I finally saw this Park Chan-wook film several days ago, after anxiously awaiting it all summer. It was released in South Korea in 2003 and the US this past Spring, but I missed it in theaters. The DVD came out domestically in August, so I rented it as soon as I settled into Vegas. Why the anxiety? Chan-wook and the film itself have been hyped endlessly by such outfits as Ain’t It Cool News and by Quentin Tarantino as the next generation of cool cinema, so of course I had to check out the buzz.

The premise is sublime in its simplicity: a family man is locked into a room for 15 years not knowing who his captor is or why he has been imprisoned. After 15 years, he is unexpectedly released and sets out to answer these questions and enact retribution with the help of a beautiful young woman he finds in a restaurant.

The film loses itself in its inconsistent pacing, but this is somewhat redeemed by the brash directing style, containing enough visceral imagery and creative play in the editing room to satisfy the very celebrity director that touted it. At times, some of these creative scenes come off as violent for the sake of violence whereas others are truly gimmicky, although still amusing. Nevertheless, there are several fight scenes where I couldn’t help smiling at Chan-wook’s finesse behind the camera – a showoff, but he has the stuff to back it up.

The story turns into a tragedy of Ancient Greek proportions, giving the film a timeless feel that I think is behind much of its popularity. Yet, I think the film struggles with its dual personalities: the action-flick cool vs. the dark thriller. I was pleased enough to check out at least one other of his films (likely Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), but I am not yet sold on the alleged genius of Mr. Chan-wook.