It's okay, I suppose

Rating: 6/10 (28 August 2008)

This film has a whole lot of what I like (I'm a self-proclaimed geek)-- I often get a kick out of fight scenes that are only realistic in comic books and intriguing and somewhat mysterious plots that have an interesting twist towards the last half of a film. I should like Oldboy more than I do, but it falls flat.
Unfortunately it's the plot that weighs the film down. It does have its redeeming factors. The actors and the cinematography are wonderful. And I like dumplings. And watching a man eating a live octopus is always fun. Memorable scenes are a huge chunk of this movie. Those were the main factors that kept the movie from falling to the depths of Hell. It was interesting how the film sets up its message in regards to talking too much, incestuous relations, isolation and revenge, but the plot is fluff. Speaking of revenge and big mouths, what was the central message that kept the film going? One or the other? It seemed as if the film went back and forth between each concept, among others, such as isolation and whatnot. The film is all over the place. It is not cohesive. Thus, it would have been something almost as grand as its ratings if it was pieced together properly.
I'd give this movie a 5, but as I said, its redeeming qualities made this worth sitting through, at least for me. It IS an intriguing plot, although the twists can be seen miles away and it could have been better.