Director Showcase – Chan-wook Park
Master of Korean revenge Chan-wook Park is working on his first English language film set for release later this year. Tom takes a look at his career so far in this week’s Director Showcase.
At the turn of the millennium Korean films rarely made it to UK or American shores but Chan-Wook Park changed all that when his films caught the attention of foreign cinema fans worldwide. He has paved the way for a multitude of Korean directors and his unique brand of violence and intricate storytelling led to the creation of one of the finest trilogies of the last decade.
Park’s latest project is an English language horror film based on a script written by Wentworth Miller, (that’s right – the heavily tattooed guy from Prison Break!) which should hopefully be heading our way later on this year, and he has tried his hands at a number of genres in what has been a very promising career so far.
Essential Films:
Sympathy for Mr Vengeance
The first part of Park’s unmissable Vengeance trilogy is an exceptional revenge drama that focuses on the misfortunes of a laid-off factory worker and his attempts to find the money and means to provide his sister with the kidney transplant she needs to survive. After a botched kidnapping attempt all hell breaks loose and copious amounts of blood is spilled as revenge takes hold of those involved. Utterly gripping from start to finish and shot with a style that denotes a director at the top of his game, this is a masterpiece of Korean cinema that many thought couldn’t be topped until the next part of the trilogy was released.
Oldboy
One of the finest revenge thrillers ever made, Oldboy is a classic of modern cinema that everyone with even just a passing interest in films needs to see. A man is kidnapped and held hostage for fifteen years only to be released and given five days to find the secret behind his torment. Violence ensues as he tracks down his captor and unleashes his anger in one of the finest choreographed fight scenes ever shot where a hammer is used to fend off a horde of attackers in a narrow corridor.Words cannot describe how beautifully shot Oldboy is; with slow motion scenes of violence accompanied by classical music to create a number of unforgettable moments in what is an intense and captivating story. Why on earth do we need an American remake of what is undoubtedly Park’s finest hour?
Lady Vengeance
More refined that Park’s previous instalments in the Vengeance trilogy, Lady Vengeance is a gorgeous film with sumptuous visuals that fade to black and white as the story progresses. Framed for a murder she didn’t commit Geum-ja Lee spends thirteen years in prison and on her release she begins her search for redemption. With the assistance of people she met while incarcerated, Lee hunts down the real killer and plans a spectacular revenge. Utterly engrossing with a hauntingly beatiful soundtrack, Lady Vengeance is a fitting swansong to one of the finest trilogies ever made.
Recommended Films:
Joint Security Area – Opposing soldiers guarding the border between North and South Korea become friends in this intense war drama that revolves around the murder of two soldiers. As an investigation takes place to uncover the truth behind the deaths we learn more about the nature of their friendship and the intense buildup to the tragedy.
Thirst – This unique take on the vampire genre poses some intriguing questions when a devout priest is cured of a mysterious illness only to discover that he is becoming a vampire. At first he survives by stealing from a hospital blood bank but as the hunger takes hold will he be able to stave off his desire for live prey?
I’m a Cyborg But That’s Ok – This bizarre sci-fi/comedy/romance hybrid follows a young girl who checks into a mental institute under the belief that she is a cyborg. Not quite as funny as it sounds but still a riveting watch.
Three Extremes – Park directed a single segment of this twisted horror anthology alongside Fruit Chan and Takashi Miike, with his contribution the film being my personal highlight. His short takes place in a single room and bears a number of similarities to Saw with added dark humour.
Films to Avoid:
Park is one of those rare directors who hasn’t got a bad film in his resume. Although I have not seen the films he made before he put Korea on the map in the world of cinema (these are nigh on impossible to get hold of) all of his feature films from Joint Security Area onwards are well worth a watch.
About The Author – Tom Bielby
Long time film fan and aspiring film writer, Tom is a horror fanatic who wasted far too much time at University sitting through every film in the IMDB Top 250. He is partial to foreign films and cult cinema and would love to rid the world of people who rustle their popcorn during important scenes. He can be found on Twitter under the alias @filmbantha
Which Chan-wook Park films have you seen? Do you agree with our picks? Share your thoughts with us below.
Tom Bielby
I’m a big fan of Chan Wook Park. That said, Oldboy disturbed me enough that I’m perfectly ok never seeing it again as long as I live. Also, maybe I’m crazy, but I liked Lady Vengeance the most of the trilogy. It’s kind of like choosing your favorite Beatle. There’s no wrong answer.
I still need to see JSA, and I’d actually never heard of that Cyborg movie. Given everything else he’s done, and your thumbs up to them, I assume they’re good films.
I’m glad to see someone shining a light on Park.
Thanks for your comment John, was there any scene in particular that put you off watching Oldboy or was it the chilling act of revenge that made you uncomfortable?
Lady Vengeance is a great example of an auteur at the top of his game and because there is less violence it is a slightly easier watch. That’s a great analogy with the beatles comparison!
JSA is the better of the two you have yet to see, I do think that some of the message is lost in translation due to its depiction of the conflict between North and South Korea but it remains a very thought provoking movie. I’m a cyborg is far from Park’s best but is an interesting curio that is shot just as beautifully as the rest of his filmography.
Except for the horror stuff (which I won’t watch) I have seen all the other movies you mentioned and he is an excellent director. It’s a shame that Korean cinema doesn’t get enough attention in general because the country has produced some amazing movies.
You’re right Nostra, Korean cinema doesn’t get enough attention, and they are producing some of the best films of recent times. Any particular reason why you are staying away from the horror films or is it just that you don’t have an affinity with the genre?
Thirst is not a typical horror film in that it doesn’t attempt to scare the viewer, it is just the dark subject matter that leads it being classed as a horror, so you may well enjoy it.
I don’t like the genre, so that’s the reason.
That’s a shame but I can understand where you are coming from, I tend to stay away from cheesy romantic comedies as they just don’t appeal to me.
I’ve only seen Oldboy and Lady Vengeance and like John above, I also enjoyed LV more! I found both very strange and I’m not sure what all the fuss is about with Oldboy. It seems extremely well made but the story is just too odd for my liking.
I can understand why Park films are not for everyone, take for instance the squid eating scene, quite repulsive when you think about it! It is good that you can still appreciate how talented a director he is though. I think Oldboy may suffer slightly from being overhyped but I still find myself enjoying every minute of it.
Have you seen many other Korean films you have enjoyed Pete or does Lady Vengeance stand out as your highlight?
My pal Ted is a big fan of Chan-Wook Park, he even suggested it to direct a Bond movie!
His movies aren’t my cup of tea though, way too violent for my flimsy nerves!
That would be one hell of a bond movie! You may enjoy I’m a cyborg Ruth, it’s quite a bizarre film but for once Park locks the violence away and focuses on a strangely uplifting story.
I love Chan-Wook Park, and I agree the vengeance trilogy is among the finest ever made. Seriously dying to see Stoker, but at the same time I’m afraid it will end up being neutered by the powers that be.
I have my reservations about Stoker as well but I think my faith in Chan-Wook Park outweighs this. It is also great news to see a Korean director being entrusted with an English language film, if Stoker performs well then this could be a recurring trend as well as bringing more attention to the Korean film industry.
Have you got a favourite out of the vengeance trilogy or is it just too difficult to choose?
It’s a tough call between Oldboy and Lady. Just like with Kieslowski’s Three Colors, it depends on my mood.
Great comparison to another incredible trilogy. I wish I had seen more of Kieslowski’s works so he could feature in Director Showcase, that is something I need to rectify!
I have yet to see Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. I loved Oldboy but I thought Mrs. Vengeance was a bit too drawn out for my taste. Can’t wait to see what he has in store with his English language debut!
Interesting to see that there is a split between people favouring oldboy or lady vengeance. When a director makes more than one film of such a calibre there is bound to be a divide. I hope you get a chance to watch sympathy for mr. vengeance, you can’t leave the trilogy unfinished, even if they are only linked thematically!
I still need to see Lady Vengeance, but I loved the first two in the trilogy. I normally can’t stand anything vampire-related, but I’m curious to see Thirst simply because Park has impressed me with everything else. Great showcase, Tom.
It’s good to see that Thirst has peaked your interest Eric, it is a very unusual vampire film, far removed from the cliches of the genre and Park tackles it with his usual flair for stylistic visuals. Lady Vengeance is far more accomplished though, and should be higher up your watch list if you get a chance to check it out.
I love Thirst and Sympathy of Lady Vengence the most. His films really blend poetic scenes and violence and gore beautifully.
I completely agree Sati, nothing beats poetic violence, his choice of classical music is always spot on. I hope he continues the trend with his foray into English language films. Do you think Wentworth Miller has it in him to create an exciting script for the basis of Parks work?