Thirst uses a vampire virus as the catalyst to set a complex tale of sin and redemption in motion.
Comment
08/20/09
Thirst (2009)
82
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:95
Fresh:78
Rotten:17
Average Rating:6.8/10
Consensus: The stylish Thirst packs plenty of bloody thrills to satisfy fans of both vampire films and director Chan Wook Park.
Theatrical Release:Jul 31, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $296,441
Synopsis: Sang-hyun is a priest who cherishes life; so much so, that he selflessly volunteers for a secret vaccine development project meant to eradicate a deadly virus. But the virus takes the priest, and a... [More]
Starring: Kang-ho Song, Ha-kyun Shin, Ok-bin Kim, Mercedes Cabral
Director: Chan Wook Park
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for Thirst
Thirst's excesses will entertain some viewers, but if you want coherence, look elsewhere.
07/31/09
Top CriticThirst isn't exactly out for scares or thrills; it's more like an old-time Hollywood melodrama with fangs; think A Place in the Sun with bloodsuckers.
07/30/09
Once on course, he is uncontrollable. I don’t mean the hero, I mean the director. Park’s gallows wit and visual inventiveness keep us alert for an hour amid the ramshackle story structuring.
10/16/09
Park hits all the classic vampire themes in a loose, often meandering narrative...
08/13/09
It's tempting to call it True Blood East, but any comparisons to existing vampire sagas shortchange the unique appeal of Park's vision.
07/30/09
The over-long duration makes it a gruelling journey at times, but it's worth sticking to the end, just to see what the hell Park will come up with next.
10/12/09
The heart of Thirst may be a vampire film but its soul is a morality play, while its flesh is a sensuous playground of desire.
10/05/09
Not one of Park's best films, but it has bite.
10/16/09
The story is mostly riveting, in a chaotic kind of way.
08/07/09
Beautifully shot and willing to grapple with morality in ways both serious and playful Thirst entertains without moralizing, though it frequently lacks narrative drive.
08/28/09
Thirst keeps coming up against the limitations of its various inspirations like a bumper car on a crowded court. On almost every other level, the film’s audaciously entertaining, at times even quite moving. You just have to have the stomach for it.
08/20/09
Top CriticOverlong by a half-dozen blood spurts and tonally frantic
07/30/09
Park's welcome streak for dark comedy does overcome the monotony here and there, but when the sun finally comes up we're left with little but scattered particles of something that tried to do something good, but ultimately failed.
08/14/09
...director Chan-wook Park ("Old Boy") has a field day tossing several genres into a blender to concoct his deliriously wacky, erotic, comedic and gory twist on the vampire tale.
08/09/09
Park directs with his usual eye-catching skill and attention to gruesome detail, and creates a story with strong emotional resonance.
10/20/09
It's a highbrow, critically acclaimed movie that succeeds far more as a down and dirty horror movie than it does as an art film.
07/15/09
Its fierce style and ripe humor are hard to resist
09/04/09
Red blood and black humour spurt hard as Thirst reveals itself to be one of the most deliciously skewed incisions into the vampire romance subgenre.
10/16/09
Through it all, Park’s film never loses its big, bloody-fanged grin. Expect sex (weird), blood-drinking (through a straw), stabby-bitey violence (lots) and laughs (even more).
05/18/09
Latest News for Thirst
July 30, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Funny People Is Ambitious But Uneven
This week at the movies, we've got the tears of a clown (Funny People, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen), extra-terrestrial visitors upstairs (Aliens in the Attic, starring... More...
July 30, 2009:
Director Park Chan-wook Talks Thirst - RT Interview
Thirst, the story of a priest who becomes a vampire following a failed medical experiment, was one of our favourites at this year's Cannes Film Festival. So when we had the... More...
July 16, 2009:
Park Chan-Wook Coming to Comic-Con for Thirst 
More...
May 24, 2009:
Cannes 2009: The Tomato Report - Haneke's The White Ribbon Scoops Palme d’Or
Michael Haneke took Cannes' top honour tonight as his film, The White Ribbon, won the prestigious Palme d'Or. It's Haneke's third major Cannes prize but his first Palme d'Or.... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
History of Disney Animation
MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.
90 Years of Screen Vampires
TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.
Virtuoso Vistas of Lovely Bones
Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.
Recent Headlines as TV Movies
AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.
The Death of Original Thought
Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill explores how remakes and reboots have warped our thinking.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds