Directed by:
Chan-wook ParkCinematography:
Chung-hoon ChungComposer:
Young-wook ChoCast:
Min-shik Choi, Ji-tae Yoo, Hye-jung Kang, Dal-su Oh, Byung-ok Kim, Seung-shin Lee, Yeon-seok Yoo, Jin-seo Yoon, Kwang-rok Oh, Soo-hyun Kim, Myeong-shin Park (more)Plots(1)
Oh Dae-su is an ordinary Seoul businessman with a wife and little daughter who, after a drunken night on the town, is abducted and locked up in a strange, private prison. No one will tell him why hes there and who his jailer is and his fury builds to a single-minded focus of revenge. 15 years later, he is unexpectedly freed, given a new suit, a cell-phone and 5 days to discover the mysterious enemy who had him imprisoned. Seeking vengeance on all those involved, he soon finds that his enemys tortures are just beginning. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (15)
OldBoy does not deny its obvious inspiration from the manga comic style, from which the source material ultimately emerged, and the director's film school, which originated from classical commercial production of action crime dramas. However, it is also a visually provocative film full of interesting cuts and sophisticated tricks in the style of David Fincher. A film that conveys the creation of these declining genres to the festival audience. Who doesn't like violence, perversity, and morbidity, if it is presented somewhat more complicatedly and masquerades as an art film? However, in terms of emotional appeal, East Asian cinema has not consistently appealed to me (except for rare exceptions), and OldBoy is no exception in that regard. For me, it is an overrated film that reminded me of Lynch's film Wild at Heart in terms of style. If Lynch were to make a film with a similar theme, I would probably like it better. Especially because Wild at Heart is, after all, a little closer to parody, or rather, it does not take itself so seriously. Overall impression: 25%.
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A simple story told in a needlessly incomprehensible way. The visual aspect is captivating, the music is amazing and the actors are great, but the story itself, particularly its conclusion, left me cold. The Asians are simply different, as they express themselves differently and perceive things differently – and with Oldboy, whose story otherwise has something to it, I didn’t experience what the individual dramatically escalated scenes were trying to tell me. But I’m very curious about the American remake.
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I can't help but find it unnecessarily overly violent, transparent (when the two met in the bar and she told him he reminded her of someone, my first thought was what the guy learned at the end) and a bit of boiling water. Yeah, the filming probably wasn't easy, and while there is something to be gained from the film, it's nothing world-changing, for me it's an average film. Basically, I don't even know what to admire about it or what I really liked about it. Too bad, I was looking forward to it quite a bit.
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Emotionally very cold as usual, with totally hysterical actors (I wonder what that dog ending was supposed to mean, no wonder the person laughed), and what was supposed to shock emotionally was rather funny. The highly praised visuals were also not groundbreaking, we’ve seen bigger camera flourishes before Park. As usual, the gratuitous violence isn’t missing, which is again gratuitous. I don't see what is so extraordinary here. And the plot? Chaos and confusion. In the end, you don’t know who is who and what is what. A considerably foolish and cumbersome project. Apparently, I didn't understand it all. Or maybe there is nothing to understand and it truly is just an ordinary and narratively muddled mix of violence and revenge. Could it be rated so highly for its somewhat “exotic” touch? That is the only thing undeniably present. It truly is something unusual.
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An extreme variation on the classic Oedipus Rex substance, where Fate replaces the motive of revenge? Why not? Especially when it's all filmed in an excellently light style, narrated by a few "voices" and shipped in a luxurious visual package... For me, the insight and the natural oscillation between black humor and drama is the culmination of Oldboy. Surprisingly, even the brutality of some of the passages does not appear self-serving and fits well into the Asian trend of "crippled" heroes. Great music. The famous acting performance of Dae Su... a perfect and unexpected final twist, which is embedded in the structure of the film so systematically that I would to enjoy watching it again. I'm a little bothered by the formal coldness that emanates from most of the film, but at the end it turns into existential heat. Not entirely captivating, yet still an unforgettable film.
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