000064 - iReview - Old Boy

OLD BOY (2003)

Directed by: Chan-Wook Park
Starring: Min-sik Choi
Ji-tae Yu
Hye-jeong Kang
Rated R strong violence, torture, sex scenes and strong language

Synopsis: "An average man is kidnapped and imprisoned in a hotel room for 15 years without explanation. He then is released, equipped with money, a cellphone and expensive clothes. As he strives to explain his imprisonment and get his revenge, he soon finds out that not only his kidnapper has still plans for him, but that those plans will serve as the even worse finale to 15 years of imprisonment." From IMDb.com

Old Boy can be summarised as basically a revenge movie. But after watching it, you'll probably agree that this brilliant movie directed by Chan-Wook Park, is much more than that. Winner of the Grand Jury prize in the Cannes Film Festival, Best Foreign film in the British Independent Film Awards, and Best film in the Sitgez International Film festival, this film has just got to be seen to be appreciated.

We follow an average Korean businessman who begins in the movie as a drunk just been released from the police station for disorderly conduct. He wants to get home for his daughter's birthday but is mysteriously kidnapped and locked into a hotel room with only a TV as a companion for the next 15 years! This film gets even more exciting when he's let loose back into the world and he only has 5 days to find out who and more importantly why he was imprisoned.

While the protagonist isn't exactly likeable from the get-go, you'll find his plight and road of vengence sympathetic and he'll slowly grow on you. Perhaps it is this sympathy with our hero that the very violent fighting and torture scenes seem almost acceptable. And boy, are they very violent. There's a horizontally shot non-stop fighting scene that last for quite a bit that's almost like watching a beat 'em up video game in real life with flying blood and guts! The torture scenes literally made me squerm like a little girl (there's something disturbing about pulling teeth out with a hammer...)




There's also a twist towards the end of this movie that left me speechless and pretty much changed my entire view of all the characters. By the time the credits were scrolling onto the screen, a cocktail of feelings were brewing in my head. I was repulsed, twisted, relieved, and awestrucked. Strangely of all though, there was a part of me I wanted to actually see the movie again, just in case I had missed something!

I also realised after watching this movie, that I've recognised the thematics from this movie from another movie I had watched earlier this year. It was actually a short film within a set of 3 anthology short films called "Three". That movie was called Monster and it too was directed by Chan-Wook Park. The similarities are that it was about vengence and torture. And the vengence are very very petty, in my opinion. There was also a twist in Monster, too.

Old Boy is a richly made, well thought out, well written and thought provoking film that will have you in your seats eagering anticipating what the hero will do next in order to seek revenge on his captor. In some ways, it's also sick and perverted but just like in real life, you have the good, the bad and also the ugly, too. Highly recommended.

- 4/5 stars