If you can imagine a film sketched out by Shakespeare, then directed by Sam Peckinpah, you get a good glimpse of Oldboy. Tragedy, characters teetering on or over the edge of madness, plots spanning decades, over-the-top passions, taboos and...
- 21.January.2011
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- by: foodfight
- foodfight rated this movie
 0/10
If you can imagine a film sketched out by Shakespeare, then directed by Sam Peckinpah, you get a good glimpse of Oldboy. Tragedy, characters teetering on or over the edge of madness, plots spanning decades, over-the-top passions, taboos and self-examination all that's missing from Shakespeare is masterful word play. As violent and bloody as any Peckinpah, although without the artful use of sound, Oldboy builds to one of the most horrific scenes I've ever seen. We had to stop the DVD, and didn't think we could watch the rest. But we were so compelled to see this through that we fast forwarded a few seconds, and were glad we continued.
Be advised, however, that this film is morose. If you have seen Kurosawa's Ran, this film has a familiar bleak, revenge-is-all, dark mindset. Unlike Kurosawa and Shakespeare, Oldboy is not a redeeming story. It is so morose that I wonder what it reflects of the societies in which the film has enjoyed popular success (are there any?).
So, it's morose, horrifically violent, yet it is much deeper than just that. If you don't have a weak stomach, there is a good chance you will find it mesmerizing, thought provoking and memorable.
- 21.January.2011
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- by: foodfight
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Every so often a foreign film comes along that makes Hollywood look like a city full of amateurs. Oldboy, with its captivating story, wonderful acting, and amazing style and direction does just that. Granted the movie's off-screen but still...
- 09.October.2009
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- by: Ethan Clapham
- Ethan Clapham rated this movie0/10
Every so often a foreign film comes along that makes Hollywood look like a city full of amateurs. Oldboy, with its captivating story, wonderful acting, and amazing style and direction does just that. Granted the movie's off-screen but still unnerving violence may not be for everyone, but if you can stomach it, Oldboy is a fantastic film.
Oldboy is the story of a man who wakes up to find himself imprisoned in a strange apartment-turned-cell. He has no idea why he's been imprisoned or who might be responsible. Time passes and the months turn to years. Suddenly, after 15 years of imprisonment, he is released. He's given five days to discover who is captor is and why he was kept locked up for so long. At this point, if I say anything else I'll be uncovering major plot points, and I don't want to do that. Unfortunately, any synopsis of Oldboy that doesn't include more detail can't possibly do the story justice. The finale is full of twists and turns and unexpected moments that have to be seen to be experienced.
The visual style in Oldboy is simply stunning. The director, Chan-wook Park, seems to have control of every element of every frame of every shot. The colors all complemented or contrasted each other perfectly. The camera work and editing was all top-notch. Basically, someone in Hollywood needs to offer the entire crew of Oldboy a job, because they are that good.
Thankfully, the DVD did a fantastic job recreating the imagery of Oldboy. Detail levels were superb in the close up shots and good in the long shots. The colors were perfectly saturated with no bleeding. Black levels remained consistent throughout and contrast was great. The DTS track put the surrounds to good use through nearly every scene. The discrete effects sounded great, along with the subtle ambiance sounds.
I think the best phrase I've heard used to describe this film is to say that Oldboy "hits like a punch to the groin." Check this one out, you won't be disappointed.
- 09.October.2009
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- by: Ethan Clapham
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Aside from Jeong-hun Jeong's expert cinematography, Yeong-wook Jo's inventive score, and a couple of genuine laughs and thrills, Park Chan-wooks Oldboy is a perfect example of style-over-substance. Point Blank and D.O.A.s lovechild meets Kafka as...
- 08.October.2009
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- by: j7m7f7
- j7m7f7 rated this movie
 10/10Must See
Aside from Jeong-hun Jeong's expert cinematography, Yeong-wook Jo's inventive score, and a couple of genuine laughs and thrills, Park Chan-wooks Oldboy is a perfect example of style-over-substance. Point Blank and D.O.A.s lovechild meets Kafka as drawn by a drunk Escher in a plot that unfolds as ludicrously as an episode of Nip/Tuck. As much as I love the sight of a live octopus being eaten, teeth being extracted with a clawhammer, tongues being severed, and most of all, incest; I cant help but wonder if its all a bit excessive.
Oh Dae-sus imprisonment, tortured rebirth and traumatic search for an explanation, perfectly presents an emblematic view of life as a spiritual trial. Of course, it would help if the film had the sense (or guts) to realize that. In the archetypal revenge flick, redemption for suffering takes form as an attempt to bring the suffering back to the author of it, at first glance, Oldboy is no different. Essentially, theres nothing wrong with this notion, and initially theres nothing wrong with it in Oldboy. The trouble is, the film doesnt have enough of a basis in realism to function emotionally, thus making its allegorically-brilliant (albeit borrowed) premise obsolete.
Though Park has structured the film so that you have to apply your attention to the intricacies of the plot in order to comprehend his point, he consistently downplays this cerebral quality with shock violence and a melodramatic denouement.
Whats impossible to deny is the fact that Park is a tremendously talented filmmaker. Where it succeeds viscerally, its analogously weak in character development and motivational clarity.
Ultimately, the supposedly clever twist, by which point the protagonists plight has taken on both, heightened significance and total irrelevance sums up the films problem, its just much ado about nothing.
- 08.October.2009
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- by: j7m7f7
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Good movie, but may not be for everyone.
Overall a pretty good movie. The plot goes though a few twists and turns, and the reasoning behind antagonist's actions can seem a bit ridiculous. Also, there was some taboo subject matter that will immediately turn some people off (reminded me of...
- 07.September.2009
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- by: LifeJuice
- LifeJuice rated this movie10/10Must See
Good movie, but may not be for everyone.
Overall a pretty good movie. The plot goes though a few twists and turns, and the reasoning behind antagonist's actions can seem a bit ridiculous. Also, there was some taboo subject matter that will immediately turn some people off (reminded me of a famous Greek tragedy). If you do decide to watch this movie go in with an open mind.
The Good
+overall the plot was pretty good
+cinematography was excellent
+music set the mood very well
+nice bits of dark humor
The Bad
-taboo subject matter/violence may turn off some viewers
-the plot can be a bit ridiculous at some points
- 07.September.2009
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- by: LifeJuice
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This one of those films that I wanted to enjoy more I just couldn't. The action was cool but a little few and far between. The suspense was excellent but the endings were a little too off the wall. I wanted Oh Dae-su to be more bad-a$$ but just...
- 17.July.2009
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- by: John Bardsley, Jr
- John Bardsley, Jr rated this movie8/10Great
This one of those films that I wanted to enjoy more I just couldn't. The action was cool but a little few and far between. The suspense was excellent but the endings were a little too off the wall. I wanted Oh Dae-su to be more bad-a$$ but just basically return to the same type of person in the end.
- 17.July.2009
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- by: John Bardsley, Jr
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Pure trash, so much buildup for a red-herring ending. Perverse and pointless movie whose main character is put in a rather boring unbelievable situation.
- 21.March.2009
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- by: jrs2010
- jrs2010 rated this movie2/10Bad
Pure trash, so much buildup for a red-herring ending. Perverse and pointless movie whose main character is put in a rather boring unbelievable situation.
- 21.March.2009
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- by: jrs2010
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A remarkable film with remarkably stylish and disturbing visuals. I cringed multiple times but even throughout the shocking images i was transfixed on the story. The abrupt shifts in the story are fascinating.
- 19.March.2009
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- by: Brad Cole
- Brad Cole rated this movie8/10Great
A remarkable film with remarkably stylish and disturbing visuals. I cringed multiple times but even throughout the shocking images i was transfixed on the story. The abrupt shifts in the story are fascinating.
- 19.March.2009
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- by: Brad Cole
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Something compelled to watch this movie from start to finish. That I had to do. It wasn't the good reviews, but I just needed to know what happened and why.
Well, now I do. I completely did not get this move. I am the first to admit I am not a...
- 19.March.2009
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- by: jedipunk
- jedipunk rated this movie4/10Disappointing
Something compelled to watch this movie from start to finish. That I had to do. It wasn't the good reviews, but I just needed to know what happened and why.
Well, now I do. I completely did not get this move. I am the first to admit I am not a foriegn film guy, but I have liked a good number of imports. Regardless, this was not for me.
It wasn't the violence. Personally, it was more tame than some other flicks. With the reviews I have seen, I expected alot worse. Somethings did make me cringe though.
I guess I found it completely unbelievable. I can't say more than that without ruining the plot.
Let me say this however, if you like foreign cinema then try it, Maybe I lost something in the culture translation. If you have any hesitation, skip it.
I will check out the other two revenge films out there. Just to see.
- 19.March.2009
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- by: jedipunk
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