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How am I going to explain this one...?

Based on the reviews, this is going to be one of those films that you're either going to absolutely love, or absolutely hate.

Dae-Su Oh was kidnapped and held captive for 15 years without knowing a clue as to why or who would do this to him. He lived for 15 years in a hotel room with nothing but a television and fried dumplings for meals. He was occasionally gassed to be knocked unconscious not knowing what was being done or why. He was however framed for the murder of his wife. Samples of his DNA and fingerprints were collected from his cell and then planted at the scene of the crime. His daughter survived.

Just as he was captured randomly, he was released randomly one day. Upon receiving a phone and a wallet from a random beggar, he meets a woman sushi chef, Mi-Do, and then receives a call from his captor stating he had 5 days to find out the reason why he was held captive, where he then promises to commit suicide if Dae-Su completes the challenge.

For the next 5 days, Mi-Do helps him uncover the disturbing secret of why her love, Dae-Su was kidnapped. An honest and immature mistake made back in high school.

First off, the style of the movie came off a bit odd to me, and upon some research discovered it was originally a manga, and then it made perfect sense. The movie is part of a three part series originally done in a Japanese manga. This is the second installment of the revenge themed series.

Director Chan-Wook Park delivers a disturbing but addicting film. You are deeply bothered by the underlying message of the film but are still drawn to each character, who are all dynamic and fucked up. I can't rave enough about the storyline. It's so original and captivating and haunting and pulls on all of your emotions. By the end of it you are left just as emotionally exhuasted as Dae-Su and anguished upon the final reveal which can never be replicated. It puts the Sixth Sense's ending to shame.

Beyond the sexuality and violence and sometimes dark humored moments, this film defies what makes a great film. This movie ironically carries the perfect formula for what makes a great film that will have you raving about it time after time. The camerawork, the direction, the pace, the characters, etc. In every aspect of it, this was absolute work of art.

The direction was a great pace. You were left at the edge of your seat waiting for the secret to fold out, but absolutely involved in each character wondering what will come of them next. Even the villainous Woo-Jin Lee, responsible for the imprisonment of Dae-su for 15 years. I have to say when you find out why Woo-Jin hired to have Dae-Su kidnapped, you can't help but to think, "Over-react much?" But I suppose you when you grow up to have money and power at your disposal, eccentricity follows.

Korean style of film is very different than American film. As are most movies done outside of the US. There aren't restrictions or "safety nets" set up on the topics or scenes of what can be in the movie. It's pretty much free reign. So it can be understood when some of the reviewers can't enjoy a foreign film when a certain topic/direction is introduced into a movie, that has never seen the light of day in American theaters. As long as you can watch this movie with an open mind and let go of the boundaries of where a movie can/should go, then you can definitely appreciate this film for what it is, and hopefully others. You'd be surprised at how safe and "G-Rated" American films are compared to outside of the box.

I'm hoping the rumors that Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are attempting the remake are false. I have no idea how they're going to pull this one off and I can't think of two more wrong people for this project. IF this were to be redone on American soil it needs to be done by Guy Ritchie/Richie (can't remember spelling, and too lazy to look up), Robert Rodriguez (based on works done in Sin City) and... David Fincher.