Excellent second part to the vengeance trilogy

Rating: 10/10 (24 November 2005)

A truly great, enjoyable and engrossing film.
The un-stylised and brutally real violence serves a point rather than for unnecessary kicks and thrills. Yeah, the protagonist is pathetic - but that's the point! Aren't we all bored of Tarantino's sucky heroine in Kill Bill who's so hell-bent on her revenge that she can take on nearly 100 Yakuza dudes and win? Revenge is petty, and Oh seems to think he can take on the world.
The brilliant scene where he attempts to take on a couple of dozen henchmen is superb! Purposely filmed to look like an old-school arcade game, it drags on for so long showing the hopelessness of the situation. Everyone is injured and falling over - they can barely catch their breath, but all they want to do is kill and maim.
I must say I am fed up of violent movies that serve no purpose than entertainment. That verges on sadism. Look at Bad Boys 2 - a huge pursuit across the city, where let's not forget countless cars blow up and presumably people die ('cos that's what happens when cars blow up) and what can Will Smith and his compadre do? Crack sniggers and make jokes.
Oldboy is a film that shows violence and revenge for what it is - pathetic and futile. Also, a brilliant story full of mystery that really doesn't reward the viewer for finding out the truth - just as is the case with the protagonist, Oh. I really enjoyed this film, was really impressed by it's originality and any negative feelings I got from the film seemed to be the point - to emphasis it's meaning.