Compelling yet disturbing film used as a scapegoat by media

Rating: 8/10 (20 April 2007)

If you look at the awards this title has won, you will see that critics worldwide rated the film very highly when it came out. The story is one that has already been remade by the Americans - a man is imprisoned for 15 years by someone he has never seen, released - given a cellphone and five days to find out why he was imprisoned and identify his captor. Harrowing, excellent acting with the true horror not coming from guns but from a shocking personal realisation at the end of the film. Sadly, as is always the case after a mass murder, the media and the public are looking for an easy solution as to why Cho Seung-Hui murdered American students on a rampage. He was pictured in poses which the press tagged as those struck in OLDBOY but these are used by any soldier, terrorist or nutter. I'm sorry this film has borne the brunt of the backlash - Cho Seung-Hui was mentally ill - this film did not cause him to go mad, he was sick. Back to the movie, this will stick with viewers after watching. I'm glad to have a DVD copy of it.