With hints of Hitchcock Park Chan-wook Never Lets Up

Rating: 9/10 (20 June 2005)

Though it maybe too violent for some, Park tells an excellent tale of revenge that borders on the bizarre and twisted. A man, Oh Dae-Su is imprisoned briefly on the night of his young daughters birthday then released only to find himself kidnapped and imprisoned in a new type of jail cell: a hotel room. There he is locked up for 15 years were he has little contact with any humans. He obsessively watches T.V.where he learns of his wife's murder. Occasionally the room will fill with 'valium' gas and when he awakes he is clean shaved and has a new haircut. This routine continues through the 15 year period. When he is released he enters on his Odyssey of revenge to discover the identity of his captors. This is where the film really picks up, he befriends a female sushi chef named Mido, who sympathizes for Oh Dae-Su after hearing his story. She ends up joining Oh Dae-Su on his quest in discovering the motivations of his captors. On their journey Oh Dae-Su encounters many twists and turns that vary from the violently surreal to the oddly bizarre. There are some great fight sequences where his rage consumes him so fully he is able to fight off his captures with a knife sticking out of his back. This is just one of the very powerful and violent scenes in 'Oldboy'. There are also scenes of torture and gore that are particularly intense. The violence may over shadow the brilliance of this film, however the narrative asks no sympathy for Oh Dae-Su but only to study him. The man who imprisoned him states: "I'm sort of a scholar, and what I study is you." This is how we observe the film, as scholars of Oh Dae-Su. I do not agree with the actions he takes at the epilogue of this film, and i feel it may have gone on ten minuets too long. However, I feel this film has reached a level of suspense and terror on par with the likes of Alfred Hitchock. As Hitchcock's films pushed the limits of cinema in his era I see parallels to what Park has achieved in crafting suspense and shock. The story takes many twists and turns that never makes you feel easy, just when you feel you know where Park is taking you he adds an extra twist to the story to make it that much more satisfying. Using elements of the surreal tied with extreme violence and sexuality Chan-wook Park creates a masterful story that gives a new spin on the revenge genre that reflects that of a Greek tragedy. I give this film my highest recommendation, that is if you can get past the violence and disturbing images, however each moment is done tastefully and serves a purpose pushing the narrative forward.