I bet you $100 that after you watch this movie I’m about to review, you’ll have your jaw wide open, you’ll look around the room in horror, and you’ll repeat these exact words; “What the fuck was that?” In other words you’ll love it. So turn the lights off, kick the kids out, and prepare yourself for a mind-fucking good time.

Director: Chan-wook Park

Released: November 21, 2003

Genre: Foreign( Korean), Action, Suspense, Drama…it’s basically a little bit of everything.

 

What The Hell Is It About:

 

I’m definitely a huge fan of foreign films and this is no exception. I must warn you, however, that this movie is very “outside the box”. You have to go into it with an open mind. There are a lot of concepts in this movie which may be disturbing but that’s what makes the movie so fresh and appealing.

 

The movie follows the life of Oh Dae-Su (Min-sik Choi), a typical Korean businessman. We first see Oh Dae-Su intoxicated and making a fool of himself in a police station. Oh Dae-Su’s best friend No Joo-hwan (Dae-han Ji) bails him out and prepares to take Oh Dae-Su home. No Joo-hwan calls Oh Dae-Su’s family to let them know he’s safe and on his way home. Once No Joo-hwan turns around Oh Dae-Su has disappeared. And that’s when this movie takes off.

 

We next see Oh Dae-Su in a small apartment with a bed, television, and shower. There are no means of escape and Oh Dae-Su is just as confused as the audience as to why he’s there. Oh Dae-Su spends the next 15 years of his life in this room. Can you believe that shit? The only window Oh Dae-Su has to the outside world is his television. Oh Dae-Su, while watching television, realizes that his wife has been murdered, and his daughter has been placed with foster parents. Since Oh Dae-Su is nowhere to be found he is considered the primary suspect. Oh Dae-Su finds creative ways to keep himself busy, by shadowboxing or giving himself tattoos. Every time Oh Dae-Su tries to kill himself or dig his way out he is gassed into unconsciousness. When he awakes his hair and nails are cut and his room is cleaned.

http://koreanfilm.org/trbic-oldboy.html

 

Then for no apparent reason Oh Dae-Su is released. Understandably, Oh Dae-Su’s 15 years in the tiny room has caused him to go insane. Oh Dae-Su smiles and laughs unexpectedly, bursts into rage without notice, and steals without reason. Oh Dae-Su is not told why he was released and all he has to go off of is the familiarity of the dumplings he was fed while imprisoned. Oh Dae-Su now goes in search of his captors. On his search Oh Dae-Su runs into Mi-do (Hye-jeong Kang), a young Korean artist, who feels sympathetic toward Oh Dae-Su’s situation and takes him into her home. I should probably let you know that Mi-do meets Oh Dae-Su while he’s eating a live squid and then passes out in a restaurant. (Fucking Weird!) A relationship between the two ensues and Mi-do agrees to help Dae-Su in his plot for vengeance.

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/?p=18

With Mi-do’s help Oh Dae-Su finds the building that contained his apartment like prison. Armed with only a hammer Oh Dae-Su fights his way through hallways trying to get to the warden. And when I say he fights his way, I mean he fights his way. Once he gets to the warden he tortures (crazy scene) him for information on why he was imprisoned. The warden, looking less than pleasant, provides Oh Dae-Su with tape recordings of the man who has captured him. All that the captor says is, “Oh Dae-Su talks too much.”

http://www.gamespot.com/users/ArthurYanthar2/

The following day, Oh Dae-Su is confronted by a man named Woo-jin (Ji-tae yu), a slick looking Korean millionaire, who reveals himself as Oh Dae-su’s kidnapper. Woo-jin tells Oh Dae-Su that if he can figure out why Woo-jin kidnapped him, Woo-jin would kill himself. But if Oh Dae-Su cannot figure out why Woo-jin kidnapped him, Woo-jin would have Mi-do murdered.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Lee_Woo-jin_smug.jpg

 

Now this is where I’m going to have to stop. This movie has an unbelievable twist at the end. And I would not like to ruin that for anybody. The last twenty minutes of this movie makes you want to punch monkeys, that’s how crazy it is.

 

My Opinion:

 

Chi’s performance is breathtaking and refreshing. His portrayal of Oh Dae-Su is something to applaud. If he was at my house I’d high-five him…seriously. The camera work is gritty and colorful. There is a bit of a comic book-like feel to the movie. The fight sequences are absolutely amazing. I actually rewound the fight sequences three times after the movie. The fights are realistically portrayed and shot in wide angles. I warn you that this is a very violent movie. There is a lot of blood! The sexual nature of this movie is probably the most disturbing part of the movie, which is saying a lot. But overall I find this movie to be refreshing. The movie explores a completely new concept, or at least one that US film makers are not prepared to explore. The shock value of this film is definitely up there with “The Crying Game” and “The Usual Suspects”. Overall, I loved this movie.

 

So take it from JohnnyD: if you’re looking for a completely new genre of film, blood, ass-kicking, taboo sex, people eating live animals, and an unbelievable ending, this is the movie for you.

I give it 4 out of 5 Neaves