Oldboy = Oh boy! Looking further than western cinema...

Rating: 10/10 (27 May 2011)

Oldboy
Is a brilliantly directed thriller by Chan-wook Park. Its tells the story of a guy who has been kidnapped and then after 15 years imprisoned in a room is let free, however he instantly seeks revenge on the guy who put him there.
The story is excellent with a plot that shows depth and keeps you guessing right until the very last shot. The film starts strangely in a holding area at a police station and this is where we get to see the lead character 'Oh Dea-su'. Right from the off, you sense this person is an unstable character displaying very erratic behaviour. He talks a lot & changing from one emotion to the next in an instant, however we are lead to believe this is due to the fact he has been drinking when his friend comes to bail him out.
Once out of the station he stops to make a phone call home when he is taken. The next time we see him, he is in a room looking unclean and dazed. 15 years passes by with nothing but a TV for company. This is one of the most important parts of the film, which the director perfectly puts across to the audience, you do feel the isolation he feels, the torment of 15yrs, wondering why he is there, when is he getting out, all these feelings / questions are asked by our lead.
When Oh Dea-su is free he befriends a young lady who has taken such a liking to him she enters into his world, helping him find the man he want to seek revenge upon. Once he comes face to face with his enemy, all is not what it seems, as he tells our lead revenge cannot occur as you will always be left wondering why he imprisoned him so the reason must be uncovered and then the two will meet again.
The film has so much on offer, some will point to the fact it might be too unrealistic yet you will not care for such a statement as the acting is great. Every actor portraying each role in a very realistic manner and thus you can really feel for each one individually on the same level. The director includes a wonderfully shot fight scene, where numerous men take on Oh Dea-Su in battle allowing for us to watch as if the side of the house has been cut open for viewing! When we follow our lead into his journey of discovery, there are disturbing parts of the film which are done tastefully and not over exposed.
Although there is a memorable scene which is not so tasteful (or tasteful for our lead!) which will leave people squirming even the non-squeamish but had to be shown in this manner in order to be credible to the character. Flashbacks are used to show past events inside the mind of the characters which for some people is off putting but for me helps gather a sense of what really happened rather than relying on verbal two-ing and throwing. There is symbolism included in many shots and the director likes to revert back to earlier dialogue which wraps the story up delightfully.
Overall Oldboy is world cinema at its highest quality. A colourful piece of cinematography from a notable director which I believe will no doubt see a Hollywood remake. If this does occur the only director I can see doing Oldboy justice is Quentin Tarantino. There are some people who will walk away from this film stating it was good but not amazing, however what I hope the majority will take away from Oldboy is a greater sense of appreciation for Eastern society film making.