The world laughs with you

Rating: 6/10 (26 August 2007)

A classic Korean revenge film developed by the mastermind Chan-wook Park couldn't be any better then what it has become. The movie itself has attributed a rather love it or hate it personality during its introduction to the American public and its rather explicit and disturbing scene for sex. I entirely understand its concept and brutality; it is after all a great homage to film-noir and attempts to break every boundary to become one of the darkest films ever created without being a actual horror.
During the 15 year imprisonment scene the character had lost all possible nature of himself as he had been forced to become a animal. Masterbating to dancing women. Writing in his journal on whom would have put him through all this pain. Training in combat by punching the wall. Slowly cutting through the brick to at least just feel the breeze of the outside and the rain trickle over his hand and even attempting to smash his head against glass in attempt to kill himself.
All that was once the character had been lost in a spiral of insanity in his solitary confinement. Upon release his character had to regain the ability to live in society. He had to learn new words, he had to learn to laugh, to love, to feel guilt and sorrow and to cry. All this character development to a beautiful soundtrack mixed with classical and techno themes.
Only flaw in this movie would have to be the one scene when Oh Dae-su takes the roll of super-man and cleanses the underground of all the scum. That wasn't enough to interrupt the brilliance of the movie. The time he was lying on the ground with a grin on his face before he put the cigarette in his mouth or the time hes walking away laughing after the man has fallen from the roof onto a car.
In end this movie will not make you laugh. No it will make you cry on behalf of how we lost the film industry to Korea. Because remember when you laugh, the world laughs with you but when you cry, you cry alone.