well done, but not totally original

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2005)

I saw this film at the Toronto Film Festival and it was my fave of the festival and 2004. When the film ended, the entire theatre was buzzing and I knew everyone was thinking the same thing - turn down the lights and roll it again! A truly great film is one you can watch over and over again, its more than just story telling or eye candy. Its a damn shame Oldboy and the director's other films aren't more available in North America - we are missing out on great Korean cinema.
An excellent film about revenge and how it can possess people till self-destruction. But, if you're having a hard time actually seeing 'Oldboy', just find 'Angel Heart' starring Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro (1987). I doubt the director 'stole' this idea, but the similarities in plot and characters are very close. Coincidence? Maybe not. It is also a great film, Mickey Rourke's finest role after 'Barfly'.