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By
DEBORAH NICOL
The only thing worse than
being imprisoned for a crime is being imprisoned
for a crime you did not even know you committed.
Writer-director Chan-wook Park swims through the
murky mind of a bad man who has done bad deeds,
but who cannot pinpoint the punisher he enraged so
thoroughly that he would seek such a revenge.
Min-sik Choi embodies madman Dae-su Oh whose only
human contact in one-and-a-half decades is by way
of the television screen. He is inexplicably
released, though his enemy keeps close and
constant tabs on him. In Oh's quest to learn who
the big man upstairs is, he accidentally confides
in young Mi-do (a bubbly Hye-jeong Kang) who
suspiciously helps him at every turn.
Cinematographer Jeong-hun Jeong creates a sharp,
stylish world of contrasting greens and oranges.
Even when the location is dank and sparse it
appears alive and curious. This assists in keeping
the viewer intrigued by Oh's desperate quest for
the truth after loosing everything he once knew,
though may not have deserved. However, what begins
as quirky and unconventional dissolves into a
farfetched and disturbing tale. But once you have
gone so far down the rabbit hole, there is little
point in disregarding the absurd.
Park provides a tale to wrap your mind around, and
though the conclusion is extreme, it is still
absorbing. This is not a request for Park to calm
his violent visions, but perhaps to make the
connections a little more sturdy. His story was
based on a Japanese Manga of the same title, and
it is conceivable that the translation from comic
to screen is more difficult in the telling.
Extras on this disc include a commentary track
with Park and Jeong, a quaint Q&A with Park,
deleted scenes with optional director commentary,
a photo gallery, a trailer, a trailer created
through a contest, and other previews. |
