Cruel and Unusual

Rating: 10/10 (18 January 2005)

Cruel and unusual...
Please do not mistake the above phrase as a negative review of this film. It is anything but. The movie is cruel; unforgivably, unabashedly, brilliantly cruel. Mr. Park refuses to compromise his vision in the name of our innocence and he and this film should be commended for it. All too often films, especially of the Hollywood variety, forsake artistry for commercialism, the honesty of tragedy for the fuzziness of fairy tale endings, truth for dollars. The very "unusual"ness of this film arises from its very cruelty. It is embarking on territory rarely treaded on by conventional American films.
A man is imprisoned for 15 years. He gets out. He seeks revenge. He seeks the truth. The question is not whom but why. This is the basic premise of the film. It is not a complicated plot, and many such revenge films with similar plots exist, yet somehow this film is completely and utterly on its own plane. Maybe it is in the way Mr. park sets the mood - every frame is hauntingly beautiful, not just convenient to the story but as integral as the actors themselves, illuminating the human emotions that are such a part of this film. Maybe it is in the penultimate performances of its players, so truthful and lush that if Mr. Choi were to recreate his character on a bare stage, I would still be riveted. Some have had the audacity to accuse this fine actor of over-acting. To that I say if such is the case, then all the other acting performances that i have witnessed have been woefully under-acted. Maybe it is the wonderfully hypnotic score, or the vibrant colors or engaging dialog's(lines that are as memorable as they are fitting). Whatever it may be, I am a better film fan for having seen it.
Some may accuse me of exaggeration or hyperbole. Watch it for yourself. Ask yourself after you have seen it if it has not affected you in some real way, whether good or bad.
The mark of a great film can often be found in the lobby of the theater, or the neighboring diner, or (perhaps more fittingly) in internet forums, where the merits of the film can spark lively debates among those who have seen the film. It's images refuse to leave the recesses of your mind, and so you ponder, argue, proclaim ideas amongst those who have had the same experience. Such is the film Old Boy. Whether this movie was to your tastes or not, you cannot deny that it leaves its mark on you.