Of all movies that you gotta watch more than once to really understand, what is your favorite and why?

Trollivier@sh.itjust.works to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 234 points –
221

Hot fuzz. Because the first watch is enjoyable, but every subsequent rewatch makes you appreciate Edgar Wright more and more. He is just the most incredibly meticulous story teller with the most dense movies.

And then you gotta go watch the breakdowns and side by sides on YouTube to fully appreciate it on another watch. Hot fuzz is one of my favorites.

Definitely Hot Fuzz! Every single throw-away line early in the film is a callback later on. It's incredible trying to notice them all!

Quite a few are references to/from their other films too.

Good pick. Definitely reawrding to rewatch. The supporting actor dvd commentaries are something special as well.

Memento.

Though, being real, I would say that it's a movie that gets more interesting on second watch rather than being one out need to watch twice to get. I honestly haven't ever run across a movie like that.

Along the same lines: Inception. There's tons of little details that you don't pick up in your first watch.

Primer also falls into this category.

That's a fun one. You get to see the same movie twice but it's different both times.

I like primer, but I'm not sure I really understand it even with all the charts and diagrams that are out there

I honestly don’t think Primer is meant to be understood. I think I read somewhere that their goal was not to make a cohesive storyline, but rather something that was open to interpretation.

I saw a full explanation video on YouTube a couple years ago. The story makes total sense, but it's buried in several Layers of recursion, which takes a while to resolve

My wife and I spent a few days really digging into Primer, and I feel like we understand like... 85% of it, which is pretty good imo. Love that movie.

Yeah, I watch that about once a year. It's, I think, the only time travel story that actually follows it's own rules. Have you seen Upstream Color? Same guy, really interesting story. It can lead into Blade Runner 2049 elements about consciousness and memory.

One of the few movies I have rewatched.

The plot is both intricate and simple, it is very well done.

This movie gets a lot of love among a certain crowd I feel. I watched, but I feel the diagram and timeline exploration takes so much effort and energy it's not really a story any more. It's just mental masturbation (kinda like tenet).

Okay this isnt a movie but a show, but arrested development (especially the early seasons) are filled with situations, puns, innuendos and jokes that are set up over several episodes, sometimes even seasons. It is impossible to catch and appreciate them all on first watch. I have seen the show probably a half dozen times over the years and i still stumble over the occasional thing i missed.

I love aaall the claw jokes that show the seal gag was planned from the very beginning. "I'm a monster!"

There are even some jokes where they were seeding foreshadowing, but were never able to actually have it come to fruition because the show was cancelled. My favorite of these is that Tobias is actually a black man

Man, now i gotta watch it again. I really love the funke. Oh is his name part of this gag?

I don't think so. It's more like he'll often say stuff that makes more sense if he were a black man. Eg. When Lindsay is hitting on Ice, Tobias says something like "she certainty has a type". Or how the cover of "The Man Inside Me" seems to show a black man. Much like the foreshadowing of Buster's hand, a lot of it is meant to be extremely subtle.

Arrested development was way ahead of it's time and has some of the most clever writing of any show, especially for the time is was first made (pre Netflix.) The word play and subtle running gags are absolutely hilarious. And the characters are all written hilariously well.

Everything Everywhere All At Once.

It's just... really good.

Good movie but how does it require multiple viewings to understand?

Not OP, but to me it's one where getting to the ending gives you the context/lense to reinterpret the earlier portions. Sorta like memento or fight club, where the ending recontextualizes the earlier scenes.

I had to pause that movie several times on my first watching. Not because it was bad or anything, it was amazing, but because there was so much stuff going on at once. It's now one of my fave movies to recommend to people

One of my favorite things i caught in a second watch was a simple thing, but i really liked the little touch they did to drive home the different realities they jumped thru. Did you notice the music playing in the car when theyre talking? Its a country version of "absolutely" -madding crowd. It also explains why short round ends up quoting the lyrics when he tries to explain how weird reality has become. It's not just a funny call out, it fits.

I really liked that little touch. There are many like that, and the film is well worth rewatching to catch them

not so much for understanding but, fight club is a different movie the second time around.

Just watched again last night.

Such a good movie.

Donnie Darko. Besides being confusing, it’s just a great story. Plus, it’s remarkably well cast.

If you have the opportunity to watch the deleted scenes, I highly recommend it - especially the one with the dad. His role in the cinematic version is pretty small, but there’s a deleted scene where he has a quiet chat with Donnie, and tells Donnie about his past mental problems. It’s fantastic, and rounds out his character perfectly.

I've watched this one 3 times and I still don't understand it :) cool movie still!

Did you watch the theatrical or directors cut? The latter explains a LOT more.

TL;DW If I remember it all correctly. The plane crash caused a "Final Destination"-esque rift in spacetime? Or fate? Or reality? And Donnie should have died, but didn't and because he didn't the universe will implode unless he fixes it in time by dying. He also gains powers to see the future as part of the deal (represented by the weird trails in front of people walking) and he realizes the future is everything ending unless he dies to seal up the rift. Frank, the bunny is like a guide or messenger or something.

Y'know I don't mind the "spoiler" because the realistic likelihood of watching this one feels kinda slim...

... But this sounds like a far better version of The Butterfly Effect, which was one of the most pointlessly edgy, pathetically nihilistic, manipulatively depressing films I've had the displeasure of seeing.

I saw that in theaters and it was one of the maybe two movies I've walked out of. It was so pointlessly depressing and just not enjoyable to us so we bailed.

Donnie is much better. Depressing? Yeah in a way, but also much more engaging and enjoyable.

I'm so happy for you, that you managed to only see part of it and cut and run lol. We saw it on DVD and the folks were so convinced it was a thriller that was gonna pay off in the end (like it was marketed, frankly)...ooof.

It doesn't get better, and you can probably infer from my comment what the main character's "revelation to fix things" was. (Apparently there were other endings)

If film is a communication medium, this one is more a cry for help than anything else. (I felt the same about a certain mega-popular decade-long anime that just concluded with similar empty-nihilistic ideas, but that's another topic lol.)

Who knows, I see Donnie making a lot of lists, so I just might, when I feel I can handle it. :)

Gloomy cinema aside, I hope you're having a great week. :) hahaha

I don't remember honestly. I remember having to read about the movie too kinda almost understand it.

Thanks for the explanation, now I probably have to watch it again :)

Is that in the director's cut? I tend to recommend the theatrical cut. I don't find it confusing but I can understand how it might be possible to get lost if you miss a key scene or two.

Don’t know. It deserves to be.

I used to have a DVD of the theatrical cut, which I got before I even knew a director’s cut existed.

I like how this movie's fanbase is split on a group of people recommending the theatrical cut and another group recommending the Director's Cut. I haven't found another movie that has something similar.

It's been a long time since I saw the director's cut. Having read the comment above about what the director's cut includes I'm more inclined to continue recommending the theatrical cut. The magic of that story and it's characters doesn't need more exposition, especially about the fantastical elements. It's enough to know that Donnie figure's stuff out and takes decisive action with the knowledge he and by extension the audience has at hand.

One of my favourites for sure. I just love the struggle the character has for what is and what isn't reality in that movie.

Groundhog Day. It gets better with subsequent watches.

I had a roommate who was addicted to this movie. The frequent rewatches were annoying at first, but you’re right!

The Prestige.

SPOILER ALERT-- do not read further if you haven't seen the movie.

When my husband is being a jerk, I tell him I want the other brother back, the one who loves me.

By the way, you can use spoiler tags on Lemmy!

::: spoiler This is a spoiler
Now the movie is ruined!
:::

::: spoiler This is a spoiler Now the movie is ruined! :::

The question i have on multiple rewatches that i can't answer: does the wife know? I think she knows.

I don't think she really could know. She is definitely suspicious but it's such a hard conclusion to jump to without any reason to think it.

Yeah i agree. It fascinates me though. So many of her statements could be read more than one way after knowing the trick.

I dunno if it even matters to the story, but all the makeup in the world wouldnt hide your husband's identity from you, right? Not someone you knew for years. And she's the only one who saw his hand fresh after the 'surgery'. I like to wonder about what exactly she suspected, and what she meant when she said she couldn't live this way.

I look for clues every time. Still not sure (or if you're supposed to know) which person loved her or if either of them know who the OG was.

Having had a partner who gaslit and had basically a personality disorder, I could absolutely see someone getting driven to do what she did. You start to doubt your own ability to distinguish reality, to be able to trust yourself or anyone else. Constant fear and anxiety will make anyone go a little nuts

I don't think she knows. She may feel like "this isn't the man I married" but not in the sense of it being literal.

I think if I was in her shoes there's no way I'd figure it out unless it was super obvious. It's way too unreal and it contradicts occam's razor.

A few weeks ago, I finally saw this for the first time, knowing virtually nothing about the plot. WOW. I’m looking forward to watching it again!

Snatch.

There's like 15 main characters. Every scene is important but it is impossible for it all to be apparent on a first watch.

It's really brilliant storytelling. Watching Lock To k & Two Smoking barrels, you realize that guy Ritchie might be a one trick pony. But that's okay, it's a great trick.

I asked a guy if he'd ever seen Snatch and he said, "as much as I can".

But yes, great movie.... "What the fuck am I supposed to do with a caravan with no wheels?" (in unintelligible cockney)

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The Big Lebowski. You pick up on stuff with each watch, and it just gets funnier when you do.

Perfect example. Almost all of the dude's lines are things he heard a scene or two before.

There's so many things foreshadowed in the movie that you'd only catch the second or third time around.

The Sixth Sense, if you can go into it blind. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out a movie's plot twist, but this one caught me completely by surprise. Then when you watch it again you pick up on all the dropped hints.

I have never watched it and probably never will- I’m sure it’s a great movie but the twist is one of the most spoiled in internet history :(

To be fair, it is a twenty-five-year-old movie. That's a long time to keep anything unspoiled.

It was spoiled at the time. I think I was six months late in seeing it and knew the twist. Not 100%, but enough that it completely ruined it.

It's a very solid movie, and worth watching, even knowing the twist

I recognized the twist at a certain conversation early in the movie. It's not really hidden, or at least not well.

It was my first movie by shamalama and i didn't see the twist cuz i didn't expect a twist. Every movie he did after i knew one was coming and they it was easy to catch the signs...badump pssh

"I wouldn't write myself as some kind of prophet into my own story! That's like Shamylan levels of douchiness!"

--"Chuck", Supernatural TV show

I figured out the twist within like the first 5 minutes of my first watch (nobody spoiled it for me, but I knew that there would be a twist and was looking for one) and it made the movie pretty boring imo

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Mulholland Drive. I get... angry at myself when i don't understand a film that i know has a hidden meaning i can't grasp so i watched it 4 times until i finally understood it. Now i am complete

My first theory was that it was just Naomi Watts' character's masturbation fantasy laid out on film. I still have to watch it a second time to confirm though 😬

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I haven't even watched this one. Will do.

When it finally clicked it was sooo satisfying so I'll tell you nothing

There really is something to make out of it? I generally assume Lynch films are good because they're weird and surprising, but I haven't seen many

Yeah. I'm not a fan of all lynchs films but i dig this one. Have you seen it? Do you want me to tell you the secret?

Bruh! I still don't get it and I'm on my second watch. This made me feel better about it. I'll give it more rewatches 😂

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"Dude Where's My Car?" It has a truly in depth and beautiful meaning to it that only becomes obvious on a third viewing.

I wholeheartedly agree. I wish more people appreciated it like it deserves!

Shutter island watches completely differently on the second watch, same with Primer, The usual suspects, and Moon (2009).

Oh yes, Moon is fantastic ! very thick and tense atmosphere.

2001: A Space Odyssey

It's my favorite because of the cinematography and atmosphere. It's my favorite because of the themes and philosophy. It's my favorite because space and psychedelia are cool.

It's just an all around great movie if you can appreciate the slow pacing and intentionally jarring or tense aspects that drag on. 30 minutes of monkeys fucking around for seemingly no reason (at least, at first). Discordant wailing that lasts so long it nearly leaves your ears ringing. Space shots with no sound at all, or just the hissing of the space suit, which linger on the slow drift of a character moving from one location to the next. A character begging for his life as another dismantles his brain bit-by-bit.

To me, this movie always flys by, and it always feels like i was there in it, fully immersed. To my friends, it lasts a week and has one cool part that took an eon to get to.

Also it begs for multiple watchings to develop a theory of what the fuck is happening at the end and what the obelisk is and where it comes from.

It also raises philosophical questions that are interesting to come up with and grapple with in new ways with each viewing. Is HAL alive? Whats the next leap in evolution? can uncomfortable art be good? Who owns the moon? How did consciousness evolve? What's happening to Dave?

Mind boggeling that it was made in the 60’s. Incredibly prescient.

it truly is, especially visually. The vfx are incredible for any time. And I'm not ever talking about the ending, which is mostly just film-editing; I'm talking about the space scenes that actually feel like space, or the scene where frank makes a complete loop running through the ship, or the zero g scene when the space age is first introduced. That's all astounding, and it boggles the mind to think how they achieved that with practical fx

And this was made around the time of the original Star Trek and before Star Wars.

Its prescience is a whole other layer on top of that. It was obviously influenced by the space race and how that captured the public imagination: what will we find on the moon? Will we have a moon colony? Will we have commuter class space travel? What's next, travelling to another planet? Will computers be sentient?

And lo and behold, they were only about 25 years off with some guesses. And it's looking more and more likely that the rest are coming down the pipe.

Did you watch second part, 2010: The Year We Make Contact? Really like quality of effects.

I did not, but you're also the first person I've met who liked it. Does it add much to the original?

It explains why HAL got mad. To be honest I never watch original in full. Started watching and got bored. But watched 2010 in one go. I don't know why. It was inspiration to watch it after I saw this film mentioned in one YT video.

I liked that it touch topic of war between US and USSR. And I really enjoyed quality of Practical Effects.

This is a really good summary. Such a ground breaking film, good shout for this post.

Primer. Gotta watch that one a dozen times and still not understand it fully.

I think the point isn't to sort out all interactions and travels, but rather to convey the feeling that "this has gotten out of hand". I interpret the confusion to be the intended message.

This is the only movie I've ever watched twice back-to-back.

Ghost in the Shell

FYI: There's a series too - can highly recommend

  • Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
  • Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG
  • Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society

Shaun of the dead has so many jokes in that its hard to catch them all. There is some good YouTube videos that also explain them in case you missed any.

Hot Fuzz for me. Similar reasons, but I think it's funnier. Like they took the lessons of Shawn and refined it. I know not everyone agrees though.

I remember showing my late dad Hot Fuzz. He was laughing so hard and practically wheezing at how relatable it was, from a US law enforcement background lol. (Especially when he's fielding outrageous questions at the primary school LOL)

That was a really good time spent with my dad. I love that movie. We'd be quoting it all the time hahaha.

"Aww man did ya say anythin cool?"

"I uh, smashed him over the head with a pot and said 'playtime's over'."

[racks shotgun] "You're off the f###ing CHAIN!!"

Predestination. I did understand the first time but there are so many little details that I had to watch a second time, now knowing the plot, to absorb everything.

Ps: Please, don't ask what it is about. if someone explains you will lose a very cool crazy movie. just go warch it.

I'm watching it right now. 20 minutes in.

::: spoiler spoiler The columnist is talking about aging out of the orphanage and some guy is offering him a job as an astronaut. :::

I took your advice and know literally nothing about it other than it came out in 2014, and falls under the "Action, Drama, Sci-Fi" genres. Still, I wanna write this down now so I don't end up saying "I called it" after the fact and have no credibility, and if I call it wrong, we can all have a good laugh:

::: spoiler spoiler I have the weirdest feeling that time travel is going to be involved at some point. And also something is just screaming "All You Zombies" adaptation at me. :::

::: spoiler spoiler Might just be because he's trans. :::

::: spoiler spoiler And telling a bartender his story. And there's some secret organization that's been teased... And the surgery in the beginning. :::

Okay I paused the movie because it was starting to bother me how much there was in common, looked up the story, and wow. I haven't read it in a decade or more; I didn't remember the character was given a title, but it's right there in the first sentence. Glad I'm not just crazy.

It was the weirdest feeling, to feel so strongly that there was a connection but not sure enough to trust the feeling. Like a compulsion, or an intrusive thought. Just a weirdly intense sensation.

One of my all time favorite short stories, I didn't know they made an adaptation. I am so excited now.

loved the live feed lol Never heard of a short story but hope you liked the movie, I sure did.

I found this pdf of it just now. I'd say worth the read just to see the differences between the source material and the movie. It's short, should only take 10 minutes.

I did like the movie! There were some things I was really pleased with how they handled, some things not as much, some things were even done better than the original. Truth be told, I'm not a fan of the author's wannabe Hemingway All-Dialogue-Little-Description style in the bar scene and flashbacks, so it's really cool to see the characters actually act and react and show emotion in the movie.

Thanks for introducing it the way you did, otherwise it wouldn't have caught my attention.

Thanks for letting me know about the short story. Predestination is one of my favorite movies and I didn't know it was actually an adaptation! From Heinlein, no news

Primer

When you first watch Primer you have no idea what's going on. You need to watch it at least three more time for you to still have no idea what's going on

Came here to say this, glad I am not alone.

L.A. Confidential

There are multiple investigations/cases and multiple character arcs, and it all comes together so beautifully. The [REDACTED] reveal is amazing.

Edited to remove potential spoiler.

Triangle HORROR/BLOOD

I absolutely PROMISE you a fulfilling time, and this is a movie that could be discussed at length for a long time and still have more to say. Please don't research or you'll spoil it some, but there's more than just that. I love this move with EVANGELICAL passion.

Timecrimes on steroids.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1187064/

Yea, it is a weird one, watched it years ago. Definitely brainfuck potential

One of my favorites. I'll watch it every two years or so

Vanilla Sky! It’s a truly mind bending movie, with an absolutely perfect soundtrack. I’ve probably seen this movie more than any other. I still find personal meaning in it 20+ years after my first watch as a kid when my older brother decided to see it in the theaters and took me along. I was confused but moved by it and I didn’t know why. Love came after the second watch.

Do I need to have seen Iron Sky first to understand the plot?

Ya but I think you need to watch October Sky before that.

You could also skip the movies and go straight to No Mans Sky, the video game.

Satohi Kon's "Paprika" is still my favourite movie, and there is a lot to discover and reflect on, on second and third and umpteenth watches.

Legendary film. Stunning animation, excellent scifi and a mind-bender.

Waking Life.

If you wrap your head around it after the 2nd viewing, you're doing better than most people.

It took me a few watchings of Akira to really have it all sink in.

Koyaanisqatsi

Visual poetry. Literally. It's conveying a message, it's just you have to come up with the dialogue. Beautiful work. The sequels are fantastic as well.

I've wanted to see Koyaanisqatsi for a long time and finally put it in my list yesterday. This week or next weekend, can't wait!

It's very meditative. I find it kinda more "taxing" in that regard than Baraka. But it won't be taxing at all if you are like water

Memento

seen it twice, got nothing new out of it the second time. What am I missing?

Not much. Nolan’s films are extremely well made, but about as deep as a puddle. What you see is what you get. If you have been paying attention at the start, at the end you can put together the complete puzzle.

And that’s not meant as a dis, it’s extremely difficult to make a film like that. It’s easy to give the audience too much info or too little. But Nolan mostly gets it right.

Also, he tends to give you the answer in the first scene.

Edit: my pet theory for the different perspectives on Nolan films is that a lot of people just don’t retain information for which they don’t have context. So the first time around, they see the stuff that’s out of place, and that requires an explanation, and they just shrug it off. Then, after the reveal, they remember there was stuff that didn’t make sense, but don’t remember exactly what, so they need at least one watch to make sense of it.

On the other hand, others (mostly people trained by watching and reading tons of SF, to be honest) mentally put these observations in a “spare pieces” box and start actively fitting them to their current understanding of the plot. When they get the final piece of the puzzle, everything makes sense.

The trick is to watch it backwards

I caught new stuff on the 4th viewing. It changed my answer to a pivotal question.

For me, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Every subsequent watch, I add more to the commentary of "Is he crazy?" and "Is Nurse Ratched evil or just doing her job?"

Tenet. I’ve watched it probably four times. Got my sister onto it and I think she’s seen it like seven times now.

Very rewatchable. It can make sense but I’d say it takes you at least two viewings to follow along. Probably three.

I wish there was a sequel but I don’t think that’s Christopher Nolan’s style.

I see other Nolan movies listed here. There’s definitely a theme in them with time, story order and apparently, dead wives?

Would serial Experiments Lain count? Anime series that seems to change after each rewatch.

Tenet, watched it thrice to get the jist of it.

Until EEAAO came.

Tenet had that rollercoaster feel, which was surprisingly good. EEAAO was gentle, slowly elevating to the "showdown".

The parallel universes and alternate lives? by far the coolest.

I heard Tenet sucked, so it was firmly in the maybe column on my list of movies to watch. I finally watched it and was really fascinated by it. I didn't like it nearly as much as Inception and Interstellar, but it was a fun movie with unique ideas. I don't know how it got such a shitty reputation. I think people were just dumb and rather than admitting that they didn't get it they said that the movie was bad. It was certainly flawed in several ways, but it didn't deserve the level of criticism it got when it came out.

I think a big part of the criticism is that it was kinda neat but came off as "Wrapping your head around director's obtuse-gimmick-idea is the whole point of the movie."

Which I guess you could argue was Inception as well, but I feel like it was overall more relatable.

seems like i read something to the effect that DiCaprio made a lot of suggestions to give depth to his character, and that the movie as initially written really was more just-the-gimmick. i hated Tenet; i imagine Inception without likable (edit - or at least interesting) characters would have felt more like that.

That makes a ton of sense and I feel the same way you do.

I fondly remember the characters from Inception and felt drawn into their plight in the bizarre dream world with its own rules.

I only saw Tenet once...but felt like the main character(s) were simply a pair of pants to walk the viewer through the ideas...backwards, half of the time. XD

I think people were just dumb and rather than admitting that they didn't get it they said that the movie was bad.

Definitely me. I hated the aesthetic or lack thereof and couldn't make sense of the events. Since it took itself so seriously I felt I couldn't relate. But then again I watched it on the plane... I really should know better

The Holy Mountain. I suggest just watching it.

Deja Vu with Denzel Washington and Jim Cavisal or however you spell it. Terrorist murder mystery with a bit of a look into the past.

Clerks, there are so many great gems buried in that movie.

I love this movie and have seen it many times, but I'm not sure rewatching it makes it all that much different. Do you have any examples to share?

Enter the Void (2009). Super trippy and one of those movies that leaves you wondering about everything each time you watch it.

Titanic. The ending recontextualises everything and I'm still talking about it

can you talk about it some more? i didn't think this movie was difficult

There are multiple lenses and been through many of them at different points in my life. I really did not like it when it first came out, but then came to understand the romantic fantasy from a young woman's perspective, and then the class aspects about how the upper classes vampire the vitality, dynamism, and culture of the lower classes to rejuvenate themselves, etc etc.

I'm not sure I would say I even like the movie yet, but I have talked a lot about it with friends and partners over the decades. So I guess it's a good movie to talk about

Care to elaborate? It's pretty straight forward to me.

Please see my reply to the unfortunate named user elsewhere in this thread

Primer because you don't know what's happening at the start, and then you start to piece it together, but you really have to watch it a few times because the details you pick up provide context for what's happening allowing you to piece more of the puzzle together.

I really want to watch this but it's not available on any streaming service in Australia. It's been years too.

I might have to just buy it

Not a movie, but bojack horse man. On the first watch it all just seems like shitty bojack. After learning all the back story its more like, oh poor bojack.

Tenet. If you don't know why, you haven't seen it

I want to watch it just because even without knowing a single thing about it I absolutely love this parody video and would like to get a more sophisticated appreciation for the comedy there.

I want to put in my ticket for What Dreams May Come, one of Robin Williams more heartfelt and serious roles, and one rarely mentioned. You can "get" the movie on the first watch and only really begin to understand all the nuance and subtlety during the second or third run.

Angel Heart. We discussed what happened in that movie for weeks while returning to the theater at least once more each, some three times

American Psycho for me. I had a lot of questions after watching it for the first time. It doesn't have what I'd call a "satisfying" conclusion, but that's what makes the movie what it is. It's kind of a mindfuck, and the subtle humour in it is just top notch.

I'd go with Possessor by Brandon Cronenberg. I've only seen it once so far, and the unfolding of the story was such that you had to work for it. It wasn't impenetrably dense, but I definitely had to give it the attention it demanded.

Stay - great movie with Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling. Hard to figure out and beautiful to watch, very gripping.

Marathon Man.

It's all in the details. The cab driver in the very first scene picks up a different character later in the movie.

Also, the torture scene gets worse every time.