A great intro to Asian Cinema!

Rating: 10/10 (19 February 2012)

As a fan of Manga and Anime, it was only natural to give Asian cinema a go. Oldboy has been tossed around in conversation and articles and compared to numerous new Korean movies on a forum I frequent. So, I thought well, why not! The story is about Oh Dae-Su, a delinquent husband and father who we can tell is useless, a drunk. In the first scene we see him in a police station acting the fool. He is kidnapped and held against his will in an unknown location with nothing but a TV to keep him up to date with life on the outside world. Suddenly, 15 years after his incarceration, he is released. He is given 5 days, enough money to see him through and a cell to find out why he was kidnapped and by who.
The story is fairly basic but with lots of twists and turns along the way. A slow burner to say the least. However, it doesn't feel like a long slow film. The slow scenes are broken up by action sequences which are thrilling and stunningly presented. The story is completely mesmerising. The discomfort with certain scenes is perfectly balanced with entertainment and the conclusion was so well thought out that the realisation fills you with a sense of disgust visually and mentally. The characters are brilliant. I believed every single one of them.
If I was to nit pick I'd say sometimes the colours and lighting was a bit too dark.
I advise even people who dislike Asian cinema to at least give Oldboy a go. The story is that good I forgot I was even reading the whole time. It became second nature. It is the perfect film for a newbie to foreign films. The dialogue is paced well enough that it's easy to keep up with.
I recommend this film to anyone who likes horror, shock cinema, foreign films or thrillers.