Totally absorbing...........one of the best films I've seen in a long time

Rating: 10/10 (28 October 2011)

I watched this film without really knowing anything about it - I just read the IMDb quick summary on what it was about - and seeing it praised so highly and a colleague of mine saying to watch it and it is a must see - I buckled down on it on a Friday night.
I was expecting this to be some sort of typical revenge film but with a deep meaning - why would it be rated so highly then? The good thing about the film is that it doesn't give you answers straight away and does a terrific job of keeping you engaged all the way through. You get to know the main character who has gone through years of torment for some unknown reasos as you experience his pain as Oh dae Su (Choi Min Sik) becomes a tormented man in his struggle for vengeance.
All I can say is that this film takes you down some paths that you think at one point - 'oh no they really are falling for clichés' but then it goes down something darker and you are totally blown away by what the conclusion is. I am usually a sucker when it comes to finding out twists as I can barely spot them but let me say the twist in this one I did not suspect one bit and was shocked by what I saw.
This is a unique film - the acting is perfect, the idea is clever and the emotions portrayed in the characters all exhibit human traits of being torn inside while still alive and just the whacky thing we can do to people to get our peace of mind if only temporarily.
All I can say is that you must see this film and it is a film I will be recommending to everyone to see.