A good art is not always a pleasant one

Rating: 9/10 (14 September 2005)

Well, as the title says, I think that a good artwork in any platform is not always a pleasant one. To me, what defines any artwork "good" is that it has the ability to make us think about issues that we normally wouldn't think or care about.
Oldboy, to me, is one of those works.
No doubt lots of people would find this work distasteful, and I understand why they would think in such fashion, one of the reason been the high level of violence. But then again, since this movie is focused on the theme of "revenge", I'd love to see people express about their opinions on that they would do if they had been locked up in a cell alone for 15 years without any apparent reason.
This movie showed me, a unique view, something that one would not see in normal daily life. A view from the mind twisted, hatred filled, yet still passionate man. It is chilling to see how 15 years of isolation can turn a middle-aged middle-class man into.
Chilling.
After watching this movie, it makes me think about how lucky I am that I have a normal, mostly happy life. Compare to the main character, we are all very lucky.
The movie itself handles the character emotions really well. The actors performed both positive and negative emotions flawlessly.
The music is great too, and the tone varies a lot. The last scene combined with the music, gave me a deep impression and after that, a long, deep sigh.
Personally I put Oldboy among the ranks of "The Shawshank Redemption", "The Godfather", and "Forest Gump" as my favorites. Though they all have distinctive themes and different ways of expression, there's one common thing between them.
They all make me think, and think hard.
I certainly hope this film does the same for you.