A brutal revenge film from Korean director Chan-wook Park, Oldboy combines mystery, tension, brutal violence, grim cover-your-eyes moments and black humour. Husband and father Dae-su Oh is kidnapped and mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years in what looks like a dirty hotel room, only to be released without warning and explanation. Framed for the murder of his wife and daughter while he was imprisoned he has no-where to go with his new-found freedom. Taken in by Sushi chef Mi-do, he finds out that he has only 5 days to understand why he was imprisoned.
Oldboy is very inventive, it takes the revenge movie and really turns in on its head; I really didn't know what was going to happen next. Chan-wook Park is constantly using the camera in different ways to keep the story fresh and interesting; angles to fool the audience into thinking one thing then revealing another, filming reflections in mirrors several times, and a wonderful single tracking shot that consists of some brutal and funny action. Min-sik Choi is great as the tortured Dae-su Oh, combining a haunted performance with a desperation for revenge, and then just plain desperation when he realises the truth. Ji-tae Yu is fine as the main antagonist Woo-jin Lee, but far more fun is the henchman Mr Han played by Byeong-ok Kim.
A fantastic revenge film that is as brutal as it is stunning. Inventive, surprising and completely unpredictable.
One of the best movies ever made
ReplyDeleteNot sure about that, but it was very good. I really want to see it again, then I'll see if I agree with you.
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