Oldboy is a 2003 Korean movie loosely based on the Japanese manga of the same name. The movie is a cult classic with great reviews from critics. It has also won the Grand Jury prize at Cannes in 2004.
Coming to the movie, the film is the story of Oh Dae-su, a drunkard who is late to his daughter’s birthday because he is being held at a police station. He gets bailed out,but is soon kidnapped. He then wakes up in a room and begs to be let out. The room is a personal prison with a bed and a TV; he has no contact with the outside world. He finds through the news that his wife was killed and the police suspect him. Years go by and the time he spent imprisoned gives a chance for him to reflect on his wrong doings. After 15 years he wakes up to find himself on the roof of a building, he has been let out, what happens next forms the rest of the story.
Few films really live up to the hype they generate and this one does. The film is better, gory and disturbing than you’d expect before watching and the infamous, live squid eating scene thrown in for good measure (reportedly 4 squid were eaten before they got the scene right)just adds up to it. This film is not for the faint hearted. Nothing about this movie is simple.
The movie makes you want to guess what happens next and fill in the gaps. Unfortunately Hollywood already has a remake planned and I suggest you’d watch this masterpiece in its all original format before the remake comes out in 2013.
The actors did a great job especially Choi Min-sik (Oh Dae-su). There is a scene where he fights a big group of men and beats them all. The scene doesn’t seem forced or ridiculous at all, you get why a man like him could hit so many people, you’d feel his anger. The background score is amazing and every tune manages to convey the emotion of the scene it is playing at. The film has an emotional violence that is unexpected and an uneasy feeling which stays long after you finish watching it.
No comments:
Post a Comment