Oldboy (Two-Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [2003]

This film is absolutely spectacular! I have to say i became enthralled by japanese/chinese/korean films because of this film. Min-sik Choi (oh dae su) plays a great leading role as a manic and desperate man locked up with no reason given. Oh dae su looks great in his black suit and his shade (which i think only he could pull off!) The plot of the film is simple, just read the tag line "15 years of imprisonment, five days of vengeance". It is very stylised and the music goes perfectly with some of the scenes! What i love about this film is the fact that it sticks true to the character. He has been locked up for 15 years so you do not expect him to have attained super human martial arts skills! and this is exactly what happens! his fighting technic is quite thuggish, brutal and rough! his desperation of trying to solve the mystery of the film can be seen in his acting as well as his fighting technic! The part with the tooth brush! quite genuis! as you would not expect him to use that as a weapon! The fight scene in the corridor is quite reminiscent of the street fighter games and the scene with the hammer............. well i wont spoil it but you have to have a strong stomach to watch what he does with! if you dont even cringe at what he does YOUR NOT HUMAN. In parts it is darkly humourous (if you appreciate that kind of humour) and you cant help but laugh at the manic character and his insane attitude! all in all... a great film with a simple plot, great cast and teriffic fighting scenes The ending of the film is quite horrific i have to say!(what oh dae su finds out) I really did not expect that and the punishment that oh dae su recieved seems quite excessive of the crime he commited! The ending is also great as well as it leaves the viewer to make their own decision on what has happened. If you havent seen it yet! WATCH IT! Your truely missing OUT! (it is subtitled)

For those who enjoy adult films with adult themes this is a film I could not recommend highly enough. Some will say it's too disturbing which is fair to say as it can be a bridge too far for people not used to films containing such themes. Some say it's slow and it does deal with character building and information seeking as much as, if not more than, the action scenes, which is not a criticism, I think it's perfect the way it is and I'm a fan of the "slow film" as they allow more tension to be built in my opinion and this doesn't just do it well, it masters it and sets the bar ever so highly for other films wanting to implement a twist at the end. The violence while some parts graphical isn't as graphical as you may expect, a lot of it is done with clever camera use and editing to make you see it mentally rather than visually. It's beautifully shot, I love the use of camera, very stylishly presented. The soundtrack compliments the film so well, I'd go as far as to say it's one of the best I've heard in a film before, the contrast of emotion in the different themes is really appreciated. This is not a film you'd want to see with a family member let me tell you, it's a film you'd probably want to see with a friend, or if your girlfriend/boyfriend didn't mind the nature of the film, but probably a friend/alone. It's a very thought-provoking movie and there are a references throughout that you capture on a second viewing you most definitely won't on the first. A lot of people 'got it' but were confused by a lot of different elements so I would recommend repeat viewings (Don't worry, the film still holds up for repeat viewings, even when you know the end twist.) Overall I give this movie 5 out of 5, and I rarely give films such high ratings, but this left me completely stunned in a good way. I had so much to think through after the credits rolled, I wanted to watch it again straight after, which again is rare. The film has flaws like any film does, but they are so minor when compared to the whole product they are virtually unrecognisable. It may be a modern masterpiece and one of the few films I've seen since 2000 that left me shaking my head in appreciation, such is the quality of this movie.

The story comes from a Japanese comic book of the same name, in which an ordinary family man is suddenly kidnapped and placed in a cell dressed up as a hotel room. Given no explanation for his confinement or the murder of his wife, Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) spends the next 15 years alone, weaving in and out of hallucinatory states with only a television to keep him company. Old Boy is nothing short of brilliant compelling viewing, suspenseful and ultra-violent - you won't see many films like this one in a lifetime. It not for everyone - it is violent and shocking in its nature and subject matter - but we can't have Bridget Jones in every film - and we don't that either do we!!! Most negative reviews can't seem to handle the gratuitous violence, but personally feel it is necessary to express what Oh Dae-Su has been through the past 15 years. The film takes you away on a roller-coaster ride of human emotions, a brilliant plot, and sheer brilliance. The acting is absolutely superb throughout. Min-sik Choi did a great job as Oh Dae-Su and Chan-wook Park's direction was top notch. All I need to see to sum up this film really is - What a film - see it! I am so glad I went into this film not knowing it's twists (hence I won't give any of them away here) as it really is fantastic working them out as the film is progressing and I can't help but think the film would be a lesser (albeit still a great one) experience if you know what was going to happen.

A great film, as a western viewer I found the different style refreshing. That said it is cold, dark and disturbing. The whole revenge & vengeance thing did not grab me at all. In some films you can really feel the bloodlust that a wrongdoing scenario creates (eg. as in To Kill a Mockingbird). In this film I did not feel that for either character. So the consequent ultra-violent acts of revenge felt darker, hollow and psychopathic (revenge served ice cold I suppose - just empty).

Really brilliant film. Leans heavily towards a comic-book tone at times, but apparently, the story is based on a Japanese manga (black and white comic). I have to confess the casting choice to have one of the characters be played by an actor of way too young an age does make the plot really quite confusing for me, I spent too much time thinking that character must be the son of another character as they'd have been a child during the events they're supposed to play a part in. There's also a little reliance on things like hypnosis to make some of the plot points make sense, and as someone who really doesn't believe in that kind of thing it left bits of the film feeling a little far fetched. But while I might be the kind of stickler who gets hung up on those sorts of details, I still loved the vast majority of the film. It's wild, engaging, and full of style. The Arrow release bundles in a nice set of special features including some deleting scenes and a few different commentary tracks. The picture is also sharp and colorful, though a few scenes towards the end do look a bit lower quality (like the focus was slightly off). Nothing terribly distracting though. I'd consider spending the extra money on the Vengence Trilogy though, as it appears to contain everything this release does as well as the two other movies in the trilogy. It's not too different in price, especially on sale. Had I seen it, I'd have probably gone for that version as Oldboy has left curious to try the other two movies now.

Breathtaking

Oldboy is the best film of the last decade. To understand why this film is so good you have to see it. No review can do Oldboy any justice. Oldboy plot surrounds a man who was kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years while his wife was brutally murdered. After spending 15 years in his cell he is released to find out the reason why it was done to him. It's a surreal, twisted tale of vengeance featuring brilliant direction, haunting performances and rock solid script. Oldboy is a very brutal and intelligent film that makes you think. And that's a hard thing to pull off. The violence is shocking, brutal but it fits the tone of the film. Sadly the upcoming Hollywood remake might taint the legacy of this masterpiece. The sound and picture quality is stellar. There are again no English dub which is a good thing. Foreign films should be seen in their original languages. The audio is Korean with English subtitles. There are 3 commentary tracks and a trailer. Commentary tracks are in Korean so you will have to read subtitles. If you want more extra features then you should get 2 disc edition. Oldboy is amazing and should be seen by any film fans.

First of all i'd like to point out that if you are expecting to see an action film, then you are looking in the wrong place. Yes, this film has action, plenty of it, but this is so much more than action. This is a very deep film about an extremely desperate man. Our hero gerts locked up for 15 years and then is released for no apparent reason. He is given a mobile phone and some cash. When he finds the culpret he is given 5 days to find out why he was locked up. This is where a lot of the action begins as the hero searches for the answers he seeks. This film contains some very shocking scenes. It can be difficult to watch at times because our hero is quite disturbed and rather pathetic, but tough as hell. It is hard to write a review of this film because it's so unique. This film is brilliant. The director is a genius, the lead actor is compelling. The ending is earth shattering. Placing it in any category would be impossible. But believe me, I was moved by it, you will be too.