I watched it entirely, being literally disgusted for the most of it. The acting and shooting are great no doubt about it, the movie is smooth and stuff... But...
Even with a few research I couldn't find any explanation on the movie plot nor on its meaning. I can say some things about it from what I understood but it's just some random phrases I could say.
This movie is just a show of odd fantasy which should be banned from our world to my view...
I can't recommend it.
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Stunts - 78/100
Narrative - 86/100 | Incredibly well-rounded script, intricate characters, and fully-realized villain that unfortunately don’t do much for me on a personal level... BUT this film is so well-crafted and delightfully twisted that it’s a great watch no matter what. Park Chan-Wook is a wizard behind the camera.
Fight Choreography - 88/100 | What is there left to say about the hallway scene? Hundreds of YouTube comments reading something along the lines of "best fight scene ever" having thousands of upvotes summarize it quite well, albeit being a bit short on the descriptive parts. The scene is so stylish with the groovy music, our main character here never abandoning, cleaving through ranks and ranks of featureless thugs, fighting for his life. And falling.... And standing up again! It's all filmed in one beautiful take, and results in one rough and truly unforgettable fight scene.
But mark my words, this fight scene is not even in the top 5 reasons why you should watch this movie.
Enjoyment - 76/100
Overall 8/10
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As I was watching it, I had some notes on it and was planning to rate it a 8.5/9 at the 1 hour mark or so. Because I thought the romance was too forced. But I didn’t let it bother me too much and went on. It kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time trying to figure out the reason for the whole thing. After the whole secrets were revealed, I had decided this is one of my favourite movies ever. The way the gore and sex weren’t just put in without meaning but actually had a reason for them. The whole story was so messed up that I don’t think I can forget it even if I tried. But the way the whole thing was told and shot so well made it so I loved it so much.
This was my first time watching Choi min shik act and I gotta say he killed it, same with Yoo Ji Tae.
I’ve heard the music so much that it’s alee iconic to me. The music accompanied the scenes so well.
I don’t think I want to rewatch this since it won’t have the same suspense. But I would want to watch it again someday to see if there’s anything I missed.
This is actually my first review so I hope I didn’t mess it up too much.
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With the starting moments set in 1988, this film follows the journey of ex-alcoholic Oh Dae Su, who was imprisoned for 15 years in a single room resembling a cheap hotel room. He is given no explanation for his imprisonment, he does not know the identity of his captor nor does he know their motives, his only friend for the next 15 years is the battered old TV. After being spontaneously released Dae Su strives for vengeance against his unknown captor and thence begins his quest. On his journey he falls in love with an attractive young sushi chef, who becomes his lover and his greatest weakness. Cheerful story, I know.
As many people have said this is not a bad film it's just... fudging weird, beautifully presented but fudging weird. Like... it was okay up till about the half way point. Adapted from a manga I've never read and later remade as an English film which I've never seen, this version contains picturesque camera angles, single shot fight scenes (I'm sorry I love them), live octopus eating (like for real) and a whole ton of queasy scenes. It has it's moments, but I think you could also make a decent drinking game out of the times you shout WTF or NOOO WHY at the screen. Double shots if death is mentioned.
We began the film on the edge of our seats; What? Who? Why? We exclaim as a rugged man dangles another off a building. Then we cut. A drunken man in a police station. Frame passes by, frame by frame. Then we're in a room, a monologue narrates across the scenes. We watch in fascination as the drunken man evolves in the room he is imprisoned. It's fascinating, the audience is curious. When he is finally free of his tiny prison he embarks on a quest to answer the questions we had at the beginning. It's an awesome start to the film I must admit. Couple ALL of this with some gorgeous cinematography and BOOM BABY. It's beaut. But it's around here things start to get weird. Like. Real weird. I'm pretty sure I had a permanent WTF face for at least an hour of this film, and I can't even say why without spoiling it for you.
It's certainly an experience to watch, I understand the good ratings.
What makes this film so powerful, away from the fact some weird shizzle goes down, is probably the way it tries (and succeeds) it capturing the raw emotion of the human being. Not only do we see our protagonist get stripped bare, both metaphorically and not, we also get our own walls taken down. The innocent moments we enjoy are torn down and peed on, making us almost disgusted at our own moments of happiness within the movie. We, as humans, find a strange fascination in the protagonist as he falls again and again, pitifully scrambling against his unknown opponent.
I would advise those not fond of needles, blood or sex to bring a pillow with you into viewing, it gets a little graphic especially towards the end. I was super surprised at seeing naked boobs in this, it's a Korean film! Tbh though, this is not a genre I often explore. Then again I didn't notice the thriller tag until AFTER I sat down for two hours and watched it, wanting to know wtf I just watched and why there was so much violence. At least it distracted me from my ever looming exams.
It wasn't really my kind of film I must admit, but it was very well made and a unique experience to watch nether the less. Thrillers really aren't my kinda thing and I have a thing about not wanting to see teeth pulled out or needles stuck in, so i shall probably never watch this film again unless I want to weird a friend out. That being said it is very hard to ignore how pretty this film is, hence I shall give it an 8.
Fun Fact: This film was inspired by King Oedipus, a mythological Greek king. Whether you know of this lovely man or not, the fact that this story mimics a Greek tragedy should give you an idea of what you're in for. They really did like tearing down their hero's over there.
Edit: Just thought I should point out that I felt physically ill when it ended. Just putting that out there.
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Everything you could want from a movie. Old Boy is EVERYTHING you could want from a movie!
Park Chan Wook is a mastermind - First Joint Security Area and then The Vengeance Trilogy! It says something about film journalists that nobody wrote about Park Chan Wook before Oldboy won the grand jury prize at Cannes 2004. Oldboy is the second part (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance was the first) in a planned revenge trilogy. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is the third and final instalment.Dae-su wakes up in an empty room. The door is locked, no windows. His only company is the television. He gets food through a hatch. He works out, writes in his diary. Via the television, he learns that he is wanted for the murder of his wife. His daughter has been adopted by a Swedish couple (a fun small detail because a Swedish soldier also figures in Joint Security Area.) He has been stripped of everything that matters and worst of all, he doesn't know what he did to deserve it! He is fixed, every day is the same. Claustrophobia turns to despair. He tries to commit suicide but fails. After 15 years he is released. Who locked him up?! Why was he locked up!? Why was he released?!
The film is based on a Japanese manga.
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Passion, purpose, and violent.
I’m not one of the Korean movies fan, especially Asian drama. My enthusiasm was so high about the influence on Hollywood while watching this film. “Oldboy” is a very, I mean, very good film from any angle. The audience continues to be excited about the storyline. The ending is just freaking me out with such an unexpected twist. Most Hollywood movies, especially thrillers, are often modifying concepts like this. Given this Korean movie, Park Chan-wook is the director of many who have succeeded beyond the level.“Oldboy” also feels like watching David Fincher’s “Se7en”. A similar format about crime, mystery, suspense, and thriller. But, it’s all about the psychopath. The psychopath makes the victim or protagonist face two very difficult choices. Both choices forced him to do it but with such high consequences. Dae-su openly wants to do his 15-year revenge. But that will make him lose. His curiosity appeared and turned into the psychopath’s counter attack. He keeps thinking about how he can finish this psychopath’s game. Or, how can he get out of the game? On the other hand, such high curiosity made him keep thinking why. A trap on two sides of the same coin.
There are no such things if you’ve never watched this film, not the Spike Lee remake. The point of this movie is from a mystery into a tragedy. But, there are so many twists contains a lot. So many clues that the character gets. An amazing sequence, which reminds me of “The Raid”, is the corridor scene. I mean, it’s one of our favorite things if you want to talk about this movie. The camera movements work very well. The one-shot is really intriguing and gorgeous. The choreography as if they put a lot of stakes and consequences. You’re fighting a man with revenge. Infinitely, a driven person who eats you alive. And by the way, I also like the title sequence.
“Oldboy” providing a deep element and complexity from a transformation of the character’s amazing personality. The ending is just one of the best things with ambiguous elements, natural yet happy ending but not. We need thrillers like this or even more than this. So many thrillers are stuck or even more than a thriller that is just an action movie or something else. But, “Oldboy” has its own passion, purpose, and violent as well. The music is phenomenal, the actors, the director, the writer, all of them have a pretty great job.
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A turning point in the Korean film industry.
I could say that Shiri, Nowhere to Hide and The Island were my entry into South Korean cinema. But Old Boy was the film that undoubtedly opened my eyes and convinced me that something very big was brewing in that country in terms of cinematographic quality.I remember leaving the cinema in Granada and thinking that I had never seen anything as visceral and authentic. Pure, violent cinema, very close to its characters and with a captivating artistic finish.
Old Boy is an unforgettable experience and a milestone in the history of recent cinema.
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Important staple of the South Korean cinema: thought provoking but not enjoyable per se
Going through the cinematography of the very famous director Park Chan Wook, I was compelled to watch this movie for which he was acclaimed for. I am happy to have seen it for my cinematographic culture but I must admit that it was not a gratifying watch. Even if I recognized the quality of the overall cinematography as well as the concept and ideas behind this movie, I cannot say that I enjoyed it.I found its pacing kind of sluggish and felt bored more than once watching it. I disliked quite strongly the main "hero" making it impossible to care and root for him. I also found the main female protagonist too meek and passive... Overall the female roles were really not the most developed which is honestly a shame as I feel that would have brought much more nuance and sensibility to the plot. Here, I was just not understanding those characters and was not able to empathize with any of them except maybe the "villain". It is the only character I kind of appreciated and was curious to see more of...I knew the film passed me by when I found myself more intrigued and supporting the antagonist than the hero...
The acting was good with solid performances from everyone casted. Even though their portraying is impressive, I had trouble to feel emotionally involved in what the characters were living through. In addition to a good cast, the production value is very nice as well. There are some really striking shots in terms of production, it is not as refined and polished as the most recent works of Park Chan Wook but there is clearly an already pretty strong identity and style to the work of this director. The soundtrack is not very memorable to me but felt very adequate while watching the movie.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a noir action thriller centred around vengeance and quite enigmatic. It is an important piece for South Korean cinema and even though I did not "enjoy" it, I still think it is worth the watch and that it leaves a lasting impression on the viewer.
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