9. Black Hair (1964)
An early betrayal is met with a swift and cruel vengeance in Black Hair, as a gang boss' wife has a smashed bottle swiped across her face following an infidelity. The mobster can't bring himself to do the deed himself and one senses that he has no wish to commit such a savage act but since he drew up the draconian rules of his outfit, he feels bound by them.
The theme of revenge finds itself stretched and flipped around incessantly in Lee Man-hee's brilliant and pulpy 60s noir, as people carry out retributive acts in accordance with an arbitrary code. When the creator of that code breaks his own roles, he inspires vengeance towards himself from his frustrated minions. That's not counting all the side characters that get swept into their own webs of revenge thanks to an unwitting femme fatale, the Black Hair of the title. Great stuff!
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