Heojil kyolshim

Park Chan-wook’s outstanding thriller shows the Korean maverick at the triumphant top of his game, bringing a delightful swing to his latest twisty tale. Detective Hae-joon (Park Hae-il, game for anything) plays an almost parodically workaholic detective who is called upon to investigate the death of a man who fell or was pushed off a mountain. He questions the man’s widow Seo-rae (a mesmerizing Tang Wei) and develops a helpless crush on her (despite his comically stable marriage), as well as some suspicions about her backstory as an outsider to the country. As the case develops, Park demonstrates his mastery of action and suspense anew, finding fresh ways to film the story’s unpredictable beats (with dazzling work by both cinematographer Kim Ji-yong and screenwriter Cheung Seokyung).

But what fuels the film is not plot mechanics but the positively Hitchcockian charm in the simmering connection between the upstanding detective and his savvy subject, as Park nails the chemistry of attraction and pursuit with sly humor. It’s easily some of Park’s own best work (and in its own, crafty way as alluring as THE HANDMAIDEN was), bringing new life to a milieu you might think you know. (Nicolas Rapold)

Park Chan-wook: THE MOON IS... THE SUN’S DREAM (1992), JOINT SECURITY AREA (2000), SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE (2002), OLDBOY (2003), THREE... EXTREMES (2004, EPISODE), LADY VENGEANCE (2005), I’M A CYBORG, BUT THAT’S OK (2006), THIRST (2009), STOKER (2013), THE HANDMAIDEN (2016), THE LITTLE DRUMMER GIRL (2018, TV-Miniserie), LIFE IS BUT A DREAM (2022, K)