Revenge movie done right.

Rating: 8/10 (18 October 2017)

If you want to give an audience emotional access to your characters, take a lesson from this movie. Oh Dae-Su is probably one of the most pitiable characters in all of cinema, but no less cool for it. We see him go through first physical, then mental, then emotional suffering while also seeing some of the small joys and successes that come along the way. I wouldn't say he's a terribly complex character, but he is a human character with a lot of layers that people can relate to.
I liked the theme of him having to pay for the sins of his past especially because it strengthened his relationship with the villain Lee Woo-Jin. Both of them are playing the revenge game with each other, which puts them on level ground. The difference between them is that Lee Woo-Jin knows all the facts and is deliberately going after Oh Dae-Su. Lee Woo-Jin's rationale for why Oh Dae-Su deserved such harsh punishment seemed extreme and unfair to me, but I could see that he believed in it on a level of principal not just emotion. It definitely made for a better conflict between the two of them, particularly in the climatic scene.
To say that I enjoyed watching it might not be true, but there is no doubt that I was more engaged with this movie than the vast majority of movies I've seen. The action and graphic scenes in this movie was so much more personal than in most action movies. I don't react when I see someone on screen get shot unless it's a shocking moment. I'm sure getting shot hurts, but when I saw the bugs crawling through Oh Dae-Su's skin and when he cut out his own tongue, I physically cringed. Similarly, the reveal at the end that Mi-do is Oh Dae-Su's daughter is more shocking than a lot of twist endings because we as the audience are revolted by the fact just like Oh Dae-Su is. Not as intensely for sure, but it's still shocking and powerful, particularly because of the visual means by which it is shown.
In addition to being an emotional and interesting film, Oldboy also has some cool cinematic touches to it. The visual style is striking and distinct, which makes the movie more engaging to watch. The action sequences are fantastic because Oh Dae-Su is by no means invincible, which makes it all the more fun to see him defeat his many adversaries. Sure, watching Jason Bourne type heroes take out a bunch of soldiers or whatever is fun in its own way, but it's so much more interesting when there are real stakes like there are in this movie. Additionally, we get some pretty good voice-overs from our protagonist. My favorite voice over line was, "Can ten years' worth of imaginary training be put to use? Apparently it can."
This is definitely a gritty and violent movie that will make you cringe physically and mentally at multiple points. I personally like movies like that, but I know some people don't so be warned. One could argue that it's a standard revenge tale, which may be true, but it at least brings the revenge tale near to its fullest potential. It's nothing that holds any deep lessons, though it does have some deep lines. I wouldn't say that it's a must see, but it's definitely worth seeing if your a fan of movies in general. Overall Rating: 8.2/10