Ride the crazy train.

Rating: 7/10 (2 January 2014)

Oldboy has the pace of a comic strip. In a fight I half expected to see exclamation of Wham, Bam, and Smash as Dae-Su charges like a bull in a china shop into a fight. Almost everything in this film is exaggerated. Even Choi Min-Sik's performance is over the top. In any other movie this would be a criticism. But Oldboy is an exception. The acting style fits perfectly in the extreme circumstances served up to the main character. View this film as a living cartoon and prepare yourself for some dark comic laughs.
If you dislike violence and taboo subject matter then stay away from this film. Avoid if you like a ending to a film that is tied up in a neat little bow. A plot with more twists and turns than a roller-coaster finishes with an ambiguous ending.
Watch this film if you like to discuss what you have seen afterwards. I was left debating revenge once the credits rolled. Revenge is the central theme of the film. If you believe in 'eye for an eye' then Oldboy might make you reevaluate your view.
If you like gore then there are a view moments but I actually think the gore factor is at a medium level. If Oldboy was a curry I would say it was a Madras in terms of goriness. I would describe the film as intense rather than a splatter-fest.
I find Oldboy strangely appealing and have happily watched it several times. For me a good film is one you want to re watch. Just avoid the remake. It is a meagre and cowardly effort in comparison.