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Old
Boy Movie Review: When Old Boy was shown at this year's Cannes Film Festival it was widely thought that this was Jury President Quentin Tarantino's own choice for the Palmes D'Or, unfortunately for Old Boy, Fahrenheit 9/11 was in competition and snatched it. Any other year and Old Boy would have been a shoo in, such is it's brutal, brilliant quality. Oh Dae-Su is a business who gets kidnapped and kept in a room for FIFTEEN years with only a TV for company. He is then released and this is where the movie really goes into overdrive both emotionally and physically. I'm not going to go into the plot in any detail at all, as although you may be thinking this sounds pretty much like your standard Death Wish type revenge movie, the journey you are taken along with the characters is so good it really deserves to be viewed with fresh eyes. There's also a massive twist near the end of the movie, that some might say is similar to M. Night Shyamalan's cheap theatrics, but trust me when I say, although it is a huge twist, the emotional payoff and the ruination this causes all the cast is just utterly amazing. The movie has some of the best dialogue I have heard (read as it is subtitled) in a LONG time, being poetic and so moving at times. Few movies are able to play with their characters so much, in such a hackneyed genre, but OldBoy really does find new ground, with great depth and beauty, all the while ripping out our teeth with it's visceral nature. There's so much to see within the movie that can be revealed without runing for anyone, such as the scene where Oh Dae-Su fights takes revenge on his captors that is filmed in one single take for four minutes in one left to right scrolling pan, sheer brilliance, and betters Tarantino's House of Blue Leaves sequence in Kill Bill Vol. 1. Very reminiscent of early 80's left to right scrolling beat em up games, but much more classy. The attention to detail, such as the way that Park Chan-Wook sets the movie NOW, with TV footage indicating exactly the timescale that things are happening, making this all the more real. The scene where Oh Dae-Su is released on the top of an apartment building, takes the standard kidnapping release sequence and imbues it with a fresh, dangerous view. Referencing Tarantino again, Park Chan-Wook out Tarantino- Tarantino with an off-screen piece of ultraviolence, that although we do not actually see, is more visceral and gut wrenching than Reservoid Dogs famous ear cutting scene. Fantastic performances from the lead characters, and I must single out Choi Min-Sik for his fantastic, damaged performance as Oh Dae-Sue, rarely have I seen an actor give so much, in his journey from a fat drunk businessman, to a man desperate for revenge, then emotionally destroyed by his tormentor, and finally redeemed. A joy to watch. There's so much movies that OldBoy has touches of including Seven, 1984, Cube, Reservoir Dogs, The Matrix, Being John Malkovich, Sliver and many more, it's a true movie geeks paradise spotting all the reference's, although to be said, for the non movie geek this will not make not a jot of a difference to their enjoyment. This is no Saturday night blockbuster, being brutal and extremely dark in it's torment of it's participants. I guarantee you will not come out of this with a feel good emotion, but if you want a thriller that has much more to give, then I wholeheartedly recommend OldBoy. No doubt Hollywood will come calling looking to remake this, but a remake would be a waste of time for a movie as perfect as this. Gary Gray This striking Korean action thriller grabs hold in its opening shot and never lets go! Kinetic and energetic, funny and more than a little insane, the film ingeniously gets us into the mind of its hero and lets us experience a series of utterly mind-blowing situations with him. No wonder it won the Grand Prix at Cannes! Dae-su (Choi) is mysteriously kidnapped right outside the home where he lives happily with his wife and daughter. He wakes up in what looks like a hotel room but is actually a prison where he's kept for 15 years. His sudden release is just as mysterious, and he dedicates his life to finding out why this happened to him and who's responsible. He's assisted by an old buddy (Chi) and the pretty sushi chef Mido (Gang), with whom he immediately falls in love. The trail leads to a very odd businessman (Yu) who's pulling the strings. But why? The story is an action-revenge thriller, but Park maintains a blackly comic tone that's both unnerving and endearing. Despite his erratic personality, we really like Dae-su, and we are just as desperate to solve the mystery of his life as he is. The script is cunningly structured to reveal secrets slowly, making discoveries and connections right up to the final stomach-churning revelation. Performances are terrific. Choi gets so deeply under Dae-su's skin that we actually worry for his mental well-being. This is completely unhinged acting, and since we're on his side all the way, it works brilliantly. Yu is the other standout, glacially charming and yet we see something sinister and emotionally devastating behind that handsome face. Meanwhile, Park is taking us on an unforgettable journey, shocking us with murder, mayhem, horrific dentistry and, erm, gruesome eating habits. But the emotional core makes the film special--an undercurrent of sadness, neediness, vulnerability and lack of identity, which as it comes into focus makes the characters wish they were back in the fog of ignorance. It gets a little too grisly and melodramatic at the end, but when the final puzzle piece falls into place, it's a stunner. Site Contents Copyright© The Z Review, unless used with permission.This site has no intention to infringe on the rights of the film owners of Old Boy and intellectual copyright holders of the movies mentioned herein & hold copyright over the movie, characters, merchandise & storyline. |
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