South Korean director Park Chan-wook proved himself an action talent with his first blockbuster Joint Security Area, but it was his second entry in his Vengeance trilogy that cemented director Park as a genre icon. Choi Min-sik plays a loser kidnapped and held captive for 15 years without any explanation, his humanity worn away with every prison-room pushup he does. And when at last he’s thrown out into the real world again, he’ll do anything to solve the mystery of his stolen lifetime – which ends up being more than he could have imagined. Come for the freaky plot twist every Letterboxd review promises; stay for one of the best ever filmed fight scenes that easily clears all its imitators. – James Scott
Sept. 12, 14, 17-18
