Oldboy (2003)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Oldboy (2003) -- C. W. Park

I waited a long time to see this because I'm not a fan of the ultra-violence that somehow is popular in some quarters.  But after seeing a clip in Mark Cousins' Story of Film (15 part series) and noting Oldboy's inclusion in a lot of lists, I thought I would check it out.  The set-up/premise grabbed me right away -- after a drunken night out, our protagonist, Oh Dae-su, wakes up in a small apartment which turns out to be his prison for 15 years.  He doesn't know who has imprisoned him or why.  When he gets out, it is his task to find out.  So, it is a thriller/mystery film and the clues keep coming.  In fact, there is a "Moriarty-like" character who taunts our hero (if that's what you can call him) as well.  So, the movie creates some suspense but its real pleasure is in its style, with a lot of audacious shots, split screens, and just plain panache (gratuitous violence and live octopus eating aside). Perhaps the content of the plot is a little too convoluted, a little too sick, but Chan Wook Park's aim was likely to try to top Tarantino or Gaspar Noe and in some ways he succeeds. Thrilling enough to recommend for those who have the tolerance for this sort of thing.