Sufficiently Dark and Disturbing, Though Not Always Purposeful

Rating: 6/10 (12 June 2012)

A Korean action-suspense flick that, like many far-east thrillers, doesn't hesitate to take things well into the realm of the taboo. In a lot of ways that's a blast of fresh air, as no doubt an American version wouldn't have been half as biting, daring or dark, and its dedication to probing the unacceptable makes up a large part of Oldboy's character. It's not those stabs outside the boundaries that bothered me about this one, though, so much as it was the refusal to bask in them for more than a few instants before jolting off in search of new depths. The establishing story is almost perfect, setting the stage with an everyman who's been transformed by fifteen years of unexplained imprisonment, then following his violent, dedicated search for both suspect and reason. It's an act the tangled, overstretched follow-through can't hope to match, even when its mysteries and motivations are finally, confusingly, lain bare. Oldboy deserves recognition for its style, demeanor and intense action scenes, but the plot often veers into weirdness and depravity for unclear reasons that don't always benefit the bigger picture.