Oldboy is a 2003 South Korean thriller film. It follows a man who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years. Mysteriously, he is suddenly released and begins to take revenge on the conspiracy that took away his life. This is a disturbing movie to say the least, as it features some of the most messed up scenes and concepts in cinematic history. Thankfully, the disturbing moments never seem gratuitous, and everything has a purpose in this movie.
Oldboy follows Oh Dae-su, a South Korean father and drunkard. One night, on his daughters birthday, a drunk Oh Dae-Su is kidnapped by a mafia organization. He is imprisoned and isolated in a single room for 15 years. Over that time, he teaches himself how to fight. One day, he is suddenly released and set loose in South Korea, all the while being taunted by the man who ordered him imprisoned. It’s a compelling conspiracy, and a twisted story with some very disturbing developments later on.
Oldboy is famous for one of the greatest fight scenes in cinematic history. When Oh Dae-Su returns to the building he was imprisoned in, he is forced to take on several thugs in a narrow hallway. Everything about this fight is amazing. It’s filmed from a wide shot with the entire hallway in view, and it’s all filmed in one take. This allows the audience to see all the action happening, and it’s a refreshment from the standard Jason Bourne style jump cuts. The fight also feels very realistic, as throughout the scene, Oh Dae-su is stabbed, beaten, and slowly worn down. It makes him feel like a real person instead of a walking tank. Additionally, there’s a really nice Cowboy Bebop-esque introspective jazz soundtrack behind the whole fight that makes it feel almost like a scene out of a noir film. Speaking of soundtracks, I love the music in Oldboy. It varies from beautiful simple piano pieces, to exciting electronica music, to the aforementioned smooth jazz featured in the fight scenes. It compliments the entire film, and elevates all the scenes to a whole new level. Oldboy also has a very charismatic villain. The central mystery of the story is his identity and motives, so I won’t spoil that here. However, suffice to say that he’s very memorable and charismatic, which is offset by how much of a completely horrible human being he is, and how he wants to inflict that same corruption on Oh Dae-su.
However, something needs to be said about Oldboy. This is, beyond a doubt, one of the most ‘Effed up films ever made. It’s got messed up scenes, ideals, and concepts. Not everyone can handle these moments, and if you’re squeamish or easily disturbed, please don’t watch this film. I never found these moments to be gratuitous or pointless however, and they all have purpose within Oldboy’s twisted story.
Oldboy is one of the better Neo-noirs in recent memory. It’s got good fight scenes, and intriguing conspiracy, and it’s very memorable. If you think you can handle this movie, I encourage you to give it a try.