In a nutshell, not since Memento and Fight Club have I been mindfucked quite so successfully.

The Korean "Old Boy" begins with Oh Daesu, the films protagonist, making his way through the rain to be with his daughter on her third birthday. But it's a party he's destined never to attend, as he awakes a prisoner in a locked windowless motel room, with no recollection of how he got there and no possibility of escape. His never-speaking captor forces food into his room through a slot in the door. Periodically, valium gas is pumped into the room, and while he is unconscious, Daesu is shaved, washed and dressed. This goes on for....FIFTEEN YEARS, during which he learns from the television (his sole luxury) that he has been accused in absentia of murdering his wife.

In an echo of The Shawshank Redemption, he steals a chopstick and slowly begins to tunnel his way through the wall, one scratch at a time. Finally, after years, he breaks through to the outside, feeling cold wet rain on his skin. It will only take him one month more before he can make his escape. But, cruelly, it's not to be, for the valium mists come again and ...... well, that's when it begins to get interesting. Because we're only 10-15 minutes into the movie.

The film then follows Oh Daesu in his quest for vengeance against his mystery captor, as he slowly unlocks the secret of why he was abducted, by whom, and - perhaps more importantly - why he was released, culminating in a finale that literally blew my head off.

Featuring a virtuoso performance by Choi Min Sik as a man slowly descending into hell, this stunningly photographed thriller has moments that will make you laugh out loud, and envy the writer and director for their boldness.

One fight sequence in a corridor where Daesu despatches at least 15 goons is worth the admission price itself. Eschewing both Matrix-style pyrotechnics and eastern martial arts techniques, it's exactly the kind of fight that happens in the real world - clumsy, painful, and dirty. And it's presented with an unflinching, almost unmoving camera in one long take that sucks you in, as you are pulled from laughing at the absurdity of the moment, to feeling the desperation of the driven, half-insane fighter.

I really cannot recommend this film highly enough. Do yourself a favor before Hollywood fucks it up with any kind of remake, and track down a copy.

UPDATE: after writing the above review, I did a little research online and realized the reason I hadn't heard about this film before i watched it was probably more to do with my ignorance than it being obscure - because (duh) it won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes in 2004. Oh well :) Here's the trailer.