Park Chan Wook’s Transgressive and Violent Masterpiece
Oldboy premiered at Cannes in 2004 and received masterpiece worthy acclaim, ending up winning the Grand Prix (the runner up award at the festival). Oldboy received great reviews from critics and audiences alike. Oldboy is said to be one of the best Korean films made, maybe even the best. Oldboy’s ultraviolence really stands out and for good reason. Oldboy follows Oh Dae-Su played by Choi Min-Sik in one of the best acting performances ever, on the levels of greats like Pacino and De Niro. Oldboy is about Dae-Su who was kidnapped for 15 years and gets suddenly released, he has five days to find out who was responsible and why he was kidnapped.
Vengeance is the Voyage Of Dae-Su’s Destiny.
Oldboy opens with a drunk Dae Su, being held in a police station on his daughter's birthday. Dae-Su’s friend, Joo-Hwan picks up Dae-Su, talking to his daughter on the phone, he lets Joo-Hwan speak to her, Joo-Hwan turns his head and Dae-Su is out of sight, nowhere to be seen. Fast forward fifteen years and Dae-Su is finally released, he is released with money, a cell phone and expensive clothes, S.T Dupont to be exact. After his release, Dae-Su ends up making his way to a sushi restaurant, where he meets Mido, played by Kang Hye-Jung. While in the restaurant, Dae-Su receives a phone call from a mysterious man who calls himself an ‘Ohdaesuologist’. This is the antagonist Lee Woo-Jin played by Yoo Ji-Tae.
The Magical Scenes of Oldboy.
If anyone knows Oldboy, they must definitely have heard of the one take fight scene, which is often regarded as the greatest fight scene in history, as you have seen it is one take, 3 mins of just greatness, 20v1 type of stuff, definitely check it out!. Choi Min-Sik’s acting performance in this is up there with Pacino and De Niro, as I stated earlier but I mean this literally, definitely the best actor in Korean cinema and the best performance in Korean cinema. Oldboy just seems like your normal revenge thriller with a ton of violence but it is one of the most sick and twisted films known to man, truly one of the best. Partner this with the great director, Park Chan-Wook, it just makes it even better. The performance of Yoo Ji-Tae as our antagonist is nothing short of amazing, one of the best villains of all time.
Oldboy, The Masterpiece.
The editing of Oldboy is definitely one of the best parts about the film, with slick and great transitions. The great acting ensemble led by Min-Sik, in an acting performance worthy of all the award wins, truely up there with the greatest acting performances. Lee Woo-Jin, is a sick and demented villain who masterminded his own revenge against Dae-Su which would make your skin crawl. Park Chan-Wook’s directing and script are just great, such an original idea that only a mastermind like Chan-Wook can come up with. Oldboy’s cinematography is also great at adhering to the gritty and bleak setting of Oldboy, with one of my favourite shots in cinema history with Dae-Su leaning in purple lighting. Oldboy is truly one of my favourite films of all time and I demand everyone to watch this at one stage, a movie to watch before you die. I give this 5 Stars