Old Boy is a jewel among such Korean movies and was probably one of the first that really brought this new movement in Korean cinema of ultra-stylized, violent thrillers into the international lime light. 

 

The plot of Old Boy is absolutely fresh and original and at times very very shocking. So a word of advice:  this movie is meant for mature audiences.

 

The movie begins when a drunken fat businessman named Oh Dae-su (played by the extremely talented Choi Min-sik) is kidnapped on the night of his daughter’s birthday. He wakes up inside a small room with just a TV and a bed. Little does he know that he will come to know this room all too well, because he is kept there in solitary confinement for the next 15 years with no explanation for his imprisonment, or any connection to the outside world.  

 

 

  

 

 

It’s amazing to watch Oh Dae-su initially lose his minds….attempting several suicides which are thwarted by his mysterious captors and how as the years go by, he transitions into a more focused and intense character motivated by vengeance and the need to escape. He starts training to fight in captivity, and starts to tunnel through the walls with only a spoon planning on escaping so that he could find and execute revenge on whoever kidnapped him.

 

But then one day, 15 years after the day he is taken captive, he suddenly finds himself inside a suitcase on top of a rooftop. He has finally been released, just as mysteriously and without explanation as he was kidnapped.  He steps into the outside world and is befriended by Mi-do; a young waitress in a sushi shop and together they set out to find out why Dae-su was imprisoned and more importantly- why he was mysteriously let go. What follows is one of the most perverse, twisted and convoluted tales you could ever imagine.

 

 

 

 

Old Boy is director Park Chan- wook’s second installment in what he calls his “Vengeance trilogy” ; three independent  thrillers about characters motivated by vengeance.  Absolutely brilliantly shot with amazing cinematography, it comes as no surprise that Old Boy won the 2004 Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival as well as critical praise by many including the president of the jury: the great Quentin Tarantino himself.

 

The performances delivered by all actors are top notch and special recognition should be given to Choi Min-sik for his excellent performance in doing such a great job at both emotionally and physically transforming himself right in front of our eyes. I also need to make a special mention about the villain in Old Boy.

 

He is without a doubt one of the most evil, warped and twisted villains you would ever find in cinema. Almost having a Shakespearean quality to him, actor Yoo Ji-tae delivers one of the best portrayals of a villain motivated by revenge and torment you would ever see. 

 

Old Boy stands as a great piece of movie making with excellent acting and a story that would make your heart wrench. An absolutely unique experience.

 

A definite 9.5 out of 10. 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed by Maleen Jayasuriya 

 

 

 

Oldboy (2003) 

 

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

 

After being kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in 5 days.

 

Director: Chan-wook Park

 

Writers: Garon Tsuchiya (story), Nobuaki Minegishi (comic)

 

Stars: Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu and Hye-jeong Kang