Old Boy

Passion, purpose, and violent.

I’m not one of the Korean movies fan, especially Asian drama. My enthusiasm was so high about the influence on Hollywood while watching this film. “Oldboy” is a very, I mean, very good film from any angle. The audience continues to be excited about the storyline. The ending is just freaking me out with such an unexpected twist. Most Hollywood movies, especially thrillers, are often modifying concepts like this. Given this Korean movie, Park Chan-wook is the director of many who have succeeded beyond the level.

“Oldboy” also feels like watching David Fincher’s “Se7en”. A similar format about crime, mystery, suspense, and thriller. But, it’s all about the psychopath. The psychopath makes the victim or protagonist face two very difficult choices. Both choices forced him to do it but with such high consequences. Dae-su openly wants to do his 15-year revenge. But that will make him lose. His curiosity appeared and turned into the psychopath’s counter attack. He keeps thinking about how he can finish this psychopath’s game. Or, how can he get out of the game? On the other hand, such high curiosity made him keep thinking why. A trap on two sides of the same coin.

There are no such things if you’ve never watched this film, not the Spike Lee remake. The point of this movie is from a mystery into a tragedy. But, there are so many twists contains a lot. So many clues that the character gets. An amazing sequence, which reminds me of “The Raid”, is the corridor scene. I mean, it’s one of our favorite things if you want to talk about this movie. The camera movements work very well. The one-shot is really intriguing and gorgeous. The choreography as if they put a lot of stakes and consequences. You’re fighting a man with revenge. Infinitely, a driven person who eats you alive. And by the way, I also like the title sequence.

“Oldboy” providing a deep element and complexity from a transformation of the character’s amazing personality. The ending is just one of the best things with ambiguous elements, natural yet happy ending but not. We need thrillers like this or even more than this. So many thrillers are stuck or even more than a thriller that is just an action movie or something else. But, “Oldboy” has its own passion, purpose, and violent as well. The music is phenomenal, the actors, the director, the writer, all of them have a pretty great job.

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✂ Sticks and Stones Got Nuthin on Words °9° °whoa°

0 $h!zzyl.

What do I want to write about this $h!znit?

Gimme hypnosis so I can forget this $h+.

Watch OB with someone you love. You'll come out of it closer together due to the trauma-bonding.

I don't want to forget the performances, though. The acting is insanely good. The script is just insane. OB is a 2003 2hr release that is rated 83/94 on RT, and 8.3 on IMDB and MDL. I need to watch it another time or two to pick up on the details and connections, but I'm not sure I can handleit. Maybe I'll just read about it.

We'll see a person fly off of a bridge and another off of a building. We all want to fly away from our problems. Dae-su's wings are clipped in the opening moments - they were a present for his daughter. He had just made a call when everything went black. When he wakes up, he's imprisoned. He's not in a jail cell. He's in a seedy motel room and he has no clue where. Everyday he's fed the same dumplings from (he presumes) a nearby restaurant. No one ever talks to him or gives him any answers. This goes on for years. More than a dozen of them.

OB is the Anti-Matrix. He's in a physical prison and he's very aware of what's going on. Like The Matrix, there's lots of head games in play, but OB is the opposite of hi-tech. When Dae-su escapes, his family is gone. He decides to get revenge on his jailers. Mido serves him one of his first dinners as a free man. She puts her cold hands on his and promises to help.

They start with the dumplings. They methodically eat dumplings at new restaurants daily. Dae-su will know the taste of what he was fed for 15 years, without question. Once he narrows down the restaurant he's able to investigate the area for the building that had become his prison. His fists are hardened from years of punching the wall. So, when he finds his captors, can he take on 25 guys in a hallway with a hammer? No problem /even with a knife in his back for half of it/. He's dancing as much as fighting. The hallway fight scene is hailed as one of the best and it is the most famous scene in the movie. It reminded me of Super Mario Brothers or some other video game. There's something very flat, linear, and fanciful about it. It is unforgettable.

The acting is superb. Choi Min-Sik (I Saw the Devil) is ML, Oh Dae-su. OH MY! What a performance. It's one for the ages. Yoo Ji-Tae (Healer, Different Dreams) plays Woo-jin Lee. I'd only seen him in When My Love Blooms-7. Oh my, again! He isn't the same person at all as the MLin WMLB - unrecognizable. OB requires him to be a splintered and agonized person, and he is up to the challenge. Kang Hye-Jung (Lady Vengeance) portrays the beautiful and fragile Mi-do. Ji Dae-Han (Chicago Typewriter) is No Joo-hwan. Oh Dal-Su (Miracle in Cell No 7) plays Park Cheol-woong. Kim Byeong-Ok (Secret Mother) is Mr. Han, Seung-Shin Lee (Lady Vengeance) is Yoo Hyung-ja, and Yoon Jin-Seo (The Royal Gambler) plays Lee Soo-ah. Park Chan-Wook (201, The Handmaiden) is the Director. OB is based loosely on a Japanese manga "Old Boy", by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya. It makes more sense that this story came out of Japan, which is not as conservative as Korea and there's a large swath of anime that is bent in the same manner that OB's plot is. If I say anymore I'll be in spoiler-zone.

OB is a serious and carefully composed film. It showcases brilliant visual juxtaposition for laughs - so many non-verbal scenes made us laugh. It's also gripping, horrifying, and shocking. Some of its themes are the nature of isolation, loneliness, imprisonment, and freedom. It is a deep dive into what constitutes our loves, our decisions, and ourselves. Are we even us without our memories? OB demonstrates how loose lips can sink ships: Gossip destroys lives. Beyond all of that, OB is one massive exercise in blame-shifting.

The really lonely people she knows “all hallucinate about ants,” Mido reflects. “They move in groups.” OB asserts that none of us are free. “How's life in a bigger prison?” Dae-su is taunted after he's freed. We'll see a rich dude who has “everything,” but he has imprisoned himself. Music is used effectively to compliment the mood. Classical music is most heard. One bad guy sings Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer; maybe nobody ever feels like they fully fit in. The backdrop is heavy with dark blacks, greys, industrial colors, and reds. The lighting is low; everything looks dirty - until the end - which is blanketed with pure white virgin snow in an eternal sunshine of the spotless mind manifestation.

Dae-su is separated from Mido. The bad guys got her. He confronts his captor in a penthouse. Dae-su learns how his carelessness led to heartbreak that will never be resolved. Before he has a chance to process this information-dump, an even more painful truth is revealed to him. It splits him in half, emotionally and mentally. The acting in this scene by the two male leads is G.O.A.T. stuff. It's absolutely epic.

AS OB fades from our sight, we are haunted by yet another type of prison. The one that we choose. The limits we put on our own consciousness so that we can live in a way that we want to is also a prison - one of lies. We exist in lies, and we lie to ourselves first. They blanket our landscape like bright white snow, but snow must melt one day. What then?



〰🖍 IMHO

📣9.6 📝8.5 🎭10 💓1 🦋1 🎨7 🎵/🔊7.5 🔚7 ▪ 🌞4⚡7 😅5 😭8 😱6 😯4 🤢7 🤔6 💤0


Age 18+ nudity, violence, gore, torture, se×ual content; Language: F💣 @$$h0le; Rated R - restricted

Re-📺? I probably will, but there's no rush

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Important staple of the South Korean cinema: thought provoking but not enjoyable per se

Going through the cinematography of the very famous director Park Chan Wook, I was compelled to watch this movie for which he was acclaimed for. I am happy to have seen it for my cinematographic culture but I must admit that it was not a gratifying watch. Even if I recognized the quality of the overall cinematography as well as the concept and ideas behind this movie, I cannot say that I enjoyed it.

I found its pacing kind of sluggish and felt bored more than once watching it. I disliked quite strongly the main "hero" making it impossible to care and root for him. I also found the main female protagonist too meek and passive... Overall the female roles were really not the most developed which is honestly a shame as I feel that would have brought much more nuance and sensibility to the plot. Here, I was just not understanding those characters and was not able to empathize with any of them except maybe the "villain". It is the only character I kind of appreciated and was curious to see more of...I knew the film passed me by when I found myself more intrigued and supporting the antagonist than the hero...

The acting was good with solid performances from everyone casted. Even though their portraying is impressive, I had trouble to feel emotionally involved in what the characters were living through. In addition to a good cast, the production value is very nice as well. There are some really striking shots in terms of production, it is not as refined and polished as the most recent works of Park Chan Wook but there is clearly an already pretty strong identity and style to the work of this director. The soundtrack is not very memorable to me but felt very adequate while watching the movie.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a noir action thriller centred around vengeance and quite enigmatic. It is an important piece for South Korean cinema and even though I did not "enjoy" it, I still think it is worth the watch and that it leaves a lasting impression on the viewer.

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Masterpiece But Not For Everyone

To be honest, this movie had me floored. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it perfect, but it's dangerously close. A solid 9/10 for me. It’s the kind of film that demands your patience — the first act is a slow burn, and you might find yourself wondering where it’s all headed. But once it kicks into gear, it really kicks. The story unfolds into something dark, twisted, and absolutely unforgettable. It's a masterclass in storytelling and tension, with a unique take on revenge that I haven’t seen anywhere else.

What struck me most was how original and gripping the execution was. It’s not often that I watch a film and find myself literally yelling by the end, “Everyone needs to see this!” That’s how good it was. But — and there’s always a but — the ending felt like it overstayed its welcome. I don’t know what it is with Park Chan-wook, but he always seems to add that one extra scene that takes away a bit of the emotional punch. It's like he doesn’t trust the audience to sit with the impact.

Still, Choi Min-sik was phenomenal. His performance had this raw, almost feral energy that made his character both pitiful and terrifying. The premise itself is simple: a man mysteriously imprisoned for fifteen years, then suddenly released. Why? That single question carries the entire film and hooks you like a fish on a line. You need to know the answer. And when it comes — wow. Just… wow.

I went in skeptical, especially since this movie has been praised to the heavens, and usually that sets off alarm bells for me. But this time, the hype was real. It’s one of those rare movies that sticks in your brain long after the credits roll.

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I Really like the beginning of the story/Movie it was real cool, how the story went on was really cool, but this movie has many disturbing scenes.

I think all the actors did a really good Job, it's the characters that are a bit of a problem, I liked the main lead -just the first part of the movie- & I liked the main Villain's voice, he’s so crazy I really liked his character , I hated the character Mi Do a lot Eww really disgusting & shallow.


I have mixed feelings towards the story as a whole, I liked the beginning a lot yet now that I’m done watching this I feel like vomiting, I wish I hadn't watched it but I don't think this will be the case for all.

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This movie is a male power fantasy

and it doesn't shy away from the fact that their target audience is middle-aged men.

Man gets kidnapped and is locked up for 15 years (by the way, he looks the same age before and after) and becomes a badass, pro at fighting and spouting random facts (due to television being the only entertainment he had). Not only that, he gets a young girl as a lover (rather tragic, truly).

Conceptually I can give the story, acting, cinematography, and music great scores, yet this movie was hilarious and I couldn't take it seriously.

At the start it was funny and I chuckled at the nonsensical nature of it (if you like Japanese humor you will like it too). But then the second act starts and the viewer is supposed to care about... Characters.

Then climax and reveal happens, impressive acting performance, emotions going through the roof.
Yet I don't care. I don't even shed a tear or gasp in surprise (spoiler was revealed ages ago to me).

"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep, and you weep alone." wonderful quote that says how I feel about this movie.

One of the most annoying features of Oldboy- male gaze (our character is lustful). And at times it's quite random, especially in the second half (because in the first half it was played for comedic effect).

By the way, female characters here are basically just decoration (it's not about them after all + it's 2003 movie).

Will I rewatch this movie? Nah. If I need I will look up gifs or screencaps for wonderful cinematography.

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Finally I thought of a rating for this movie. 7/10.

This movie is really hard to rate, in my opinion. Although I found the acting absolutely brilliant, I wasn't happy with the flow of the movie at all. Also the story is just sick sick sick!!!
I can understand the male lead's actions at first cause he wasn't aware...but the ending??!! Gosh that was gross and messed up!! and SICK!!! *goes to a corner and pukes*

This movie was similar in a way to the movie "No Mercy". The whole revenge idea in "Old Boy" was good but I enjoyed the revenge in 'No Mercy' way way better...that movie was just brilliant and haunting...especially the ending!

So what I 100% enjoyed in "Old Boy" was the acting. The whole cast was brilliant, especially Choi Min Shik. I don't think they could have chosen anyone better for that role!

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Well…

Okay I have to admit, I did watch this movie solely because people on tiktok always called it ‘the best korean movie’. I wanted to see for myself what the hype was all about..but honestly, I don’t really see what makes it so special?

The plot is completely incestuous and once that was revealed everything became uncomfortable. You can spare the whole ‘deep meaning’ behind it. I still think it’s a nasty movie lol…

Other than the plot, the acting was truly amazing though! You can tell these are veteran actors. I’m always in awe at how great actors could play such a terrible character.

Though Daesu didn’t know it was his daughter, I still think it was wrong of him to just continue the relationship blissfully.

I don’t know…i’ve got mixed feelings about this movie. I’m just left with a nasty feeling honestly.

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"OCCHIO PER OCCHIO, DENTE PER DENTE". REVENGE DRAMA INVERTITO.

Mi chiedo come questo cult del cinema mondiale possa avere le stesse valutazioni se non più basse di tante minchiate che avete valutato generosamente tipo love like the galaxy con sceneggiatura scolapasta o lovely runner, un collage di scopiazzature varie ed eventuali di 5 drama di successo.
Questa è una sceneggiatura originale, talmente geniale da meritare l'attenzione degli americani tanto che quel mostro sacro di Spike LEE ci ha fatto un remake.
É UN CAPOLAVORO ICONICO E DISTURBANTE, terribilmente psicologico e carico di simbolismi, che tratta una moltitudine di temi "scomodi": lotte di classe, solitudine, vendetta, incesto, omertà, lotta tra pulsioni distruttive, regressioni, follia, deliri, paranoia, suicidio e lo shit storm che determina conseguenze nefaste nella società coreana.
La trama: il protagonista è Oh Dae-su, un uomo qualunque che viene misteriosamente rapito e rinchiuso in una stanza senza finestre per 15 lunghi anni, senza un apparente motivo. Quando viene improvvisamente rilasciato, scopre che la sua prigionia è solo l'inizio di un gioco perverso, architettato da qualcuno che vuole fargli pagare un debito del passato. Da qui inizia un viaggio allucinato attraverso la violenza, la paranoia e la verità, in un crescendo di colpi di scena che culminano in uno dei finali più sconvolgenti della storia del cinema.

La regia : utilizzo di inquadrature simmetriche, piani sequenza, uso simbolico del colore( nero-vendetta, rosso-regressione agli istinti primordiali e vendetta e viola-lutto che segue la vendetta)
e, sequenze d’azione iper-coreografate, come la leggendaria scena del corridoio.
La fotografia alterna tra toni freddi e saturazioni improvvise, sottolineando l’instabilità emotiva del protagonista e la distorsione della realtà che vive.

Il film esplora la relatività morale, il ruolo della memoria nella formazione dell'identità e la perdita dell’innocenza come condizione irreversibile dell’esistenza umana.
La sceneggiatura dosa con cura i silenzi, i flashback e i momenti di pura tensione psicologica.
I dialoghi hanno prodotto delle frasi iconiche su cui riflettero per i prossimi anni, sconvolgenti nella loro illuminante e lucida capacità di svelare scomode verità che riguarda tutti gli esseri umani.

PROTAGONISTI (10 & LODE) : Oh Dae-su , interpretato da un indimenticabile Choi Min suk offre una performance viscerale, a tratti animalesca, con primi piani desaturati, acconciature primitive e fuori controllo, sorriso che ricorda quasi una scimmia deumanizzata, mescola rabbia, smarrimento e struggente vulnerabilità. Al suo fianco, un villain, altrettanto indimenticabile, il cui casting è stato uno dei più azzeccati nella storia del cinema: un fascino ambiguo, elegante, glaciale che incarna il lato oscuro della vendetta, quello lucido, metodico, implacabile.
Il plot twist finale sarà uno dei più sconvolgenti della mia stessa esistenza e dei 1000 film che ho visto in tutta la mia vita, includendo produzioni turche, giapponesi, cinesi, svedesi, americane, italiane, spagnole e maestri del cinema quali Bergman, Sorrentino, Cuckor, Fellini, Anderson, Lynch, Von Trier, Kubrik, Tarantino, Nolan, Cameron, Del Toro... etc. etc.

Il tema della vendetta è qui esplorato con toni rabbiosi ma anche disperati, rivelando la sua inutilità dopo l'immediato e fugace appagamento (GENIALE).

Simbolismo: il pezzo forte di questo lavoro è l'utilizzo di simboli sapientemente selezionati e inseriti nel set che danno forza, intensità e messaggi interessanti e complementari al lavoro, caricandolo di significati profondi, sostenendo la narrazione prima claustrofobica, poi altrettanto perché anche se sei evaso "sei solo in una gabbia più grande".
Il film di Park Chan-wook è ricco di simbolismi profondi che riguardano temi come la vendetta, la prigionia, la sofferenza e la ricerca di senso nella vita. Ecco alcuni dei simboli principali:
- Il nome del protagonista Oh Dae-su in coreano può essere interpretato come "arrangiarsi un giorno alla volta", simbolo della sua capacità di sopravvivere e trovare una via in una situazione disperata.
- Il martello: usato da Oh Dae-su come arma, rappresenta come messaggio il proletariato che lotta contro un sistema crudele e oppressivo.
- La scena del corridoio: la magnifica ripresa del lungo piano sequenza in cui Oh Dae-su combatte numerosi nemici, di cui si vedono solo le sagome, rappresenta un nemico astratto, non persone reali, e la scena rappresenta metaforicamente la lotta interiore, la fatica e la solitudine della vita stessa.
- Il piatto di sannakji (polpi vivi): ordinato da Oh Dae-su subito dopo la liberazione, simboleggia la sua condizione di essere ancora "vivo" ma in una situazione di forte disagio e straniamento, come una creatura che si dibatte senza controllo. Il protagonista, vegetariano e buddista ha dovuto mangiare cinque polpi vivi, ho letto, per girare quella scena.
La scena in cui Oh Dae-su mangia un polpo vivo in Oldboy è una delle più emblematiche e simboliche del film di Park Chan-wook. Il polpo rappresenta pulsioni profonde, viscide e oscure, ma anche aspetti erotici e afrodisiaci dell’animo umano, come a dare informazioni allo spettatore del tipo di legame che intratterrà con la donna che gli prepara il piatto. Mangiare il polpo vivo simboleggia la discesa del protagonista verso la sua natura bestiale e la lotta con le sue pulsioni più intime, non un atto di dominio su di esse!
Dal punto di vista culturale, in Corea del Sud mangiare polpi vivi è una pratica reale, anche se solitamente i polpi vengono preparati in modo particolare prima di essere consumati.
Il polpo, nella storia dell’arte e della letteratura, è spesso simbolo di ossimori: è un animale che vive in profondità misteriose, metà solido e metà liquido, con connotazioni sia maschili (tentacoli) che femminili (bocca). È associato a immagini di mostruosità e oppressione sociale (come il Kraken di Jules Verne), ma anche a pulsioni erotiche e afrodisiache, come nelle opere di Hokusai o Picasso.
In sintesi, la simbologia del polpo in Oldboy unisce il senso di oppressione, istinto primordiale, erotismo e brutalità, riflettendo il tormento interiore di Dae-su e la natura viscerale della sua vendetta.
-L'utilizzo delle scale che collegano dimensioni differenti , in questo caso dell'animo umano, tra lecito e socialmente condannabile, riprendendo esher in senso metaforico per il senso di disorientamento, e la perdita del senso logico e reale, reso col disorientamento percettivo delle riprese che si focalizzano su queste scale che i protagonisti salgono con prospettive differenti, con sfondo bianco (purezza) e strisce rosse (simbolo di una purezza violata).
Quando Dae-su sale le scale mentre la verità prende forma, non sale verso la salvezza, ma sprofonda nella consapevolezza, in un paradosso visivo che sembra ricalcare la logica escheriana: ogni gradino è un passo in più verso l’abisso, non verso l’uscita.
- La frase ricorrente "Ridi e il mondo riderà con te. Piangi e piangerai da solo": è un simbolo chiave che riassume il tema della solitudine e dell'isolamento emotivo del protagonista, nonché la sua lotta per mantenere la sanità mentale.
- Tematiche taoiste e tragiche: il film riflette anche influenze della saggezza orientale, come il taoismo, e richiama concetti di trasformazione, divenire e accettazione della sofferenza come parte della vita.

CONSIGLIO? VI INVITO CALDAMENTE A VEDERLO E NON DATE MENO DI 9,5 , PERCHE' NULLA DEL MONDO DEI DRAMA HA QUESTA QUALITA' IN TERMINI DI SCENEGGIATURA, MESSAGGI, STORIA E LA REGIA É CURATISSIMA ( e siamo nel 2003).

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