OLDBOY
Cast: Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong Kang...
Director: Chan-wook Park
Writer: Chan-wook Park, Chun-hyeong Lim, Jo-yun Hwang, Garon Tsuchiya (story)
Review Date: 08/12/04
Written By: Suj
Rating: 10/10
THE PLOT:
A recently paroled middle-aged man, who spent 15 years in prison without any explanation as to why he was jailed, seeks revenge on those who brought him down.
THE REVIEW:
Oldboy explores dark themes of revenge, sadism, and the wicked twisted mind of humanity anchored by a strong story that keeps you at the edge of the seat from beginning to end. Imagine being locked up in a room with nothing but a television set. It becomes your only source of information and contact to the outside world, its like being trapped on the show ‘big brother’ but never knowing when you going to be released. You watch sitcoms, movies and infomercials and as time goes by they become your friend, lover, and entertainer, yet you would never be satisfied with its company. The only food you were fed were the same dumplings day in and day out. There is no escape no matter how hard you try. Though, after fifteen years, you were finally released. What is the first thing you would do? Who would you call and what would your first meal be? For Oh Dae-Su the protagonist of this film all of this has happened to him and he would come out with the frenzied desire to find out why and who; to kill the person who imprisoned him by doing so in the most painful, slowest way possible.
Throughout the course of the film, Oh Dae-su gives a running monologue that leads us every step of the way. His rationalization is quirky and has a childlike profundity to it, serving him both well and poorly in his actions. The monologues are so naturally and realistically executed which creates a somber atmosphere and mood that Oh Dae-su navigates in. This adds to the characterization because we are immediately sympathetic to his rationalized evils. He may be on the positive side of the revenge spectrum, but it ends up becoming much grayer as the story builds on.
This is definitely no Kill Bill. To be honest, I would have to say this flick is far superior then the volumes of Kill Bill maybe not in the whole style/ultra-violent aspect but the overall story/presentation Oldboy cuts the cake in the whole psycho revenge genre. Where Tarantino goes for the cool kung-fu action scenes, Park gives you no holds barred, brutal and utterly believable beat-em-ups. You can feel Dae-Su’s anger and pain as he punches, smashes and stamps on those standing on his way to an elevator. It is one of the best "fight" scenes that I have ever seen as Park never cuts away from the action its all in one take and makes it that more believable.
Don’t expect this to be a violent gore fest. The strength of this film lies in how Park leads the audience on as Dae Su stumbles into one revelation after another until the final clincher that changes everything. I’ve also seen my fair share of evil plots and the bad guy laughing with utter glee, but this is probably one of the most twisted and horrendous deed one person can do to another.
OLD BOY is an extremely beautiful crafted masterpiece. While its direction, cinematography and story are its seeds, the character of Oh Dae-su is where the movie blossoms and is the true heart of the film. The character is either a successful experiment on repercussion or a dangerous look into inner anxiety. Either way, Oldboy does what most films are incapable of doing: to entertain by analyzing meaningful and significant emotional pain. When the reveals are revealed and the reversals are reversed, people will be talking about this film and its ending for a long, long time.
The old adage of revenge being a dish best served cold rings chillingly cold as the credits finally roll.
Director: Chan-wook Park
Writer: Chan-wook Park, Chun-hyeong Lim, Jo-yun Hwang, Garon Tsuchiya (story)
Review Date: 08/12/04
Written By: Suj
Rating: 10/10
THE PLOT:
A recently paroled middle-aged man, who spent 15 years in prison without any explanation as to why he was jailed, seeks revenge on those who brought him down.
THE REVIEW:
Oldboy explores dark themes of revenge, sadism, and the wicked twisted mind of humanity anchored by a strong story that keeps you at the edge of the seat from beginning to end. Imagine being locked up in a room with nothing but a television set. It becomes your only source of information and contact to the outside world, its like being trapped on the show ‘big brother’ but never knowing when you going to be released. You watch sitcoms, movies and infomercials and as time goes by they become your friend, lover, and entertainer, yet you would never be satisfied with its company. The only food you were fed were the same dumplings day in and day out. There is no escape no matter how hard you try. Though, after fifteen years, you were finally released. What is the first thing you would do? Who would you call and what would your first meal be? For Oh Dae-Su the protagonist of this film all of this has happened to him and he would come out with the frenzied desire to find out why and who; to kill the person who imprisoned him by doing so in the most painful, slowest way possible.
Throughout the course of the film, Oh Dae-su gives a running monologue that leads us every step of the way. His rationalization is quirky and has a childlike profundity to it, serving him both well and poorly in his actions. The monologues are so naturally and realistically executed which creates a somber atmosphere and mood that Oh Dae-su navigates in. This adds to the characterization because we are immediately sympathetic to his rationalized evils. He may be on the positive side of the revenge spectrum, but it ends up becoming much grayer as the story builds on.
This is definitely no Kill Bill. To be honest, I would have to say this flick is far superior then the volumes of Kill Bill maybe not in the whole style/ultra-violent aspect but the overall story/presentation Oldboy cuts the cake in the whole psycho revenge genre. Where Tarantino goes for the cool kung-fu action scenes, Park gives you no holds barred, brutal and utterly believable beat-em-ups. You can feel Dae-Su’s anger and pain as he punches, smashes and stamps on those standing on his way to an elevator. It is one of the best "fight" scenes that I have ever seen as Park never cuts away from the action its all in one take and makes it that more believable.
Don’t expect this to be a violent gore fest. The strength of this film lies in how Park leads the audience on as Dae Su stumbles into one revelation after another until the final clincher that changes everything. I’ve also seen my fair share of evil plots and the bad guy laughing with utter glee, but this is probably one of the most twisted and horrendous deed one person can do to another.
OLD BOY is an extremely beautiful crafted masterpiece. While its direction, cinematography and story are its seeds, the character of Oh Dae-su is where the movie blossoms and is the true heart of the film. The character is either a successful experiment on repercussion or a dangerous look into inner anxiety. Either way, Oldboy does what most films are incapable of doing: to entertain by analyzing meaningful and significant emotional pain. When the reveals are revealed and the reversals are reversed, people will be talking about this film and its ending for a long, long time.
The old adage of revenge being a dish best served cold rings chillingly cold as the credits finally roll.
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