Oldboy (****)
review by Jon
Waterman
Oh Dae-Su was captured after being released from police custody
one night. Without knowing why or who was behind it, he was
locked in what seemed to be a hotel room for fifteen long years,
commemorating each one with a self-inflicted tattoo. Upon his
release, he set out to take revenge on his captors. Once he
finds them, he finds himself in need of closure. In order to
find out why he was held captive (while his wife was murdered – which
was blamed on him), he must do some detective work and utilize
every single resource he has. If he doesn’t find out
the truth, something unspeakable might happen.
Director Chan-wook Park (“Sympathy
for Mr. Vengeance”),
alongside cinematographer Jeong-hun Jeong, creates a remarkable,
dank world in which the Dae-Su explores. His visual style is
somehow subtly flashy. All of the “cool” camera
tricks and maneuvers actually have meaning and substance behind
them, which is pretty rare these days. He knows just the right
angles and perspectives to make the story and the visuals come
alive.
In addition, the acting is some of the best I’ve seen,
especially in a foreign film. Normally foreign movies that
make it across seas are known more for their directors or for
the stories told, rather than the acting. This film does well
with all three. Min-sik Choi (“Shiri”) plays Oh
Dae-Su to perfection. He effortlessly blends in a balance of
comedic oaf and rugged action star, while at the same time
delivering powerful, emotionally draining scenes. There is
no way you won’t be on this guy’s side. Ji-tae
Yu (“Attack the Gas Station!”) plays a wonderfully
evil villain without resorting to the typical conventional
behavior. For once, the bad guy isn’t transparent. And
Yu makes it particularly tough to really get inside his mind
and truly understand his perspective, thus making him that
much more frightening. The only weak part is by relative newcomer
Hye-jeong Kang who plays Mi-do, a sushi chef and Dae-Su’s
potentially untrustworthy love interest. She has mostly good
moments, but sometimes slips into over-acting.
The big surprise ending actually isn’t all that surprising.
Well, at least the major element of it isn’t. But the
whole scenario is virtually un-guessable and incredibly shocking.
But more importantly, the film grabs you (as Dae-Su grabs the
suicidal man on the top of the roof) right from the beginning
and never lets go. You’ll run through the gamut of emotions
without ever feeling like the film is disjointed or trying
to be something it’s not. The movie is simply amazing
and without question one of the best films I’ll see this
year.
respond to jon@filmbrats.com
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