Review: Oldboy

Oldboy

Park Chan-wook

Review: As far as foreign film making goes, there are few directors with as large a catalogue of quality films as Park Chan-Wook. It seems according to my friends that he releases banger after banger - but for some reason, "Oldboy" stands above them all as the most critically acclaimed. I think after watching the film, I can see why, but having seen it I can also see how a Director with this many good ideas could have many films that dedicated fans think far surpass it. Let's talk about why I think this movie is so well received, and why I personally did not love it as much as some of my friends.

         Now I wanna get out of the way that "Oldboy" is an incredibly difficult film to talk about spoiler free. I don't know if I've ever seen a Movie that's more important to watch blind, so if you do want that perfect blind watch, I'll tell you that it is undoubtedly worth your time and that you will probably like it. I'll try to speak with as much care as possible though, so with that all said this is your warning.

         "Oldboy" tells the story of Oh Dae-su's life, a seemingly notorious drunk who is one day imprisoned in an unknown facility for 15 years of his life. He is then released, and is left wondering who imprisoned him, why they imprisoned him, and why they let him go. It's an incredibly engaging setup and is presented in such a way as to bolster intrigue in an already compelling mystery. Every night gas is pumped into his room to put him to sleep, what purpose does this serve? He is kept in what looks like a hotel room and has access to television during his fifteen year stay, why would the person who imprisoned him care to make him feel comfortable? Also why is he released after fifteen years, not ten, or twenty? These little things help not only to present the viewer with more questions, but further instill a sense of discomfort at seeing something so familiar twisted and warped in such a way. The fact that it is not simply a prison, but a homely chamber pushes this surreal feeling, almost an uncanny valley that really serves to make the viewer even more uncomfortable, and really helps you sympathize with what is happening to Oh Dae-su. This amazing blend of surrealism and mystery carries the film all the way until its end, and aside from a few points of confusion with how certain revelations make any sense at all (things that may have been mostly misunderstanding on my part), is really what carries the film on its back. If it was simply a mystery though, I don't think it would be seen as the powerhouse Korean masterpiece that it is often described as. It's how the movie uses these mysteries to present a compelling ideological question forcing the viewer to engage with and think about morals they deemed comfortable, that makes it so well received.

         Come the end of "Oldboy", I can safely say that I didn't feel good inside. This is almost certainly the intention of the Director, and I think it's what makes so many people drawn to the film as a piece of art. It presents these philosophical questions in such a way that it really feels like there is no right answer. It toys with your feelings of ideas you thought so safe and comfortable, and forces you to face them head-on, and I alongside others love this aspect of the film - I just wish I didn't have to suspend my disbelief so much to get there.

         I'm going to quote a comment I found on reddit by a user I unfortunately can no longer find since I think it perfectly describes my qualms with the movie and that is that, the villain in this movie's plan requires "comic book villainy levels of ridiculousness to succeed." When you really stop and consider this fact, and the ramifications of it on the entire narrative, it really puts in perspective just how ludicrous the entire setup of this movie is. The amount of steps the villain has to take for his plan to succeed, how many things have to go right, and how unbelievable many of the events that do occur are, just leaves me agreeing in saying that this villain is comic book levels of villainous - and it makes sense since this film was apparently based off a manga of the same name. At times I can laugh it off, but at other times I'm just shaking my head asking what the hell is going on. It feels like a K-Drama, one that is super good, but hilariously over the top none the less. If it weren't for this aspect of the film though, it just could not present its narrative in the same way. It's just unfortunate to me that it so frequently took me out of the experience of the movie. This issue to me has more to do with the source material though than with any fault of the Director, and is a big part of the reason I want to watch some of Park Chan-wook's other films as I think he has insane amounts of potential.

Recommendation: First off I want to get out there that this movie is incredibly violent. There's a lot of blood, some gore, the works. Some people like that shit, personally it's not my cup of tea. Like I also said, it's also very K-Drama. It is super melodramatic and has characters often acting outside the bounds of perceivable reality to achieve their goals. Some people love this, some people find it a turn off, I feel pretty strongly in the middle. If a thought provoking, melodramatic, super over the top, action-mystery film seems awesome, definitely check this one out. I'm unsure whether or not there's a better movie with the above attributes. If you are on the fence, I would urge you to check it out. Overall if you can stomach it, I think it's an incredibly enjoyable movie with awesome ideas and hilariously ludicrous stakes. It just pushed the bounds of my suspension of disbelief a bit too hard.

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And those are my thoughts on "Oldboy"! I'll be back soon with my review/critique on "100 Years of Solitude" shortly, until then!