an unusual yet mesmerizing revenge fable

Rating: 7/10 (1 November 2005)

I will admit right off that bat that I'm not a fan of the whole "Asian Extreme" phenomenon sweeping across North America right now; as far as horror goes, my heart is grounded in the Spaghetti Splatter of Fulci and Argento; as for revenge, Charles Bronson always "makes the bloodlust grow fonder." "Oldboy" takes a bit from both: a man is imprisoned for 15 years without any apparent purpose, and vainly attempts to break free of his shackles; once he does, he seeks out those who put him there, and embarks on a stylized--yet strangely 'civilized'--killing spree. For much of its running time, my reaction to "Oldboy" was a stupefied "huh?" It has a plot as excessively complicated as a '70s giallo, and often drifts quite far from reality (not really griping, as it provides the film with a disorienting, surreal sheen), but is simply mesmerizing. From the standpoint of visuals and camera work alone, "Oldboy" is as beautiful to look at as Dario Argento's "Deep Red." However, like Argento, the characters are less prone to expressing their feelings outside the requirements of the plot, and while there is a striking humanity underneath the bloodshed of "Oldboy"--it simply isn't enough to elevate it above its own obsession with surface quality. Too bad, seeing as how the potential for greatness is certainly present.
6.5/10