Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
4/4
A hauntingly original revenge story.
memento_mori - wrote on 08/20/2013
Oldboy is a haunting, fascinating, heart-breaking, extremely violent and near-perfect Korean thriller.
This movie is like that new car smell. It's so refreshing to have something new and intense, taking a detour from all those cheapskate thrillers that were filmed on a Hollywood backlot and cost ten dollars to make.
Oldboy conveys all the elements necessary in a smart thriller. Acting, script, direction.
The lead in this movie, Choi Min-sik, is an amazing actor. The rage, emotion, taunt and desperateness he brings to his character make him so likable and drive the story forward with great ambition for both the audience and the character. His performance is honestly Oscar-worthy, too bad the Academy doesn't nominate foreign films for anything other than the Best Foreign Film …
Rating of
3.5/4
Oldboy
tecnoandre - wrote on 01/07/2012
It is based on the Japanese manga of the same name written by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya. Oldboy is the second installment of The Vengeance Trilogy, preceded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and followed by Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.
The film follows the story of one Oh Dae-su, who is locked in a hotel room for 15 years without knowing his captor's motives. When he is finally released, Dae-su finds himself still trapped in a web of conspiracy and violence. His own quest for vengeance becomes tied in with romance when he falls for an attractive sushi chef.
The film won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and high praise from the President of the Jury, director Quentin Tarantino.Incredibly well made , well shooted, well written and well done movie.Absolute stunning …
Rating of
4/4
"Oldboy" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 12/31/2011
Daesu Oh is a drunk and a philanderer but otherwise a fairly typical husband and father, until one day he is kidnapped and imprisoned in a cell for 15 years with only a TV set for company and no word of explanation. One day he wakes up on the outside with only a wallet and a phone, and he sets out on a single-minded quest to find out why he was imprisoned and extract bloody vengeance on those responsible. The second part of the Vengeance Trilogy by Chan-wook Park, Oldboy is a bizarre and brilliant film. It constantly wrong foots you and messes with your perceptions, and contains the kind of revelation that makes the kind of so-called plot "twists" of most films look gimmicky and inane. This is the kind of film that blows you away and makes you realise you've been watching the WHOLE THING …
Rating of
4/4
Oldboy review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 08/29/2011
Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) is a Korean businessman who was abducted and imprisoned for more than a decade. He is released after 15 years. Dae-Su meets a sushi chef named Mi-do (Kang Hye-jeong) after a cellphone and wallet was handed to him. Woo-jin (Yu Ji-tae) admitted to Dae-su that he had him kidnapped. Oh Dae-su discovered that Woo-jin attended the same high school and had an incestous relationship with his sister Soo-ah (Yun Jin-seo). Because of Oh Dae-su's rumor spreading, Woo-jin does the unthinkable to get back. A few memorable lines: Oh Dae-su - "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry alone." "I thought I'd lived a simple life. But I've sinned too much." Wooj-jin - "And now... now, what joy will I have left to live for?."
Astounding performances from the …
Rating of
3/4
A Good Revenge Film
Franz Patrick - wrote on 05/20/2008
One of my friends saw the twist from a mile away but I wouldn't say it's predictable. Since I saw "Lady Vengeance" prior to this one, I kind of had low expectations so I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this film. I liked that throughout the movie, the mystery factor lingered and it tries to keep the audiences guessing. There were many beautiful images that can be found here such as the octupus scene, the fight in the hallway (1 vs. about 10), and the snowy environment at the end of the film. It was so poetic that I forgot I was watching a movie for a bit. In fact, it felt like I was looking at a painting or a statue. Min-sik Choi's acting was both incredible and sad. You believe that he's a man that's been imprisoned and tortured for fifteen years because of the dark cloud …
