Oldboy (2003): Bittersweet vengeance.
Oldboy is graphic. Oldboy is violent. Oldboy is terrific.
Not many people know this, but Oldboy is actually based off of the manga of the same name written by Minegishi Nobuaki and Tsuchiya Garon. And for those who don't know, manga is the Japanese equivalent to comics, except they are read by nearly everyone in Japan, from children to adults. And yes, Oldboy is a Korean film.
The script is well-written, calling on the classic Greek tragedies. Twist and turns are abundant throughout the film. There's good dialogue between characters. The protagonist and the antagonist both have their own arcs.
Choi Min-sik delivers a solid performance as Oh Dae-su, who wants nothing but the truth to his imprisonment, and seeks revenge against his captor. Choi is comical at times, and powerful at others. In the opening scene, Dae-su is sitting in a police station. Most of Choi's lines were ad libbed. These improved lines help to underline Choi's ability to stumble around as a drunkard, and then even contrasts himself later on in the film, giving a splendid job as a broken down man, tearing himself to pieces to understand the truth.
Although Choi is a dark hero, violent in nature, his nemesis is much crueler. This is all a game to Lee Woo-jin, played mercilessly by Yu Ji-tae, and everything Oh Dae-su does is closely watched, like a pawn in a chess match.
Though she had limited time throughout the movie, Kang Hye-jeon who plays Mi-do, does a good job rounding off the main leads as Dae-su's love interest.
Park punches out another good film. Now, there are quite a few flashbacks throughout Oldboy, and I, don't usually like flashbacks (exception: Citizen Kane), yet, I found that Oldboy worked rather well with their flashbacks. In fact, there is one particular flashback which I really like, especially the directing style of Park. The older Dae-su walks about his high school campus, like a ghost, following his younger self, trying to remember something quite important. All-in-all, it's an interesting scene, and visually pleasant.
Now, I don't know if this is breaking any rules per say, but I've read a few different reviews regarding Oldboy -- none of which by professional critics. I've read through the reviews, many which were against Oldboy, giving it very poor reviews, saying it was a terrible film; that there wasn't much to understand in the context; too hyped up by critics; and a poor storyline. Well, Oldboy is far better than some poor review.
Olboy is a good film. You may think of it as The Sixth Sense where watching it for the first time, you'll be blown away, and possibly only watch in once. Once may be enough, and by then, you should have a nice aspect on the movie.
Oldboy is part two in Park Chan-wook's “Revenge Trilogy” (the first is Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, and the third is Lady Vengeance), all of which are about revenge, go figure. Oldboy just so happens to be my favorite of the three. But don't let that stop you from checking out the other two.
Not many people know this, but Oldboy is actually based off of the manga of the same name written by Minegishi Nobuaki and Tsuchiya Garon. And for those who don't know, manga is the Japanese equivalent to comics, except they are read by nearly everyone in Japan, from children to adults. And yes, Oldboy is a Korean film.
The script is well-written, calling on the classic Greek tragedies. Twist and turns are abundant throughout the film. There's good dialogue between characters. The protagonist and the antagonist both have their own arcs.
Choi Min-sik delivers a solid performance as Oh Dae-su, who wants nothing but the truth to his imprisonment, and seeks revenge against his captor. Choi is comical at times, and powerful at others. In the opening scene, Dae-su is sitting in a police station. Most of Choi's lines were ad libbed. These improved lines help to underline Choi's ability to stumble around as a drunkard, and then even contrasts himself later on in the film, giving a splendid job as a broken down man, tearing himself to pieces to understand the truth.
Although Choi is a dark hero, violent in nature, his nemesis is much crueler. This is all a game to Lee Woo-jin, played mercilessly by Yu Ji-tae, and everything Oh Dae-su does is closely watched, like a pawn in a chess match.
Though she had limited time throughout the movie, Kang Hye-jeon who plays Mi-do, does a good job rounding off the main leads as Dae-su's love interest.
Park punches out another good film. Now, there are quite a few flashbacks throughout Oldboy, and I, don't usually like flashbacks (exception: Citizen Kane), yet, I found that Oldboy worked rather well with their flashbacks. In fact, there is one particular flashback which I really like, especially the directing style of Park. The older Dae-su walks about his high school campus, like a ghost, following his younger self, trying to remember something quite important. All-in-all, it's an interesting scene, and visually pleasant.
Now, I don't know if this is breaking any rules per say, but I've read a few different reviews regarding Oldboy -- none of which by professional critics. I've read through the reviews, many which were against Oldboy, giving it very poor reviews, saying it was a terrible film; that there wasn't much to understand in the context; too hyped up by critics; and a poor storyline. Well, Oldboy is far better than some poor review.
Olboy is a good film. You may think of it as The Sixth Sense where watching it for the first time, you'll be blown away, and possibly only watch in once. Once may be enough, and by then, you should have a nice aspect on the movie.
Oldboy is part two in Park Chan-wook's “Revenge Trilogy” (the first is Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, and the third is Lady Vengeance), all of which are about revenge, go figure. Oldboy just so happens to be my favorite of the three. But don't let that stop you from checking out the other two.
The Final Call:
9/10
9/10
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