Grabs you by the teeth

Rating: 10/10 (25 February 2005)

Oldboy isn't just great korean cinema. it's a great hell of a movie. You watch this one from beginning to end because you want to see what happens. This one is really dark and has tinges of humor to ease the ride. However, Chan-wook Park's style is no holding back and he tells this warped twisted tale. Is this movie about mindless violence and vengeance. It definitely factors in, but I felt it was about transformation. Daesu, played with gusto by Min-sik Choi, is such a perplex character that you find yourself rooting for him, yet appalled at his actions. He is forced to review his life (very involuntarily) and what he's become. I don't even want to go beyond that, but think about your past, your present, and the individual you've become. Are you pleased or satisfied? Would you have done anything differently? Would you reject people who you'd previously greeted with smiles and called friends or would you seek out those who you may have unjustly wronged? That's what Oldboy is about. The journey of life and the consequences of actions taken. That's why Min-sik Choi is so superb in that he really becomes Daesu and from the start to finish, you become fascinated, even obsessed with finding the path he takes. The cast work well here and this may be one of the most intense films I've had the pleasure of seeing. Oldboy may be a huge step for korean cinema, but it really is one fantastic movie.