Entry No. 4:

My Favorite Foreign Film Comes With A Top-Three* Favorite Plot Twist

Oldboy (2003)

I haven't seen many foreign films, but...boy...this was intense. The Korean noir film depicts Oh Dae-su being kidnapped and imprisoned in a hotel room for years. He's learned that his wife has been murdered and he's been framed for the killing with no updates on their daughter. He grows insane and tries to kill himself but, for some unknown reason, his captors keep him alive. He then shifts his focus to training martial arts and digging a tunnel out of his room. 

Fifteen years later, randomly one day, he is released from his room. He wanders around and meets a woman, Mi-do, and begins to form a relationship with her. Dae-su learns that his daughter got adopted by another family and also learns the nature of his prison-like hotel. He finds the "warden" and his guards and breaks out into the MOST EPIC fight scene of all time. His captor, the wealthy businessman Lee Woo-jin as it is later revealed, gives him an ultimatum. If Dae-su can uncover the motive for his imprisonment, Woo-jin will kill himself; otherwise, he'll kill Mi-do. The romantic couple has grown much closer over time, and 

That's all I'll reveal for now, I don't want to say too much. But check out this fight scene.

The film won several handfuls of awards through various international film festivals, and rightfully so. Screenplay, acting, music, everything. I loved the tone established through Park Chan-wook's decision-making. The ending is so eerie and thought-provoking, especially after the plot twist is revealed. It pulls at your heart, the twist is iconic, and did I mention an epic fight scene?

*The others are The Usual Suspects and ***** ****