Oldboy
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Movie Reviews of Oldboy
Movie Review: The ghost of Sophocles rises again...
Summary: 5 Stars
By now everyone knows the basic premise: Oh Dae-su, an ordinary businessman, is imprisoned for 15 years by unseen jailers, a TV his only companion. His wife is killed, he goes slowly mad, and finally resolves to escape, honing his body and mind. When he is on the verge of breaking out of his cell, he is mysteriously released. He immediately starts to seek out his kidnapper, a quest for vengeance which leads him to the unspeakable reason for his imprisonment.
It's hard to say anything meaningful about this movie. It is by turns brutal, tender, violent, heartbreaking, baffling, disgusting, and hilarious, but these are mere adjectives. Its impact is so direct and visceral as to render further discussion superfluous; each image will sear itself into the memory for a long time. It is one of a very few movies that attain the depth and mythic power of Greek tragedy (Vertigo being the only other example I can think of), yet it's totally pulpy and modern. By the final shot of Oh Dae-su's vacant, hapless smile, I felt almost as if I had been physically violated, yet I was utterly spellbound. Oldboy is not ennobling, it doesn't preach a message, you won't feel a better human being for having seen it; it just must be experienced.
Movie Review: Full of twists and turns
Summary: 5 Stars
I've seen few movies in the past few years that have offered as many delightful surprises as this one. Korean cinema has been winning great acclaim recently, and after watching this film, it's easy to see why. True, the theme of incest may be a little too heavy for some viewers, and I couldn't help but notice that the few people on Amazon who rated this movie low did it only for that reason. These people actually let a 'taboo topic' jade their views to the point where it overshadowed all the great points of this movie. Such a shame. This is not a movie that promotes or glorifies incest; it simply uses it as a backdrop for the story, and that's it.
So if you can get over that, then you should watch this movie, because it truly is one of the freshest movies I've seen in years. With superb acting, spectacular cinematography and a plot that is virtually impossible to predict, "Oldboy" is a movie that should not be missed.
I can't say too much more without spoiling the story. So I'll just close by saying that if you want to see something different than the all-too-predictable fare that keeps coming out of Tinseltown, then give this one a try. If you do, I can practically guarantee that you won't be disappointed.
Movie Review: The question you need to ask yourself...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a very good movie. Koreans have been making ambitious movies lately like Ta Guk Gi - Brotherhood and Natural City which are among the best from Asian Cinema. Oldboy is better than these and on par with movies like Resevoir Dogs.
It tells the story of a drunken man who is all of a sudden kidnapped for no reason he can imagine and is held captive for a very long time, on a Monte Cristo timescale. The movie is very brutal and full of dark humour. The begining scene where our hero is a drunken nuisance is the most believable and amusing drunk I have seen in a movie and I should know, since I am a police officer myself. Then there are scenes where he confronts a man who is about to commit suicide by jumping off a tall building and a brutal fight where he takes on a large group of criminals. All are well thought out and realistic. All of this goes on while the main plot unfolds, why was he held captive, for what reason and by who. And those aren't even the right questions. There are bigger surprises in store.
To fully appreciate the movie you will need a dark sense of humour and a desire for mystery. But should you fulfill this criteria - Oldboy will leave you mightly pleased.
Movie Review: OLDBOY is amazing.
Summary: 5 Stars
I went to see OLDBOY last night, and I'll be damned if it wasn't the best movie I've seen all year.
I went in expecting some Asian-style actioner. Instead, it was dark, twisted, visually interesting, violent and pretty much genius.
The plot, which I won't divulge much of here since the joy is in discovering what the movie is about, is excellent. The movie's graphic and intense.
OLDBOY is based on this manga, so Edmondson and I were expecting some sort of light, funny, hero-driven, martial arts actioner when we headed to it last night. It's nothing like that. Edmondson kept pointing out that he thought it was funny how I wanted to see a "gritty, Asian revenge thriller" about a guy who is imprisoned in an apartment for 15 years for unknown reasons by unknown people - and then, upon getting out of his prison, tracks down his captors for answers.
There were moments of violence where I just kept saying to myself, "Dude ... Dude ...," gripping on to the armrest, for it was intense and incredibly clever. And I don't even say "Dude." It was wicked. It was sick. It was fantastic.
Highly, highly recommended.
Movie Review: Next Generation Korean Film
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a truly excellent film. Though a warning must be place here, it is very dark and may not be for every viewer.
Other reviewers may give away the ending, I will not. I will tell you this film has a very twisted plot line with a surprise ending that you will not expect.
Visually this film is very stunning. Each shot is very well composed and the actors all present their characters in a very convincing manner.
I will say as native speaker of the Korean language that the subtitles are not correct in all of the scene. It appears as if the company that did the subtitling may have attempted to censor some of the language and actual intent of some of the scene.
The most important thing about this movie is that it pushes Korean cinema into a new direction. Most Korean films over the past decades and even into the 21st century have followed a traditional pattern. They have been very dominated by Korean society and the expectation of the Korean audience. This film steps outside of the established tradition and has moved Korean filmmaking into the next generation.