With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors.
Direction
Park Chan-wook's controlled chaos, every frame a weapon.
Acting
Choi Min-sik eats a live octopus. Method acting unhinged.
Editing
That hallway fight: one take, no cuts, pure exhaustion.
Director
Park Chan-wook
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Choi Min-sik performed the live octopus scene four times. He is a vegetarian and Buddhist, making each take a spiritual sacrifice. The octopus was real and very much alive.
The famous hallway fight was shot in a horizontal tracking shot, not a dolly—the camera moved on a flat track while actors fought in real time, no stunt doubles for Choi Min-sik. It took three days to film.
KR
