Hwa Yi is a young boy who’s been kidnapped as a kid by a group of five gangsters. The gang takes in the boy as their son and raises him into a criminal.
A contract to kill off a whole family has been signed, however, once it’s up to Hwa Yi to take the enterprise he starts messing up, being of course so different from his five parents.
The youngster’s difference doesn’t hold the righteous nature alone; Hwa Yi sees something grotesque that impedes him to take cruel actions. It also may manifest when he is left unaccompanied…

Directed by Jang Joon-hwan, Hwayi: A Monster Boy (2013) is really ruthless and brutal. Be ware of violent scenes as some may result quite disturbing and direct.
The main lead Yeo Jin Goo was 16 year old only when carrying out the role of Hwa Yi. It’s quite noteworthy in my opinion as he played the part really well and the fight scenes are striking.

At the second half of the movie, though, it takes a turn to a typical revenge-themed Korean film. If you watched I Saw the Devil you know where I’m coming from. Hands up, it is properly made as a thriller and full of action, but I didn’t expect that kind of dramatic plot-shifting.
The main subject of this movie I’d say is the boy’s transfiguration from an innocent kid to a fearless killer, comparable to a monster, as the title suggests.

I found the second part a bit slow pacing and the film’s events made me a tad testy. Which is also the purpose of the movie, so don’t watch it if you tend to get triggered over seeing lots of emotionally unfair and violent scenes.

Recommended to an observant public and splatter lovers.