Zachary FenellOldboy
September 9th 2008 05:19
image courtesy of wikipedia
Oldboy tells the story of Oh Dae-Su, an average family-man who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years, and the quest he takes to hunt down his captors, discover their motive and exact revenge.
The film possesses an intriguing story that unravels piece by piece and keeps viewers guessing till the very end, and South Korean veteran-actor Choi Min-Sik shines in the role of Oh Dae-Su, with a multi-dimensional performance that wonderfully encapsulates all the emotions of the psychologically scarred character.
The film is riddled with instances of subtle dark humour and social commentaries, and examines themes that range from society’s dependence on television to the effects of mental anguish versus physical pain.
Park Chan-Wook’s often bizarre imagination, careful attention to detail and inventive fight choreography bring to Oldboy a uniqueness that puts it head and shoulders above the average revenge-thriller.
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Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by Chris Creegan
Filmreviewer.net Forums
Creegan's Footie
The way the camera follows the action along the corridor draws likenesses to scenes from a beat ‘em-up video game. Despite this emphatic stylisation, the claustrophobic space still manages to give the fight a very real and gritty feel, without seeming awkward.
Interesting you should say you find the movie loses its plausibility as it progresses- could you please elaborate? (Without giving and spoilers!) With a story such as this you must suspend your disbelief as soon as it begins, and I personally feel that within its own reality, the film’s plot is convincingly executed.
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
mark my name in blood as one that relishes Old Boy. A fantastic ride of a film, engaing and stimulating.
Bryn, Im so jealous, I want that DVD!
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Chris, not wanting to give away spoilers, but the whole hypnosis plot is a little threadbare. Like you said, you have to suspend disbelief to begin with, but I found myself rolling my eyes a little when the lead character goes to visit his old school, seeing the events from the past again.
Sure, a unique twist on the flashback, but it was a little too much digital mania for me...
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by Chris Creegan
Filmreviewer.net Forums
Creegan's Footie
The school flashbacks, however, were unquestionably essential to the plot, I believe. They give a lot of important information about a past that isn't previously explained to the audience, and without these scenes viewers would be totally lost.
By the way, a note to anyone interested-
I have opened a forum section for anyone wanting to get more involved or seeking to have their opinions heard (you can start your own threads too). The forum can be found here:
Really Long Link
I also started a thread about Asian cinema on the forum at Really Long Link so please feel free to comment.
Comment by Erin Stapleton
has anyone seen "I'm a cyborg but that's ok" by same director??