Kim Dae-seung's sophomore feature, the period murder mystery Blood Rain, has a gorgeously lush and detailed look that plays intriguingly against its frequently brutal content. The film has been compared to Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, and it also bears a passing resemblance to Tim Burton's far more jovial Sleepy Hollow, in that it's a period film about a forward-looking man of science and reason (Cha Seung-weon beautifully underplaying as Won-kyu) who must contend not only with a vicious killer on the loose, but with the fear and superstition of the townspeople in the remote village where the crimes are being committed. As intricate and demanding as the plot may be, it holds up to the intense scrutiny required in order to follow it, and Kim provides sporadic jolts of well-executed action and brutal violence (the vicious murder of one victim while he's being interrogated by Won-kyu is a particular high point, in terms of the film's acute editing), so that audience interest rarely flags. The sharp screenplay, by Kim Seong-jae and Lee Weon-jae, offers a trenchant analysis of the class and religious prejudices, and of the financial and political corruption of that time, which naturally reverberates in our modern world. While the film has its thrilling and horrifying moments, Kim earns them, and he handles the film's challenging themes with devastating aplomb. Blood Rain is a mature, thoughtful, and expertly made work that deserves to find a wide audience.