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Park Hae-il and Tang Wei. © 2022. CJ Entertainment, Mubi, and Moho Film. Directed by Park Chan-wook. CIFF #1. Watched it at The Chicago International Film Festival 2022 through AMC Theaters (CIFF #1)
With One Murder Case, You Can Fall For A Girl That Will Rethink Your Life... A murder mystery film filled with love, drama, and comedy? That's a package and this film delivered it. This is another banger from Park Chan-wook and he delivered a simple story but with complex characters that you will fall in love with. A memorizing film that explores affairs, detective work, and love. Love is being played with every second and it will play with your love in this film. By the end, you will decide if you love this film or not. With Park Chan-wook's style of filmmaking flooring me while watching this film, it really brought my love of film alive, especially for an international film. Join me in South Korea and let's explore the world of love through murder and sushi. Story: The film follows detective Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) as he probes a man's seemingly accidental death. The deceased's wife, Seo-rae (Tang Wei), now a widow from China living in South Korea, cooperates with his inquiry. But soon, she starts to play with his feelings and detective Hae-jun goes deeper into the investigation of this woman. Not the official investigation, but her personal investigation of love and life. This film really brought interesting ideas and genres into one film with great execution. It starts off fast in the first 20 minutes but it takes a slow turn to understand more of the characters. I really liked the pacing in this film and I feel like it's better suited for this type of story. It's a mix of romance and thriller but with a spice of action. I really loved the tone and it balances the romance and thriller very well. It's hard to balance those genres but if done slowly yet building character and direction, it will have a great result. I loved the directing in this film. It feels like going back to his roots from the Oldboy days with a modern twist. He still plays with the romantic genre in a serious and murderous tone of it. He makes the city very twisted yet beautiful. I really loved Park Chan-wook's direction and he tasks risks, which is what every director should do. The characters in this film are also great as well. I really liked the protagonist in this film. Park Hae-il had a great performance and Tang Wei did a great job as well in the film. I really liked their chemistry and their romance is very interesting. But I like how they keep ending up on the same paths together and found a weird loving relationship. It works naturally in my opinion. There is a quite bit of comedy in this film which made me and the audience laugh. The action in this film is well done and while it's minimal, it's still entertaining. The cinematography is amazing in this film and there are interesting edits that make this film strong. The editing is top notch and I loved the sound design in this film as well. Overall, the production is amazing and it's no surprise they made a fantastic film. But I still have some nitpicking during the film. While I liked the unique pacing, it kind of started to slow down even more during the second act of the film in some parts but the pacing went back up in the final act. What's funny is that there's another killing that ties to a character that was supposed to be serious but in a way, it was funny to me. The ending will definitely divide audiences. For me personally, I'm mixed with the ending of the film but some people will find it perfect. But still, even with those flaws, I really loved this film. This film was amazing from start to finish. I really loved the characters, story, and production design. It's a well-made film for sure but Park Chan-wook made it more awesome and dramatic. It's a slow burn but it will be worth the experience. I can tell that this will win an international feature film award at the Oscars and if it does, I won't be disappointed. Now Playing in select theaters. Coming soon on Mubi. Vizeit Score: "A" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr.
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