Movies Home / Entertainment Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
Buy your copy from Amazon.com
| Oldboy (2005)
  
Starring: Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong KangDirector: Chan-wook Park Rating: R Category: Thriller  |
Asian cinema has been knocking on the door of the American moviegoer ever since director John Woo and action star Jackie Chan became household names, but it’s never really made an impact until now. Some of the best films of the year were harshly brushed aside ("House of Flying Daggers") and others were mutilated by Hollywood executives who attempted to Americanize the foreign film market of the East ("The Ring" and "The Grudge"). Finally, a film like “Oldboy” has hit the States like a falling meteor begging for the attention of the mass audience, and once “Oldboy” reels you in, it never lets go. Directed by Korean cult film icon Chan-wook Park, “Oldboy” is a visceral thrill ride of revenge unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.
Recently released from a local police station after being arrested for a drunken disorderly on his daughter’s birthday, Oh Dae-su (Min-sik Choi) is kidnapped and imprisoned in a room for fifteen years. As he watches news reports about the framed murder of his wife on the small television set that highlights his room, Dae-su slowly drives himself mad as he plans for revenge on the men that took away his life. Then, one day, Dae-su is suddenly set free on the top of a grass-covered city building. After befriending a quiet Sushi cook (Hye-jeong Kang) during his first days of freedom, Dae-su is approached by a beggar that hands him a cell phone and a wallet filled with money. The phone rings, and on the other end is an anonymous voice that challenges the aged drunkard to discover the reason for his imprisonment, not knowing that the mysterious figure is pulling the strings the whole way.
“Oldboy” never fails to test your nerves throughout, and the events that follow will continuously make you ask, “Did that just really happen?” But director Park isn’t about joking around. He is completely serious about the film’s themes and won’t stray from pounding unappetizing images into your head. In one scene, Oh Daesu battles an entire gang of angry Korean mobsters while bleeding from a knife sticking out his back and using only a simple hammer as a weapon. The lengthy battle that takes place in the small hallway is reminiscent of the familiar side-scrolling video games, but for American audiences, it will most closely resemble The Bride’s face-off with the Crazy 88’s in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill.”
Although the fight sequences in “Oldboy” are a lot rawer to the sophisticated moviegoer, the entire film follows in the same footsteps as Tarantino’s own revenge-drama, so it’s no surprise that the Asian cinema fanboy led the jury at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in awarding the film with the Grand Jury Prize, the runner-up award to the festival’s Palme d’Or and one that rivals the honor of even an Academy Award. Director Park deserves all of the acclaim that he has received for his work behind the camera, but star Min-Sik Choi is worthy of just as much in his fantastic turn as the formidable Oh Dae-su. Visually enthralling and cleverly presented, “Oldboy” is a revenge film for the ages with the makings of a classic written all over it.
DVD Features:
The single-disc release for the Korean shock-drama fincludes a decent amount of bonus material for the DVD nerd in us all. Highlighted by a full-length audio commentary track with director Chan-wook Park and cinematographer Jeong-hun Jeon, the DVD also features an interview with the director, deleted scenes with optional commentary, and the IFILM DVD trailer contest winner.
~Jason Zingale
jzingale@bullz-eye.com