Product Details

• Actors: Kang-ho Song, Ok-vin Kim, Hae-sook Kim, Ha-kyun Shin, In-hwan Park
• Directors: Chan-wook Park
• Writers: Chan-wook Park, Seo-kyung Chung
• Producers: Chan-wook Park, Soo-hyun Ahn
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: Korean (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: November 17, 2009
• Run Time: 134 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002P7UCJK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,864 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Thirst" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

From the acclaimed director of the global hit Old Boy comes a shockingly original vampire story with a chilling, erotic style. A blood transfusion saves the life of a priest, but also transforms him into a vampire. He struggles to control his insatiable thirst for blood until a love affair unleashes his darkest desires in deadly new ways. Hailed as “Daring, operatic, and bloody funny!” (Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly), Thirst is a truly wicked love story that takes classic vampire lore to twisted new heights.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Take on the Vampire Mythology by Master Director Chan-Wook Park December 15, 2009

By Mr. Chainsaw

Format:DVD

Father Sang-hyeon is a priest with a bleeding heart. He cares for his patients and does what's in his power to do whatever they ask. EV, the Emmanuel Virus, covers its victims from the waist up with blisters, causes ulcers and hemorrhages in muscle tissue, and even causes victims to vomit blood and die from excessive bleeding if the virus spreads to the internal organs. Sang-hyeon volunteers at the Emmanuel Lab in hopes of finding a treatment for the disease, but winds up contracting the disease himself and dying in the process. The blood he receives during the transfusion, however, miraculously brings him back from the edge of death. While being the lone survivor of the ordeal, the story detailing Sang-hyeon's journey gets more and more spectacular. He comes to the realization that drinking blood makes the blisters that cover his body disappear and that he has superhuman abilities. The transfusion has made Sang-hyeon a vampire. He stays with a childhood friend while struggling with finding ways to quench his hunger for blood in addition to falling in love with Tae-Joo, his best friend's wife.

If anyone sits down with me and has a conversation with me about movies, it's only a matter of time before I reveal that Oldboy is quite possibly my favorite film of all time. So it should be no surprise that I'm willing to see anything the director, Chan-wook Park, or lead actors, Choi Min-sik and Ji-Tae Yu, are involved with. Mainly because of my love for Oldboy, but also because I'm rarely disappointed with anything they are a part of. So when I heard Chan-wook Park was tackling a vampire film, I was thrilled and even more thrilled that he managed to deliver another solid film to his already impressive filmography.

The cinematography is the film's shining feature. Park really knows his stuff when it comes to shooting memorable scenes from behind a camera. Every shot is filled with vibrant colors that leap off of the screen. Every frame of the film seems to tell a story all on its own. I hope there's a Blu-ray release of this film because it will look fantastic. It's rather intriguing to see which elements of the vampire mythology Park used for his vision. Sang-hyeon has to drink blood to survive and to stay looking flawless, has incredible strength, and is vulnerable to sunlight. He doesn't, however, have fangs and also has a reflection in the mirror.

Although I've never seen the film, I couldn't help but feel like this was Chan-wook Park's version of Twilight. The entire middle portion of the film is devoted to Sang-hyeon's and Tae-Joo's love for one another. It felt like the adult version of Twilight, really. There's a lot of blood, nudity, sex, and even a few obscenities thrown in for good measure. Maybe it's the Chan-Wook Park fanboy in me, but I honestly feel like I can guarantee that this is the better film of the two. The psychological aspect that I love about Park's previous films is in Thirst, as well. That's a major factor for me as any film that causes me to think or is unusual in any way winds up becoming a fan favorite. The soundtracks to Park's films always seem to fit its respective film like a glove. Thirst is no exception. While the soundtrack is a bit more subtle this time around, it fit the overall atmosphere of the film rather effortlessly.

The middle portion of the film did seem to drag on longer than everything else in the film. It's weird though as the scenes during that time are crucial to the storyline of the film and it's hard to imagine Thirst being the same film if any of those scenes were cut. Nevertheless, it is my one nitpick of the film.

Chan-wook Park bites into the vampire mythology with Thirst and puts his own dark, psychological twist on it. Park's films always seem to have a specific formula or include most of the following: great writing, beautiful cinematography, a solid cast, some sort of psychological twist that'll mess with your head, and a memorable ending. Thirst delivers on all fronts and will hopefully get more of the attention it deserved during its theatrical run on DVD (and eventually Blu-ray, hopefully).

(Written by Chris Sawin)

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sacrifice, sin, and the possibililty of redemption - a bloody and brilliant Korean re-invention of the vampire mythos October 30, 2009

By Nathan Andersen TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Sang-Hyun, a Roman Catholic priest, develops urgent cravings after he selflessly volunteers to be guinea pig in a dangerous medical experiment. He resists at first, but thirst has a way of overcoming both scruples and vows. It's a story about faith and redemption, a deeply romantic and moving love story ... and a story about murder, mayhem and sex. Park Chan-Wook (Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK), won the Jury Prize at Cannes for this stylish and bloody reinvention of the vampire mythos.

This is Park Chan-Wook at the top of his game, and to my mind the very best of an outstanding resume. The acting is superb, with Korea's leading actor Kang-ho Song (The Host, and Memories of Murder) as the priest and Ok-Vin Kim as his lover and nemesis. The imagery is powerful and provocative; the camera plunges, leaps and crawls and yet the camera's smooth but relentless tracking of its subject matter never interrupts the precise and stylized framings, and always works in the service of the story. Constantly surprising for its unique approach to capturing what is on screen, the cinematography never feels like a gimmick, or like style for its own sake (a complaint one might raise about some of Park Chan-Wook's earlier works, however fascinating they are). This is a film that will affect you - it is provocative, funny, frightening, and always fascinating. Highly recommended for lovers of inventive cinema; not for the timid or squeamish.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Erotic, perverted, daring, stylistic and with plenty of blood May 6, 2012

By brainsickhorror .com

Format:DVD

What's it about?

A devout priest named Sang-hyun volunteers for a medical experiment to help save lives from a virus. When he becomes infected, an unidentifiable blood transfusion brings him back to life, only now he has become a vampire. Torn between his faith and the sins of the flesh, Sang-hyun begins an affair with Tae-ju; a friend's wife. Now he must fight temptation and the murderous desire for blood that vampirism has given him.

Is it any good?

Erotic, perverted, daring, stylistic with plenty of blood; these are the things that we've come to expect from a Park Chan-Wook film and `Thirst' delivers them all. Park's exceptional creative direction is backed with top-notch acting from the film's leads Song Kang-ho and Kim Ok-bin, their love affair is both macabre and sensual with comedic charm. Song Kang-ho is a Priest struck with vampirism whose pain in temptation from guilty pleasures resonates brilliantly with Kim Ok-bin's already sinful `Tae-ju'. My only problem with `Thirst' is that at over 2 hours long it can feel a little drawn out at times, I also found the apparition scenes with the murdered husband a bit confusing; was he a ghost or a guilty hallucination? Or, maybe I just missed something? Needless to say `Thirst' deserves a view or two, it is a thought-provoking vampire love story and a must see for Park Chan-Wook fans; `Twilight' for grown-ups.

Best bit?

While infected Priest Sang-hyun is playing his flute, he chokes as blood flows out of his mouth and through the holes in the flute; Park Chan-Wook never fails to surprise!

Did you know?

There are talks of an American re-make...why?