 |
| Home · Reviews · Interviews · Contests · Forums · Video Player |
  
|
by Max Braden Published: March 23, 2005
To get right to the point, "Oldboy" is one of the most outstanding films to show in U.S. theaters this year. A combination of great writing, acting, and directing deliver a powerful, wrenching tale of revenge that goes beyond the standard mystery thriller, notably earning it the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004."Oldboy" begins its story in a Seoul police station. Drunk and disorderly Daesu (Choi Min-sik) is an everyday businessman planning to go home to his wife and daughter. But just after he's picked up by his friend Joo hwan, Daesu disappears off the street. He finds himself kidnapped, locked in a windowless apartment not unlike a hotel room. It even has a tv for him to watch the regular channels. Food is delivered through a small hole in the door, and a knockout gas allows his captors to enter to clean and provide fresh clothes as Daesu sleeps unmolested. The cruelty of his imprisonment is in the questions without answers - who keeps him prisoner? why? - along with side effects of the gas, they chip away at his sanity. Months go by. A year. A dozen. He spends the time writing random thoughts in journals, training for combat against a painted figure on the wall, digging through the brick in hopes of an escape. Finally, on the 15th year of incarceration, on the verge of a tunnel to freedom... he awakes in the open city. Who did this to him? Why? Why for so long? The first question is partially answered, as his captor (Yoo Ji-tae) makes contact, and provides a face for the voice. Daesu is even presented with a choice - kill his captor on the spot, but never learn the Why, or find out Who and Why by July 5th (only 5 days away) and the captor will resign himself to death. 
There is more at stake than just knowing - shortly after his release, Daesu encounters a waitress, Mido (Gang Hye-jung), who takes him in and cares for him, helping Daesu in his quest as they also become lovers. But Daesu's captor seems to come and go into their apartment at will, and always knows where they are and what they say, and Mido's life is at risk if Daesu doesn't play by the captor's rules.Though there action sequences as Daesu works his way - brutally - through mid-level thugs and clues, the focus of "Oldboy" is not on the payback as in revenge-quest movies like last year's "Man on Fire." This is a mystery, constantly building a desire in the viewer to find out the truth, and based on the maxim "revenge is a dish best served cold." Actor Choi Min-sik does an excellent job of depicting Daesu, a man of remarkable physical endurance but with a mind on the brink of collapse. With bushy, grown out hair and an off-balance look in his eye, he strikes an impression of a barbarian long since separated from civilization. His telling expressions are enhanced by some great closeups and strong angles by cinematographer Jung Jung-hoon.  .I have to give a warning tease here - this movie deals with a very uncomfortable thematic plot element, but to describe it would spoil the mystery. In the hands of anyone else the theme might have been exploited just for the sake of a plot twist, but under director Park Chan-Wook's guidance it is an inextricably gut-wrenching and very real-feeling element of Daesu's (and the captor's) ultimate torment. I have no doubt that the script (written by Hwang Jo-yun, Lim Joon-hyung, and Park Chanwook, story by Tsuchiya Garon & Minegishi Nobuaki) will be one of many critics' year-end Top Ten selections. It's unfortunate that many audiences will not see this movie. This is a violent film (including scenes of broken teeth and severed limbs) and deals with very heavy themes. The pacing is not fast. The movie is presented in Korean with English subtitles, and only has two dozen cities scheduled for release through May. Unfortunate, because this great film is far better than many of its kind. If you do get a chance to see "Oldboy," I highly recommend it. Grade: A Rated R for violence 1 hr 59 min. US Theatrical release: March 25, 2005, selected theaters (see website list) Official website |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 1997-2013 Burlee LLC. All rights reserved. | Reprints | Privacy Policy | Disclosure | About Us/Contact Us | RSS Feed |
