‘Decision to Leave’ is a romantic mystery | Cannes review

May 23, 2022

In Decision to Leave, a picture-perfect detective’s murder investigation slowly goes off the rails when he finds himself fascinated by the victim’s enigmatic wife

Decision to Leave finds South Korean director Park Chan-wook at the absolute top of his game as he breathes new life into a not-so-classic detective story. The fiercely paced first half is a twisting police procedural that engrosses you with its clever editing and a brilliant score by Jo Yeong-wook before pivoting to a romantic exploration of two people trapped in life patterns finding liberation with each other. While it’s not as subversive as his last film The Handmaiden, Park has a knack for using genre movies to explore deeper themes whilst never being less than entertaining.
Park Hae-il’s performance as Inspector Hae-jun joines the pantheon of great detectives while Chinese actress Tang Wei gives the performance of a lifetime. The Oscars should keep an eye on them.