Oldboy (2003)

Number two in the Vengeance trilogy. Can it be better the Mr Vengeance? And will it be overshadowed by Lady Vengeance, released only two years later? And How dark and twisted can Chan-wook Park make this film?

Me? I'm a sort of scholar. And my major is you. A scholar studying Dae-su Oh; an expert on Dae-su Oh. 

Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone. 

If they had told me it was going to be fifteen years, would it have been easier to endure?




Yes, I did just use three different quotes. Why? Because I love them all and can't choose just one to use.

There are references to Sympathy for Mr Vengeance throughout this review. If you have not already read it, you can find it here.

So what happens in the follow up to Sympathy for Mr Vengeance? After all, the end was pretty conclusive and felt like the end of a story. Well, this time we follow new characters with an all new story. The vengeance trilogy ins't connected by story or characters. It is linked by one thing. The theme of revenge.

Our story follows Dae-Su Oh, a man who was suddenly and unexpectedly kidnapped. Soon after, his wife is brutally murdered and he is framed for it. He is imprisoned for 15 years then, without warning or explanation and on the verge of escape, he is let free. He is given a wallet and mobile phone. On his first day out a stranger calls and asks him to try and figure out why he was imprisoned. He meets a young girl (Mi-Do) who promises to help him solve the enigma and get revenge. Finally Dae-Su meets his kidnapper who proposes they play a game. If Dae-Su can find out why he was imprisoned, his kidnapper will kill himself. If he can't find out why, the girl dies. He has five days to solve this new puzzle.

It is clear from the very beginning that this will not be a regular 'Hollywood' style revenge film. And once again Chan-Wook gives us an enthralling tale of love and revenge. The opening scene to this film is something which every director should take into account when creating a film. It introduces the main character, shows us what he was like before his imprisonment and then goes straight into the prison scene. By the time he was free, I had forgotten that wasn't the whole film. It was such an interesting and well done story that I had enjoyed that as a whole film, even though it is not more than half an hour long.

The acting throughout this film is always at a constant high. Each actor and actress plays their character superbly and really get into character. There is even one point when Dae-Su Oh eats a live squid. Yes. Live squid. Still moving. This isn't even done purely for the shock value or for the sake of doing it, it is actually a plot point which is brought up later in the film.

Below is the opening scene to Old Boy, with an extra couple of minutes from the imprisonment scene. Please note, there is strong language throughout.



The story keeps most things, except the plot and plot twists, simple. There are very few key actors to know about and they are all easily recognisable. The only time there are any real visual changes for the characters are before, during and after the imprisonment for Dae-Su Oh and for his kidnapper from hiding who he is, to showing us who he really is. Most people have defining characteristics, Mi-Do is the only woman with a main role, there is a blonde actor, one with golden teeth, a fat one, Dae-So (The messy one) and his kidnapper.

Although the story is complex and complicated, it is rarely confusing. Little detail is given throughout but it doesn't weigh heavily on the film. Instead it is left behind and only brought up when it is needed to. Also the ending of the film explains everything which hasn't already been explained.

The music in this film is considerably more prominent than it was in Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, and this works well with the rest of the filming. There are, however, differences in the style of the films which shouldn't have happened. For starters, this film has a lot more animation than Mr Vengeance and it isn't very good. It is used mostly to show the passing of time, but there other times when there could have been an easier alternative.

Most characters are well developed, but those that aren't really stand out in the crowd as someone who is there but isn't important. Those that are developed are well thought out, even if their background is left a little late in the film sometimes.

The locations and look of this film is astounding for the most part. And maybe that is because of just how few effects are used. Tiny little details are added to characters which can be easily missed, but when they are noticed, it is very clear and obvious. Such as scars on Dae-su Oh's wrist and knuckles from when he was imprisoned.

Everything in this films storyline seems to have a purpose, just like almost everything else on screen. Each character has his/her role to play for this film and they are played well. The shots used make the film feel well thought out and planned, where as the plot points really show off the skills of Chan-Wook Park and Garon Tsuchiya (the guy wrote wrote the original story). This film comes highly recommended from me, as it is one of the best films I have ever seen. There is very little to not enjoy about this film, and those things that aren't as good as the rest are still often of a good quality.

Finally I would like to show you one of the best scenes in this whole film. It took 17 takes over the space of three days to do. There are no cuts or transitions and the only animation in this whole scene is with the knife in Dae-Su Oh's back. Unlike most Hollywood action/fighting scenes, this actually feels realistic. Most of the blows seem to connect with the actors, even with the hammer in a couple of places. This is just another example of why Hollywood films cannot compete with other films.



There are so many great things about this film. It is one of the best I have ever seen. In fact, I haven't ever seen a Hollywood film as well done as this film. Yes it has its odd moments, but flashback are done so well, and at the end the memory changes so it mirrors exactly what the person is doing/thinking about to do. It is astounding. This film has gone down so popular over the years, so popular that the Americans are now making a version of it. Using a different director. This isn't going to end well.

Rating: 9.4/10