Oldboy
Uhmmm.. let's start by saying this: HOLLLY FKKIN SHIIIT! GODDAAAMN! To be honest I craved for a classic Tarrantino-ish revenge tale when my friend reminded me of this unwatched classic. Well my friend, I asked for a revenge tale not a NIGHTMARE. "Even though I'm no better than a beast, don't I deserve to live?"
Nothing in the world could have prepared me for the insanely disturbing nature of the revenge, the reason for it being so utterly disturbing is how sadistic and cruel and petty it gets sometimes. Intelligently scripted (man! what a screenplay dude! hats off!) & directed, Park Chan-wook intricately layers the actual narrative with clever twists and unflinching violence, gradually unravelling the twisted mystery so much so that viewers definitely got a cinematic jolt they will have a hard time forgetting (unlike Oh Dae-su). What is exceptionally rare is the film's ability to create circumstances which not only challenges your moral code and gets ridiculed morally but at the same time leaving you traumatised for not knowing which side to root for and why. It sets the audience with the purpose of getting back at whoever imprisoned Dae-su for 15 years, snatched every single thing off of his beautiful life.. until... well the truth comes into light.
The film's visual design is downright alluring & the editing steadily paces the plot and also amplifies the grim mood which in turn further enhances the story's darker philosophical complex themes and plot points in question. Highly recommended family friendly mystery thriller (in case you have a fetish of having your family end up in an asylum)