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90Genteelly erotic, surprisingly emotional, exquisitely made from start to finish.
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90A 10-course treat for the eyes and ears.
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88A Frenchman may have thought of the story first, but this Korean film pays tribute to the original while perfectly standing on its own.
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83What it lacks in melodramatic punch it makes up for in unexpected shadings in the characters, predator and victim alike.
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80Director Lee Je-Yong gives the book a makeover full of wit and startling beauty as a tragicomedy of Korean manners at the dawn of the Chosun dynasty in the late 18th century, a period known for its gravitas.
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80E J-Yong's transposition illuminates, with satisfying crispness, the hyper-Confucian high society of the time, as well as the underground Catholic movement.
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75Pictorially sumptuous and sexually provocative.
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Through a subplot dealing with Catholic missionaries, an underlying theme of Western encroachment on ancient Korean culture permeates this lushly filmed tale.
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75The oft-told story of lust and deception isn't the reason to see Untold Scandal -- Rather, it's the look -- stunning costumes and art direction, lush landscapes, and beautifully framed and lighted sequences -- that make this worth seeking out.
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Imaginative and properly wicked.
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75Of all the "Liaisons" adaptations, this may be the most sentimental.
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70The result is a beguiling mix of the familiar and the exotic, vivid proof that a good story can withstand endless variations without losing its fundamental vitality.
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70Sumptuously photographed in bright primary colors, with equally immaculate period clothing and design, Untold Scandal lacks some of the emotional and thematic depth of previous adaptations, but it has the refreshing candor and explicitness that marks the current wave of Korean cinema.
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70Given that Untold Scandal is, like its predecessor, an epic story of spreading displeasure, the director's ability to keep it from feeling petty is a major feat.
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70This film doesn't really clear the bar, but it's handsomely mounted and proves that heartless manipulation of the weak and gullible never goes out of style.
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60Very 'talky', but the three lead females are excellent, as are the costumes and sets.
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Pallid acting and a general lack of spirit ultimately result in a bland costume drama.
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42Les Liaisons Dangereuses is such an elaborate and satisfying structure of deceit and salaciousness that every attempt I have seen to adapt it on film -- "Dangerous Liaisons," "Cruel Intentions," even the trashy 1959 Roger Vadim version -- has resulted in an entertainment of agreeable nasty elegance. Until now.