Movie review: Decision to leave (2022)
A new genre explored by the master filmmaker Park Chan-wook
Directed by: Park Chan-wook
Starring: Tang Wei and Park Hae-il
A brand-new movie from the master filmmaker Park Chan-wook. Those of you who follow South Korean movies closely will remember the director from his previous films such as Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Handmaiden. With his new movie “Decision to Leave”, the director attempts a new genre of romantic thriller which is a departure from his usual style.
The movie synopsis on IMDB is as follows:
A detective investigating a man’s death in the mountains ends up meeting and developing feelings for the dead man’s mysterious wife in the course of his dogged sleuthing.
The movie starts off with Detective Hae-jun investigating a murder case of a man who plummets to his death from a mountain. All eyes are now on his young widow wife (Seo-rae) who is a Chinese immigrant and is also the prime suspect in the murder case. As the movie proceeds Hae-jun gets obsessed with Seo-rae and he ends up having feelings for her.
The movie has some clever twists and turns that are expertly handled by the director, and this keeps the viewer guessing if Sae-rae really did commit the murder. The chemistry between the lead actors is absolutely fantastic and you can feel their energy off screen as well. It’s almost as if Hae-jun and Sae-Rae were destined for love and misery.
The movie at times reminded me of the Hollywood thriller “Basic Instinct” and I was really excited to see where the movie would lead next. There are ample comic moments in the film as well that helps to break the complex narrative and keeps the viewer entertained.
Both the lead actors Tang Wei and Park Hae-il are in top form and give superb performances. Park Hae-il is especially riveting to watch in the final act of the movie and I was truly impressed with his ability to portray a wide range of emotions and to have a deep connection with the viewers.
Confucius said, “The wise love the water, the benevolence the mountains.” I am not benevolent. I like the sea.
The movie climax is heart breaking and almost comes off as a surprise. The director opted for a more emotional ending and we as viewers get very attached to the character of detective Hae-jun. There are some flaws in the movie. The screenplay at times is a bit too complicated and as a result, it might get a bit exhausting for the audience to keep up with the story. The climax turns the movie upside down as this is something which the audience is not expecting and, in a way, does not pay off completely.
My recommendation to my viewers is to watch this movie in order to experience a beautiful and engaging romantic thriller that benefits from great performances across the board and still manages to leave a lasting impression on the viewers. The movie might not be as exuberant as Oldboy but the director has still succeeded in honing his skills in a new genre.
My final rating is 7.5/10
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