The Only Film Passed The Year 2000 In My Top 10 All Time Favourites.

Rating: 10/10 (11 July 2014)

For now, "Oldboy" still remains the best foreign movie I've ever seen. Ultimately because you just don't see films like this, as its revenge story is just so utterly raw and powerful only the East would get it right.
Its very obvious Park Chan Wook had passion for the Manga it was based on (Personally I do not like all Manga, aside from a few exceptions). Being that the original story would not make for something entirely gripping, Wook inserts one of the most brutal revenge schemes ever conceived in cinema. Showing the raw tragedy all parties must face when chasing vengeance.
Oh-Dae-Su is the kind of protagonist you will feel pity, sympathy, empathy and hate throughout all acts of the movie. It's a unique trait that usually takes a cast of many to portray in a single movie, yet Choi Min-Sik delivers all of them to this damaged man perfectly. He is kidnapped off the street and placed in a hotel room for 15 years, after multiple gassing and suicide attempts he begins a quest to find out who did this to him in a record of many angry individuals. Upon his release he immediately sets out on his mission with the aid of Mi-do (Kang Hye-Jung), who has taken a bizarre interest in his endeavour.
From the opening as the film begins to tell us and reveal Oh-Dae-Su's thoughts, it reminds me a lot of the pacing from Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" (1976). It's incredibly hard to reveal a damaged individuals thoughts in a movie, and make it compelling as there are so many imitations. Yet Wook employs the right amount of quirky characters and places them all in "real time" via 5 days by act 2 & 3, that the narrative is constantly strong throughout the 2 hour running time.
The camera work I feel is superb, and the special effects are kept to a minimal. I've grown tired of slow motion in fight choreography, and "Oldboy" has undoubted one of the best corridor fight scenes ever created. Every punch has weight, and every torture scene is brutal yet relevant. It's indescribably gorgeous, and doesn't shy away from how a revenge story should be depicted.
Final Verdict: To conclude, I very much loved this movie. I have watched it multiple times and my love for it only deepens. Please avoid the Spike Lee remake at the very least, until you have seen this picture. 10/10. Unforgettable.