I watched it entirely, being literally disgusted for the most of it. The acting and shooting are great no doubt about it, the movie is smooth and stuff... But...
Even with a few research I couldn't find any explanation on the movie plot nor on its meaning. I can say some things about it from what I understood but it's just some random phrases I could say.
This movie is just a show of odd fantasy which should be banned from our world to my view...
I can't recommend it.
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Stunts - 78/100
Narrative - 86/100 | Incredibly well-rounded script, intricate characters, and fully-realized villain that unfortunately don’t do much for me on a personal level... BUT this film is so well-crafted and delightfully twisted that it’s a great watch no matter what. Park Chan-Wook is a wizard behind the camera.
Fight Choreography - 88/100 | What is there left to say about the hallway scene? Hundreds of YouTube comments reading something along the lines of "best fight scene ever" having thousands of upvotes summarize it quite well, albeit being a bit short on the descriptive parts. The scene is so stylish with the groovy music, our main character here never abandoning, cleaving through ranks and ranks of featureless thugs, fighting for his life. And falling.... And standing up again! It's all filmed in one beautiful take, and results in one rough and truly unforgettable fight scene.
But mark my words, this fight scene is not even in the top 5 reasons why you should watch this movie.
Enjoyment - 76/100
Overall 8/10
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This review may contain spoilers
I apologize for myself for taking two years to finish this masterpiece.
Let me say that it took me a long time to finish this movie because I simply found it boring in the middle. I kept thinking: How can they say it's a masterpiece if I'm dragging my feet to finish it and I don't even want to watch it? And I'm grateful for mdl challenge for making me finish it because, ladies and gentlemen, it's a WORK OF ART.The last thirty minutes, when the whole explanation of why the whole story happens comes, along with plot twist after plot twist, when you think you've gotten over one, another one is thrown in your face and you just have to deal with the whole mind-blowing feeling.
The acting is very well done, they deserve applause because I really understood both sides of the story. Speaking of which, justice for Mido because in the end, she was just a pawn in a bigger plan and she deserves much more.
What can I say about the ending? I thought about it a lot. What should be the fine line between love and morality? Was Mido the only woman who could truly love Daesung? love is love, even if it's morally wrong?
I apologize to myself for taking two years to see this work of art, and I agree that this film is a Korean classic to watch if you like heavier subjects.
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OmG, Violence, Violence, Violence Everywhere!
ALERT: The PHYSICAL VIOLENCE is Very DISTURBING 😱And the mind blowing, Sickening Twists - the PSYCHOLOGICAL VIOLENCE is Very DISGUSTING 🤢
n so be aware, it's not for Weak Hearts n Angry Hearts too 😂
Be AWARE of the EXPLICIT CONTENT too
Really, ONE OF A KIND in this Raw, EXTREMELY DARK, Gore, Mind - Bending Psychological Genre!
(Contains 1-2 incest relationships)
Hope such stories exist only in movies, not in real life!
The search for the truth by one, the revenge for the past by another, the extreme punishments given n served, everything is well written, well executed, well directed and well performed.
Choi Min Shik, Like Anthony Hopkins or Jack Nicholson scares me sometimes with his Raw Dark performances, haha
Rated low bcz of the extremely twisted crippled story n Violence, else could have rated more for the bold dark performances and the bold step to direct this by the makers.
One of the Best gruesome dark REVENGE Plots on the Main lead! :o 🤯
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As I was watching it, I had some notes on it and was planning to rate it a 8.5/9 at the 1 hour mark or so. Because I thought the romance was too forced. But I didn’t let it bother me too much and went on. It kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time trying to figure out the reason for the whole thing. After the whole secrets were revealed, I had decided this is one of my favourite movies ever. The way the gore and sex weren’t just put in without meaning but actually had a reason for them. The whole story was so messed up that I don’t think I can forget it even if I tried. But the way the whole thing was told and shot so well made it so I loved it so much.
This was my first time watching Choi min shik act and I gotta say he killed it, same with Yoo Ji Tae.
I’ve heard the music so much that it’s alee iconic to me. The music accompanied the scenes so well.
I don’t think I want to rewatch this since it won’t have the same suspense. But I would want to watch it again someday to see if there’s anything I missed.
This is actually my first review so I hope I didn’t mess it up too much.
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With the starting moments set in 1988, this film follows the journey of ex-alcoholic Oh Dae Su, who was imprisoned for 15 years in a single room resembling a cheap hotel room. He is given no explanation for his imprisonment, he does not know the identity of his captor nor does he know their motives, his only friend for the next 15 years is the battered old TV. After being spontaneously released Dae Su strives for vengeance against his unknown captor and thence begins his quest. On his journey he falls in love with an attractive young sushi chef, who becomes his lover and his greatest weakness. Cheerful story, I know.
As many people have said this is not a bad film it's just... fudging weird, beautifully presented but fudging weird. Like... it was okay up till about the half way point. Adapted from a manga I've never read and later remade as an English film which I've never seen, this version contains picturesque camera angles, single shot fight scenes (I'm sorry I love them), live octopus eating (like for real) and a whole ton of queasy scenes. It has it's moments, but I think you could also make a decent drinking game out of the times you shout WTF or NOOO WHY at the screen. Double shots if death is mentioned.
We began the film on the edge of our seats; What? Who? Why? We exclaim as a rugged man dangles another off a building. Then we cut. A drunken man in a police station. Frame passes by, frame by frame. Then we're in a room, a monologue narrates across the scenes. We watch in fascination as the drunken man evolves in the room he is imprisoned. It's fascinating, the audience is curious. When he is finally free of his tiny prison he embarks on a quest to answer the questions we had at the beginning. It's an awesome start to the film I must admit. Couple ALL of this with some gorgeous cinematography and BOOM BABY. It's beaut. But it's around here things start to get weird. Like. Real weird. I'm pretty sure I had a permanent WTF face for at least an hour of this film, and I can't even say why without spoiling it for you.
It's certainly an experience to watch, I understand the good ratings.
What makes this film so powerful, away from the fact some weird shizzle goes down, is probably the way it tries (and succeeds) it capturing the raw emotion of the human being. Not only do we see our protagonist get stripped bare, both metaphorically and not, we also get our own walls taken down. The innocent moments we enjoy are torn down and peed on, making us almost disgusted at our own moments of happiness within the movie. We, as humans, find a strange fascination in the protagonist as he falls again and again, pitifully scrambling against his unknown opponent.
I would advise those not fond of needles, blood or sex to bring a pillow with you into viewing, it gets a little graphic especially towards the end. I was super surprised at seeing naked boobs in this, it's a Korean film! Tbh though, this is not a genre I often explore. Then again I didn't notice the thriller tag until AFTER I sat down for two hours and watched it, wanting to know wtf I just watched and why there was so much violence. At least it distracted me from my ever looming exams.
It wasn't really my kind of film I must admit, but it was very well made and a unique experience to watch nether the less. Thrillers really aren't my kinda thing and I have a thing about not wanting to see teeth pulled out or needles stuck in, so i shall probably never watch this film again unless I want to weird a friend out. That being said it is very hard to ignore how pretty this film is, hence I shall give it an 8.
Fun Fact: This film was inspired by King Oedipus, a mythological Greek king. Whether you know of this lovely man or not, the fact that this story mimics a Greek tragedy should give you an idea of what you're in for. They really did like tearing down their hero's over there.
Edit: Just thought I should point out that I felt physically ill when it ended. Just putting that out there.
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1This movie is an experience… The ending is… a choice.
I struggle with collecting my thoughts after finishing it. It was something else.The funniest thing is - I knew the spoiler. But I did not remember it till I was way past half way through the movie. So when the memory hit me I was just praying the whole time it was my imagination.
While many people say the twist, revelation, the ending was THE factor that made the movie huge, personally I would probably rate it higher with something “less”. I found out the truth and thought - that’s it? That’s the motivation? For all the shit that happened, it felt a bit underwhelming. That said, the storytelling was extremely solid and the tension, thrills and piling up frustration was so high I had to take a break halfway through the movie. My brain was just filled with question marks.
For many the motivation and the extent of the imprisonment and why it happened was the reveal, the plot twist. For me? The last scene of the movie That’s when the true traumatic experience starts and ends, leaving the viewer in a state of complete shock.
Many describe Old Boy as a cinematic experience, and with that I have to agree. Putting aside the shocking aspects of it, it’s just an extremely well made, well edited, well acted and directed movie. Masterfully crafted.
Overall, I think I need a few business days to come to terms with what I just watched.
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Everything you could want from a movie. Old Boy is EVERYTHING you could want from a movie!
Park Chan Wook is a mastermind - First Joint Security Area and then The Vengeance Trilogy! It says something about film journalists that nobody wrote about Park Chan Wook before Oldboy won the grand jury prize at Cannes 2004. Oldboy is the second part (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance was the first) in a planned revenge trilogy. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is the third and final instalment.Dae-su wakes up in an empty room. The door is locked, no windows. His only company is the television. He gets food through a hatch. He works out, writes in his diary. Via the television, he learns that he is wanted for the murder of his wife. His daughter has been adopted by a Swedish couple (a fun small detail because a Swedish soldier also figures in Joint Security Area.) He has been stripped of everything that matters and worst of all, he doesn't know what he did to deserve it! He is fixed, every day is the same. Claustrophobia turns to despair. He tries to commit suicide but fails. After 15 years he is released. Who locked him up?! Why was he locked up!? Why was he released?!
The film is based on a Japanese manga.
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