Best movie of this year hands down!

Thanks for the memories!

Sick Product of a Sick System

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

To start off; This is the one and only film that kept me quiet for a whole 5 mins after seeing it. I literally couldn't close my mouth, and yet there wasn't any sound coming out of it. Oldboy had such an impact on me that words are too little to describe that impact. Therefore this film is definitely in my top 3 films ever made. It belongs there because it has a massive ingredient that a lot of films seem to miss out on; a divine plot. Even though the acting and screenplay are world class, the plot is really the cherry on the cake.When it comes to screenplay Park Chan-Wook is unique (at least for western standards) in his way of filming. The colours are so vivid and it seems like he wanted every shot to be a piece of art. One tip: If you like the shooting in 'Oldboy', have a look at 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance', the third part in Park's revenge-trilogy. It's even superior to the camera-work in 'Oldboy'. Don't, however, expect a story like Oldboy's, because you would be very disappointed.When it comes to acting and the music, this film is also one of the better films ever made. The music sticks in your head and every time I put in my Oldboy-DVD and the theme-song comes up, I'm just flooded with good memories (even though the plot doesn't have a single reason to be happy about). The characters are also presented very well by the outstanding cast. Especially Choi Min-Sik and Yu Ji-Tae set a very convincing performance. I really appreciate this film being respected as it should be, by having a place in the top 250. If, however, it was up to me it would be even higher in the ranking. I don't see why films like 'The Usual Suspects' or 'Memento', which are fantastic pieces of film-making and which without a doubt deserve a place in the top 250, are higher in the top 250 than 'Oldboy'. They serve the same cause; a fantastic plot. But those plots can't stand in the shadow or even come close to the plot of 'Oldboy'. The one and only reason is that those two films are better known and from a western production company. If we were all living in Asia, no doubt 'Oldboy' would be in the top 20 of all time. My advice to people who haven't watched this film yet: Go see it! This is definitely a must- see. If you have a weak stomach, pull yourself together and still watch it. Don't be as shallow as a lot of people here tend to be. Look beyond the violence and see the things I mentioned before: world class acting, cinematography, music and last but certainly not least the plot. Once you've opened yourself up you'll find a whole new world of cinema. Enjoy!

'Oldboy' is constantly mentioned as one of the greatest Korean films ever made, and has also been called the most disturbing Korean film (followed by 'I saw the Devil' and 'The Chaser', which were both incredibly disturbing). I therefore eagerly watched the film in high anticipation, but am quite sad to say I was very disappointed. It started off very interesting and mysterious, and the story was told in a very unique way. The moment Oh Dae Su is released, the film becomes very neo-noir-ish (and I don't enjoy neo-noir) and I actually found it to me more comedic than disturbing or suspenseful. Choi Min-sik was excellent, as usual, and without him in the lead I might have liked the film even less. So, essentially the film is about an old school friend, Lee Woo-jin, who wants to avenge Oh Dae-Su for Lee's sister's suicide. Because of this he locks him up for 15 years, then sets him free after 'programming' both him and his daughter via hypnosis to fall in love. Uhmm, ok... Ok, spoilers to follow, so stop reading if you don't want to know. Is this filmed said to be the most disturbing film simply because it is revealed the woman he so eagerly had sex with is actually his daughter? Nothing else in the film is disturbing. When all is said and done and Lee kills himself (what an anti-climax!!), Oh Dae-Su tracks down the hypnotist and asks her to erase his memory of his daughter so they can have a relationship. Seriously!!?? So he'd rather have her as his lover than his daughter?? I rest my case...

Altho I can't say that I did not like the american remake as much as this one, still, you can feel the originality in this masterpiece. Also it is obvious how Hollywood adapted the movie for wider audience, since this movie has 10 times more gore, sexuality and R rated scenes that are some points are hard to be watched. Still, the movie would not be even half of what it is without those scenes. The only negative aspect for me was the slow-tempo building which makes the movie a bit boring at some moments, that was not the case in the remake. All in all, a crazy psycho story that will bust you out of your shoes, great typical asian acting and a brutal ending. 8/10

I watched Oldboy only knowing that it was reviewed as a great film, I had absolutely no clue about the plot. The first few minutes I thought this would be a great Tarantino style dark comedy, fast forward to the end and oh my god it left me speechless. The cinematography is absolutely fantastic, beautifully shot, the acting is superb but it has been years since a movie plot had left me this shocked for it's intensity and brilliance. You do need an open mind and deep understanding in order to see the magnificence of this story, one of the best revenge movies ever, if not the best.