MOVIE REVIEW . Oldboy

by Kris   ⋅   October 9, 2005   ⋅   Comment now   ⋅    RSS

Is this really happening? Like an old memory based in both surreal and logical demise, Oldboy reminds us of how unrealistic and unreliable reality can be. Held for fifteen years in a secret “holding cell hotel” by an anonymous kidnapper, main character Daesu Oh must (Shiri’s Min-sik Choi) sift through his old memories to figure out who the hell did this to him. The ironic thing of course, is he is the one “to blame, more so in his captor’s eye. Daesu Oh in Korean means “getting along with people”, but he just can’t seem to ever live up to that parental premonition. He soon fills entire notebooks naming his enemies and sins, imagined or real, all based on the brevity of his situation and his volatile personality. Funny, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy really; with kind, weary eyes, uncomfortable smile and unwieldy wiry Robert Smith hair, he emerges reminiscent of Gary Oldman (my favorite chameleon) in Leon (aka: The Professional) and Romeo is Bleeding. IMO, the latter presents several comparisons to style and character portrayal.

The magic of this movie and any movie is how an audience successfully attaches to, empathizes with and learns from its characters. Otherwise there really is no point in following these people for two hours, is there? Daesu leads us cleverly through this mystery, and although he is being overly cautious about displaying emotion, we can’t help but be receptive to his plight, to “feel his pain”, so to speak. Yet we have established that he is the antihero, and in aforementioned Romeo is Bleeding noir fashion, we will see him falter and fail, triumph and vantage, but must be prepared for an untraditional open-ended “conclusion”. But for now, let’s just focus on events during the movie.

Daesu eventually rejoins society and like a Vietnam War vet, has the media-popularized readjustment immersion phase. Remember, he’s been locked up for fifteen years, during which he was allowed to view selective entertainment television channels and a news broadcast of his wife’s murder, with his fingerprints planted at the scene. So he’s a fugitive; luckily he has physically transformed himself by shadowboxing an imaginary foe, but his offset ancient honorific tongue sets him apart. He goes for an innocent sushi dinner, but later discovers it was an implanted suggestion through routine hypnosis while under Valium gas sedation. He was programmed to meet and befriend the sushi chef, Mido, a young woman who seems genuinely concerned for his recovery and stability. She helps him up until she falls into a trap set up by Daesu’s web-chat savvy buddy but the two find that they are inseparable and brought together for a specific reason. They must continue together in order to uncover his enemy’s plans.

He learns that his daughter is in Europe, and it is his newfound goal to reach her.. after his revenge. Oldboy is the ultimate revenge film in that the torture is a progression and not a culmination of tiger-vs-monkey style combat or grand shootout bonanza resolution. It is a battle of mind-racking and almost life-swapping. It’s about the enigmatic pain we inflict on others in order to suffocate our own guilt. This is a 15-year-long “blame game” cat and mouse grudge match. It’s not without violence; it has medieval dentistry and the best fight scene with one long take and horizontal scrolling in a narrow hallway with over a dozen opponents who realistically attack and cower and eventually tire. Daesu’s determination is never breached as you witness him defeat scores even with a knife shoved into his spine. That’s just one wonderful example of profile shots with a purpose and not just for style. Throughout the movie there is so much filter-ific glamour cinematography to satisfy the most discerning eye-candy connoisseur. It’s tastefully done and if you find yourself taking a second peek or complete repeat viewing, you’ll notice the story promotion through the thoughtful angles. There’s also a fitting and sometimes jarring soundtrack and lovely esoteric editing to enhance the urgency and overall sardonic tone. Don’t be afraid to laugh out loud.

Oldboy makes us wonder.. if you really hated someone, would you release them? If you really loved someone, would you release them?

TRIVIA TIME: Oldboy is based on a Japanese Manga (comic book series). It is set for a U.S. remake (surprise, surprise) by Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow), whose concurrent queue includes The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Annapolis (the Naval Academy/boxing movie starring James Franco, Tyrese and Donnie “NKotB” Wahlberg). According to imdb, all three flicks share a 2006 release date.

About the Author

Kris Kobayashi-Nelson says these directors/screenwriters rarely disappoint: Peter Greenaway, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Gus van Sant. Gregg Araki. Kris claims that Jake Gyllenhaal, Cillian Murphy, Desmond Harrington and Casey Affleck are much more than pretty faces.

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