I have to admit it, I'm a sucker for Asian cinema these days. As Hollywood becomes more and more complacent, and British film slides further and further into a mush of romantic comedy, it's nice to see films which are still genuinely inventive, exciting and shocking. “Oldboy”, a stunning Korean film from 2003, remains one of my favorites, disturbing, beautiful, delightful and tragic in turn, the film one the Grand Prix at Cannes thanks to praise from cult American director Quentin Tarantino.
I can see why Tarantino enjoyed the film, in many ways it seems very similar to his own work, with an enjoyably sparky script and a twisting, writhing plot, along with liberal lashings of violence, “Oldboy” will appeal to those who liked “Kill Bill”, “Pulp Fiction” and “Reservoir Dogs”. The film follows the exploits of an ordinary businessman named Oh Dae-Su (brilliantly played by Choi Min-Sik) who is suddenly abducted and kept imprisoned for 15 years in a room rather like a hotel, while he is framed for the murder of his wife. He is released just as suddenly, and finds himself in the care of an eccentric young girl after he collapses in the sushi bar where she works. With her help he tries to trace what has become of his daughter, but receives a strange challenge from his former captor: he must find out why he was imprisoned in 5 days, or his daughter will be killed.
Combining the conventions of the typical revenge movie with elements of surrealism reminiscent of French films such as “Delicatessen” or “Amelie”, extreme violence reminiscent of the horrific Japanese thriller “Ichi the Killer”, and beautifully shot, it's a strange and exciting film, artistically arresting and powerfully performed, with many memorable sequences. The corridor fight scene in particular is incredible, bludgeoning realistic, but effortlessly cool at the same time, while the sushi bar scene, in which Dae-Su consumes a live squid, is delightfully revolting.
In some senses the plot is perhaps the film's weakest point. Not wanting to give too much away, your response to the film depends on your view of the final revelation and the curious epilogue sequence. My own response to these scenes changes each time I watch it, but I think the rest of the film is so brilliant that it works. It is certainly not an easy film to watch, yet at the same time, it is so deeply engrossing and exciting, once you start to watch it, it is difficult to turn away! Highly recommended, one of the best films of recent years.
