Dark City

Rating: 7/10 (22 February 2020)

This is a bravura and surprising thriller, with a fancy modernist brutalist house as one of the leading stars. There is little doubt that as a loser family start to target a rich household, their early success cannot hold.
I'm a fan of Korean films anyway, and so was relaxed about the various styles this film goes through. While the film is totally accessible, there are still enough references to Korean and Asian society to make it a little demanding on the viewer - which is why the Oscar success was nicely surprising.
The film does not perfectly handle it's different layers - the political message and the moral message rather wrap around each other awkwardly. The pacing doesn't always work either - the direction is relaxed in the house but pokes around nervously outdoors.
This is not the best Korean film I've seen - Old Boy and I saw the Devil were superior - but the setup, cinematography and the sheer chutzpah of the plotting make it a sharp witted success. (I don't reference the classic Old Boy accidentally; that too was effectively a double layered film, and on reflection it was a little better at it.)