Oldboy (2003)

Movie Rating R Contains: Strong Language Violence Graphic Violence Sex Mature Situations

Director: Chan-wook Park Movie Genre: Action, Revenge Country: South Korea Oldboy Score Card The following scores are based on a 0.0 to 10.0 rating scale Hover your mouse pointer over the name of each scoring category below for a description Direction: 9.0 Writing: 8.0 Acting: 9.0 Cinematography: 9.8 Sound and Score: 6.0 Functionality: 9.0 Presentation: 8.0 Genre Comparison: 9.0 General Comparison: 8.8 Overall: 8.5 Reviewed 2005-11-29 00:22:12

Korean director Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy is about Dae-su Oh, a man who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years. Once Dae-su Oh is set free, he is given five days to find out who imprisoned him and why he was imprisoned. Although the premise of this story is infeasible, it is easy to follow and works well with the context of the movie.

Min-sik Choi’s outstanding performance as Dae-su Oh demands attention. When Dae-su Oh is introduced, he is drunk and on his way home with a birthday present for his daughter. This opening sequence shows that Dae-su Oh has good intentions, but falls short when it comes to their execution. When he is captured and imprisoned, Dae-su Oh’s spirit is all but broken. After his release, we see that Dae-su Oh has received a second chance at life and when he realizes that his captors are actually still in control, it is almost impossible not to sympathize with him.

The violence in Oldboy is plentiful, but not excessive. Every scene of brutality is well justified by the narrative. When Dae-su Oh beats a mob of people with a claw hammer, we know that they deserve it for having a part in his imprisonment. Even with the violence only being in place to further the story, a few scenes may be too disturbing for some viewers.

Oldboy is one of the best revenge movies ever made. There are disturbing moments in the movie, but there is never a time when they feel unnecessary. With Oldboy, Chan-wook Park set a precedent for the way violence and brutality should be displayed, and set a standard for all revenge movies to come.