The film that put Korean cinema on the map and inspired half of the world’s underworld related media since.
Dae-Su is an obnoxious drunk bailed from the police station yet again by a friend. However, he’s abducted from the street and wakes up in a cell, where he remains for the next 15 years, drugged unconscious when human contact is unavoidable, otherwise with only the television as company. And then, suddenly released, he is invited to track down his jailor with a denouement that is simply stunning.
Interpersonal conflict is a recurring theme with Park Chan-wook’s works. It’s amplified 10 times here. Additionally, the concept of “face” in Asian society is also delved into in depth, both saving and losing face.
There’s clear inspiration from other acclaimed directors as well throughout the production including David Lynch (doppelgangers, alternate realities), Quentin Tarantino (non-linear storytelling), Takeshi Kitano (protagonist’s decent into immorality and sorrow), and Alfred Hitchcock (plot escalation creating multiple climaxes).
Without spoiling the movie, only reason it is not a perfect movie (S-grade) is due to the content in the third act. I think a direct remake in the current age of social media would be a perfect movie.
Rescreened September 2, 2024 on Netflix.
