Takashi Miike meets Wong Kar Wai

Rating: 9/10 (29 April 2007)

When i first saw Oldboy back in 2004, i was just 13 years old. I watched it with my girlfriend at the cinemas just couple of hours after watching Alfonso Cuaron's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I didn't enjoy it that much, but the film does make my girlfriend cry. However, i do like the dialog between Daesu and Woojin, as well as the corridor fight scene.
Three years later Oldboy came back to the spotlight. During the recent shootings at the Virginia Tech Institute, Fox News and Sky News claimed that Oldboy inspired the killer Cho Seng Hui to commit crimes. I wasn't much convinced by the news reports, and so i picked up a DVD of Oldboy at the store and try to link this film with the shooter. Because if i remember, this film doesn't have the GTA-style violence that will encourage people to commit violence.
Unfortunately, i was right. This film is not that GTA violent at all. And it has only one gun shown at the film. However the good part is that it made me love the film more. Why? Because it made me appreciate the story, the feel, the romance and the tragedy of the film. I'm not really used to Korean cinema, but this film just blew me away.
The story of this film tells about Oh Daesu, a man who was sent to the police station on the day of his daughter's birthday. He was bailed by his friend Joo Hwan. However, just as he was to apologize to his daughter on the payphone, he was kidnapped, and was sent to a room with nothing but a television, a toilet and a bed for 15 years.
After 15 years, he escaped. He became unfamiliar with the outside world that he hasn't knew for a long time. During the time he was in that room, his only link with the outside world was the television. And he became familiarized with computers and cell phones, thanks to television.
However, his world changed. He was accused of murdering his wife while on that room, and his daughter was sent to Sweden. Desperate to know why he was imprisoned for 15 years, he sets out for revenge, hoping to look for the man responsible for imprisoning him in that room.
What i like about this film is that it has the brilliance mix of Scorcese combined with a Tarantino-ish dialog and some neo-noir backgrounds. Even if it's not an English film, but it is a film that will appeal to many. The directing was probably the most brilliant piece of artwork you'll see in a film. One scene has Daesu fighting a group of thugs in a corridor, and that scene is taken with one shot, which makes the whole scene look like a painting.
So is this film good? Of course it is. Sure there's some sex and nudity, and you'll need to read subtitles to enjoy this film, but the violence? Not that heavy. It's just only teeth removal, tongue cutting and a fight scene between a man and 30 gangsters. It shouldn't be blamed for matters like Virginia Tech shootings. However, if you're looking for a deep & thought-provoking film with touches of Tarantino & Scorcese in it, then look no further than Oldboy.