A tremendous box office hit in Korea, this film also received high criticisms making it one of the most talked about movies in 2003. The film’s idea was based on the real serial killings case that took place in Hwa-Sung, Kyung-Gi Province, in 1986, and it displays horrendous killings by an unknown criminal in the times of oppression and barrenness with a gloomy and yet lyrical touch. Although the movie appears to be a mystery thriller, it is a film with a unique mood in which rather than following the story based on the incidents, it focuses on the sense of defeat and helplessness based on acceptance of fate of the characters involved in the case.