Meant to watch this alongside Bound several months ago, as part of a “Be Gay, Do Crime” double-header. Finally ordered a copy of the Curzon import disc, which has both theatrical and extended versions. I stuck to the theatrical this time, (which is apparently what Park Chan-wook prefers).
I feel like Park (like Brian De Palma) is often concerned with what isn’t shown by the camera, and the formal structure here is deployed to show you the subjectivity of the camera’s gaze. It’s a nice way of showing interiority via overlapping perspectives.
Having recently read the source material Fingersmith I noticed that the writers decided not to include one of the larger plot threads (a decision that I agree with, since it is quite convoluted and stretches credulity). I do think having the source material helped Park stick the landing, whereas the ending of a film like Decision to Leave felt messy (but in the best way).