'Decision to Leave' offers plenty of reasons to stay with Park Chan-wook's signature twists

I’ve rarely, if ever, had more fun being confused and confounded than when watching “Decision to Leave.”

In lesser hands that might have been frustrating. But with Park Chan-wook directing, it’s a pleasure.

Park, the director of such classic films as “Oldboy” and “The Handmaiden,” is the type of artist who sees what we see, only differently. Here he puts his signature spin on film noir, complete with a sleep-deprived detective, a femme fatale and a pesky murder case to solve.

A man’s body lies at the foot of a big rock he was climbing. Was it an accident? Suicide? Or something else? Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) is called in to investigate. He’s thorough, fastidious, even. In an effort to sort things out he hooks himself — and his unwilling partner — up to a cable that wenches them slowly up the rock, just one of the many dashes of humor Park sprinkles throughout the film.

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An investigator or a stalker?

Police question the man’s wife, Seo-rae (Tang Wei), who does not seem sufficiently upset by her husband’s sudden death to satisfy one of the detectives. Hae-jun doesn’t find it a compelling reason to make her a suspect — it turns out Seo-rae’s husband was not exactly an upstanding gentleman. Besides, Hae-jun says, his wife would probably react the same way.

And she might. Hae-jun’s marriage seems like it’s in a holding pattern. So it’s not surprising when he takes an intense interest in Seo-rae.

He’s known for his overnight stakeouts, which are mostly a function of his inability to sleep. He might as well do something with his time, so he sits outside Seo-rae’s house and watches. Or stalks, depending on your point of view.

Hae-jun is clearly taken with Seo-rae. He doesn’t make much of an effort to try to hide it. But he has the ultimate excuse to spend time with her — he’s investigating her for murder. Not the most romantic of situations, but certainly effective.

That’s the basic premise, and it sounds pretty standard: haggard detective falls for possibly dangerous woman, romance ensues, with potential for some mayhem along the way. But Park puts his own indelible spin on things, both in terms of how the story plays out — I’d love to spoil it but I feel like I’m going to have to watch it about 10 more times to even do that — and in how the film looks and feels.

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'Decision to Leave' is stunning and surprising at every turn

The way Park composes each frame is masterful. Sometimes the set-ups are intended to throw you off the scent of what’s happening, but wow, who cares when a film looks like this?

Which is not to say that it is beautiful in a traditional way (though some of it is). Fog plays a role, and it looks appropriately drab and creepy. Snow looks menacing, not because of the usual traffic-and-frostbite kinds of reasons, but because of what’s playing out as it stabs down out of the sky.

And a rising ocean tide has never seem so crushingly dreadful outside of a straight-up horror movie.

There are also cool little touches.

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Seo-rae is Chinese and announces up front that her Korean is “not sufficient.” There’s some suggestion that maybe it is, but sometimes, if she wants to make sure Hae-jun is hearing her, she’ll speak into an iPhone, which then translates what she’s saying and broadcasts it in a man’s voice. It throws you off just a bit, which is doubtless her intention — and Park’s.

Wei and Park Hae-il have a volatile chemistry, which is of course the most dangerous kind. Maybe they want to help each other. Or maybe they’re setting each other up. Or maybe it’s some of both.

You never know. Or at least not for a long time (and maybe not even then). It’s what makes “Decision to Leave” such an uncomfortable, challenging joy.

'Decision to Leave' 4.5 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Director: Park Chan-wook.

Cast: Tang Wei, Park Hae-il, Go Kyung-Pyo.

Rating: Not rated.

Note: In theaters Oct. 28. In Korean and Chinese, with subtitles.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Decision to Leave' movie review: Park Chan-wook's noir with a twist