It's not often that a movie catches me completely off-guard in such off-handed fashion, but Burning (2018) does. It musters what few movies can manage: gradual surprise and genuine doubt. Note: This movie depends on total ignorance, going in. Because this review has spoilers, I fully recommend watching the movie, first. It would be difficult to confuse Chang-dong Lee's Burning (2018) with Tony Maylam's The Burning (1981). One is a top-shelf thriller, driven by careful pacing and deliberate, understated performances; its cast is excellent, the characters they play sharply-drawn and announced by a distinct lack of obvious musical cues. The other is more the straightforward slasher exercise from earlier times (the music, while excellent, is anything but subtle); Maylam hides little. Burning hides much, but does so in plain sight. I feel the act—of calling Burning a thriller—gives little away. If I did, would you believe me? I, ...
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