Chan-wook Park. An important member of the South Korean New Wave of auteurs along with Bong Joon-ho and Chang-dong Lee. Chan-wook Park probably is not on the list without Oldboy– certainly a strength—but he even his weaker efforts bear the stamp of his ultraviolence, grotesque, and narrative twists. Painterly mise-en-scenes always have meant more to him than narrative cohesion or momentum. I’ve only seen each of his works once- so there is plenty of study to be done here.
Best film: Oldboy. I think there’s a fair amount of cinephiles out there that think it may be The Handmaiden. I’ve actually only seen both films once- so this is far from definitive- but right now I’d go with Oldboy.
total archiveable films: 4
top 100 films: 0
top 500 films: 0
top 100 films of the decade: 1 (Oldboy)
most overrated: The Handmaiden. I admittedly owe it another visit- but the TSPDT consensus (via the top 1000 of the 21st century list) has it in the top 10 of 2016 and it didn’t land there for me. They also have Oldboy already in the top 500 of all-time and I’m not there yet either- though I’m not terrible far away.
most underrated : Nothing here for Chan-wook Park. Both Vengeance films are on the 21st century TSPDT consensus top 1000 but they aren’t in the top 10 (or terribly close) for their respective year.
gem I want to spotlight : 2005’s Lady Vengance. It now seems inevitable that 2003’s Oldboy was going to live up to.
stylistic innovations/traits:
- Long takes- the 3 ½ minute long corridor shot in Oldboy is almost as famous as the film itself (or Chan-wook Park himself)
- Violence, revenge films, genre cinema
- Narrative twists, incest
- Painterly medium, and medium-long shots — a dedication to background– even those critics that write him off because of his genre, or violence – can’t argue with these
top 10
- Oldboy
- The Handmaiden
- Lady Vengeance
- Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
By year and grades
| 2002- Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance | R |
| 2003- Old Boy | HR/MS |
| 2005- Lady Vengeance | R |
| 2016- The Handmaiden | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
@Drake Could I get your grade for I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Ok? I believe it to be a phenomenal movie.
@Drake- Have you seen any Hong Sang-Soo films? He has more films (11) than any other filmmaker in the TSPDT 21st Century List.
Another strong entry from Park with No other choice, very solid film!
@Drake – do you have any thoughts on The Little Drummer Girl? Also any interest in Wook’s other miniseries from last year The Sympathizer?
@Harry- I did catch The Little Drummer Girl in 2018. I’m interested in The Sympathizer- but a fraction of what I would be if it were a standalone film like Decision to Leave
@Drake – So Drummer Girl didnt’ make the archives is a shame considering the talented cast. I’ve seen clips of well directed scenes from The Sympathizer so my interest is definitely perked, Robert Downey Jr also playing five different characters could also be interesting.
there’s a directors cut of little drummer girl exclusive to the blu ray box, it apparently make the series more ‘cinematic’
My ranking of Park`s films that I`ve seen:
1. Oldboy MP
2. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance MP
3. Decision to Leave MS/MP
4. The Handmaiden MS/MP
5. Lady Vengeance HR/MS
6. Joint Security Area HR
10 Best Performances
1. Choi- Oldboy 5
2. Wei- Decision to Leave 5
3. Park- Decision to Leave 5
4. Kim- The Handmaiden 5
5. Lee- Lady Vengeance 5
6. Song- Joint Security Area 5
7. Lee- Joint Security Area 5
8. Song- Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance 4.5
9. Yoo- Oldboy 4.5
10. Bae- Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance 4.5
How many Park Chan-wook films do you have in the archives now?
@Lionel – 9 films in the archives
What are the other 5 that made the archives? Apart from the ones included here
@Lionel
2000- Joint Security Area
2002- Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
2003- Old Boy
2005- Lady Vengeance
2006- I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK
2009- Thirst
2013- Stoker
2016- The Handmaiden
2022- Decision to Leave
Oh wow, almost his whole filmography.
His next one is coming out next year, very excited.
Whats your grade for JSA and Handmaiden? Have you caught A Bittersweet Life or I Saw the Devil yet with Byung Lee?
Old Boy (2003) is being released to theatres next week and also being remastered for a 4K release!!
Now with the 2022 page I’m excited to see Wook shoot up this list with the next update.
@Harry – same, I remember being a little surprised by the #220 ranking when I first saw a couple of years ago but obviously this will skyrocket with multiple MP or near MPs