revenge served with fiery rage." On Metacritic the film received "Generally favorable reviews," with a weighted average of 67 out of 100, based on 19 reviews. Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times wrote, "From an unexpectedly moving first act to a hilariously disgusting sojourn with Kyung-chul’s cannibal pal, Mr. Kim and his cinematographer, Lee Mogae, retain complete control of the film’s fluctuating tones and impressive set pieces." Mark Olson of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "There is all the violent mayhem, for certain, but the thing that sets I Saw the Devil apart is its undercurrent of real emotion and how unrelentingly sad it can be." Rob Nelson from Variety magazine stated, "Repugnant content, grislier than the ugliest torture porn, ought to have made the film unwatchable, but it doesn't, simply because Kim's picture is so beautifully filmed, carefully structured and viscerally engaging." Bloody Disgusting's Brad Miska gave it a rating of four-and-a-half out of five, writing: "I could talk for hours about I Saw the Devil, but nothing I