Oldboy

[onyx98]

I know Oldboy comes out this friday but if your were lucky like me and got the DVD you know what its all about. I thought the movie was awesome and one of the better thriller/horror movies I've seen in awhile. Joblo was right to put this film at the number 1 spot for 2004! Got to love the octpus secene, anyone else seen it? and if you have what did you think?

[KcMsterpce]

There's still an active thread on this under the Foreign Films section in GENERAL MOVIE TALK.

http://www.joblo.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=78099

but I liked it. (http://www.angelfire.com/film/kcmsterpce0/reviews/oldboy.html) :)

[Fisting Ackbar]

^^^ The thread in Foreign Film Talk should definitely be kept alive, but I guess not everybody checks out that forum so this topic here is still a cool way to get people to know about it.

And having been lucky enough to see it on the big screen myself, I do recommend that you see it that way if you get the chance. You could of course always import or download it, but for this movie it's just a much cooler experience seeing it in a theater :)

[Jon Lyrik]

<<<===It's my favorite movie of the year so far, and I expect it to stay that way considering after only one viewing it shot up high into my all-time favorite films list. The coolest revenge movie ever.

[ilovemovies]

The trailer did nothing for me but the premise is intriguing. I'll see this though I'll probably have to wait for DVD.

[ShaggyLpool]

Got this on DVD and im gutted I never caught it on the cinema. At least the DVD has a DTS soundtrack tough because the music is amazing.

One of most original amazing disturbing brilliant films ive seen in a long time

[Tuukka]

My favourite of 2004. It's not without it's share of problems, especially during the 3rd act, but it's still a solid 9/10.

It should be warned thought that the internet hype for this has been so enormous that people should lower their expectation a bit in order to not to be disappointed.

Also, in the case of this movie it's better the less you know about it beforehand.

[Strider]

I'm dying to check Oldboy out. I've heard a lot of great things about the film. I just hope the film plays at one of my local indie/arthouse theaters. If not, I'll have to wait for the DVD release.

Strider

[EDsoulsurvive*]

It's coming to my independent cinema soemtime in April so I've recently convinced my friend to go with me. I really don't know much about it, but Joblo's review has me sold.

[bskutle]

"Oldboy"- A
A drunken businessman is detained by the police. It is his daughter's birthday. He is released. He makes a call to his daughter apologizing and saying he'll be home soon. His friend then gets on the phone. The businessman disappears without a trace, however, when the friend wants to put him back on the phone. Where did he go? He's been kidnapped and locked in a hotel room by his captor, where he will stay for 15 years before being released as abruptly as he was snatched. Who took him? Why was he taken? Those are the mysteries that the businessman- named Oh Dae-su (played with haunting and hypnotic intensity by Choi Min-sik)- will be trying to unravel for the rest of this fresh, startling, and disturbing crime thriller from Korea, a recent hot-bed of exciting filmmaking (see this and last year's "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring"). The director of this film is Chanwook Park, a hot commodity among the geeks like Ain't It Cool News' Harry Knowles, who's been championing this talent since he saw his debut film in 2002, "Sympathy and Mr. Vengeance" (which is worth tracking down on the imported DVD for those who check out underground video stores). That "Oldboy"- which was the "runner-up" at Cannes last year behind "Fahrenheit 9/11"- has gotten a limited run is a testement to the hype surrounding Park- that he's the real thing means it's more than just hype. Both "Sympathy" and "Oldboy" have their moments of nausia-inducing unpleasantness (in "Oldboy," it's when Dae-su eats a live squid), but both are fascinating explorations of revenge- the emotions that motivate it, the events that inspire it, the guilt that comes with it (for both the avenger and the avenged upon), and the moral that in the end, vengeance never brings closure. Park brings narrative imagination not only to the writing (he cowrote the film with Jo-yun Hwang and Chun-hyeong Lim) but the directing, leaving the audience off-guard and taking the story to unexpected places emotionally and turning the story on it's head in an unsettling finale that questions the morality of the main character, who we've come to understand and sympathize with throughout the movie. But as I said, vengeance never brings closure, which is just what Park is telling us with this final, haunting scene of this smart and rigerous powerhouse.

[sightless]

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance*

[bigred760]

Review: Oldboy

Damn!! I finally caught this movie after hearing all the ravings about it (mostly from this website) and hot damn if I can't agree with you people. What an awesome mind f*ck!! This movie had me inside the whole damn time. You want to know what the hell is going on with this guy, you have to know for crying out loud. The pace of the movie is so perfect - you're following this guy, listening to his account of what's he's thinking - and also following along, somewhat, with his tormentor.
But when you get to the end, you wish you'd never gotten into the movie theatre - it's that freakin' mindblowing.
This movie is graphic in so many ways - from the final secret to the 2-3 minute fight scene (uncut mind you, all one continuous shot - kickass). And this isn't a martial arts fight scene, like I was half expecting, but a gruesome fist fight with hammers and knives and all kinds of other stuff. It adds to the atmosphere of this movie - to the dark tone of the revenge story.
And the characters make it all come together. You feel sorry for the main guy throughout and basically see everything through his POV (very much like Memento in that aspect). And his performance at the end was just perfect - but at that point you're so shocked you're not sure what to make of him or the situation.
If you want a love story or beating the odds, character-driven drama - don't see this movie. If you're into movies that screw with your mind - this is definitely the flick for you.

9/10

[ChemicalRomance]

Originally posted by bigred760
Review: Oldboy

Damn!! I finally caught this movie after hearing all the ravings about it (mostly from this website) and hot damn if I can't agree with you people. What an awesome mind f*ck!! This movie had me inside the whole damn time. You want to know what the hell is going on with this guy, you have to know for crying out loud. The pace of the movie is so perfect - you're following this guy, listening to his account of what's he's thinking - and also following, somewhat, with along his tormentor.
But when you get to the end, you wish you'd never gotten into the movie theatre - it's that freakin' mindblowing.
This movie is graphic in so many ways - from the final secret to the 2-3 minute fight scene (uncut mind you, all one continuous shot - kickass). And this isn't a martial arts fight scene, like I was half expecting, but a gruesome fist fight with hammers and knives and all kinds of other stuff. It adds to the atmosphere of this movie - to the dark tone of the revenge story.
And the characters make it all come together. You feel sorry for the main guy throughout and basically see everything through his POV (very much like Memento in that aspect). And his performance at the end was just perfect - but at that point you're so shocked you're not sure what to make of him or the situation.
If you want a love story or beating the odds, character-driven drama - don't see this movie. If you're into movies that screw with your mind - this is definitely the flick for you.

9/10

Nice review!

Just wondering...why no 10?

[St_Anger]

I caught this movie at Sundance and I was blown away. This is one mind fuck of a movie. I really wish hollywood would grow some balls and start producing movies this badass. 9/10

[Mr-Blonde]

The way that everybody raves about this film only builds my anticipation for seeing this. My curiosity is officially peaked.

[bigred760]

Originally posted by ChemicalRomance
Nice review!

Thank you.


Just wondering...why no 10?

I like to give 10s to what I feel are classics or destined classics or my personal favorites (Godfather, Memento, Unforgiven, so on, so forth).
I didn't think this one compared to these movies. The actual subject matter (at the end especially) is a little gruesome too.