Oldboy
this is my third watch! and i still think it's easily 5 stars.
the criticisms of the unrealistic hypnotism feel less and less valid to me; in a universe where a guy beats the shit out of dozens of henchmen with a hammer even after being stabbed in the back, a multimillionaire dedicates most of his time and resources in an absurdly elaborate revenge plot, hypnotising a guy who spends 15 years being drugged and mentally tortured is really not the most unbelievable thing here guys.
the really confusing middle portion of the movie too is elevated on rewatches. it really pushes the discomfort and trippiness of the movie once things start spiralling. it's almost like you're oh dae su; so many little manipulations that you don't even notice being done onscreen by park chan wook until further rewatches. they say that magic tricks lose their magic once the trick is revealed, but that's not the case for Oldboy, it's still incredibly gripping and engaging the third time around.
the acting in this movie has always been top notch, but in this rewatch im for some reason even more impressed by choi min sik as oh dae su. he plays a kaleidoscope of emotions in this movie so masterfully it really drives the horrifying tragedy of this movie.
and at the end of the day, that's why oldboy works. it's so incredibly pulpy, so murky and without "class", yet there's something so powerful about this story that it feels almost mythical once you strip all the details to reveal its core. because Oldboy is ultimately about a man who tries to give meaning to his suffering, only to realise that the pursuit of that will only lead to his ruin.