A Non-Gratuitous, Well-Crafted Extreme Film

Rating: 10/10 (11 April 2006)

Oldboy is a fine movie. In reading some of the negative reviews on IMDb, however, one may be given the impression that this film is gratuitous in its use of violence and sex. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those who have seen this film understand that the sex scene was an important  even ESSENTIAL  event. (This is, mind you, the only movie I can think of that has been able to utilize sex as a significant contribution to a well-crafted storyline.) Thus, the sex was not gratuitous at all, since it served a purpose that becomes all the more obvious as the story progresses. If one wishes to see gratuitous sexual content that adds virtually nothing to a horribly-crafted storyline, one can refer to Izo (directed by Takashi Miike).
With regards to those complaining about the film's believability, they are simply attacking a strawman. And I ponder at why these very same criticisms of believability are not applied to such overrated films like The Lord of the Rings or ET. Perhaps because the priority of such films are not in their presentation of believable concepts? In like manner, this film's purpose is to express the consequences implicit within the pursuit of vengeance. Whether or not the events therein are believable or not is inconsequential. Thus, the criticism of unbelievability is logically flawed, and pointless.
I have always held that making a film extreme  in and of itself  does not make a good movie. (And I have seen plenty of low quality extreme movies.) That said, there are both bad and good extreme films. With its engaging storyline and entertainment value, Oldboy is an unequivocal example of the latter.