Decision to Leave, 2022.
Written & Directed by Park Chan Wook.
Starring Tang Wei, Park Hae-il, Lee Jung-hyun, and Go Kyung-pyo.
SYNOPSIS:
A detective investigating a man’s death in the mountains meets the dead man’s mysterious wife in the course of his dogged sleuthing.
Park Chan-wook is one of the most acclaimed directors of the past 20 years. Known for his searing Vengeance trilogy consisting of Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance, he has gone on to direct an array of films including The Handmaiden and Stoker as well as the John Le Carré series The Little Drummer Girl starring Florence Pugh in 2018. He returns to the crime genre with his latest film, the beguiling, beautiful Decision to Leave which sees a detective become infatuated with a suspect in the murder of her husband.
The film feels stylistically indebted to Alfred Hitchcock, although never to the point of pastiche or mere imitation. Perhaps the most obvious Hitchcock comparison is Vertigo, a tale of obsession and a romance within a detective story. This film charts our insomniac detective Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) as he becomes obsessed with the case and stakes out the incredible Tang Wei’s Seo-rae (with it being centred on a sleepless detective, there are also comparisons to Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia).
The murder itself is an interesting one with the man falling off a mountainside with his wife seemingly having a watertight alibi.. Here begins a game between the pair with each equally fascinated by the other, leaving the fact she may have been involved in her husband’s murder an afterthought.
The interplay between the two leads is electrifying as they dance around one another throughout the films 2 hr 20 run time as the film shifts from mystery to romance seamlessly. The lead performances are brilliant capturing first the mistrust then deep affection the pair hold for each other, in spite of this being a relationship that would not be wise for either.
Showing a side to Park Chan-wook that is not always exhibited in his films, Decision to Leave also contains flourishes of humour especially in the first act, to prevent things being too bogged down or heavy in tone. Go Kyung-pyo’s Soo-wan especially earns some laughs as his style clashes with that of his colleague.
While not shot by Park’s usual cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon, who helped make Stoker and The Handmaiden visual delights, Decision to Leave still exhibits some stunning visuals consisting of a number of closeups and clever tricks to keep audiences on edge. The unorthodox camera work adds to the tension and sense of obsession and unease of our main characters’ minds. This is truly one of the most well crafted, precise and visually impressive films of the year and sure to intoxicate audiences. Jo Yeong-wook’s Woodwind and Mahler inspired score is a standout, clearly differentiating itself from his other collaborations with the director.
Decision to Leave sees Park Chan-wook return to the crime genre he made a name for himself with the likes of Oldboy and Lady Vengeance. This film couldn’t be further from those, and is instead a slow burn old fashioned detective story, clearly inspired by noir and Hitchcock classics. It may well come to be seen as Park Chan-wook’s Vertigo, although far from just a knock off. This is a jaw droppingly beautiful film, immaculately constructed on each level with an intriguing mystery that unravels as it progresses and the central romance a constantly gripping, beguiling affair.
This is a director who knows exactly what he has doing and may well rank as both one of the finest films of the year, and within Park Chan-wook’s illustrious filmography.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
