"Oldboy", and The Vengeance Trilogy

This is a movie (or rather a 'trilogy') that I've wanted to bring up for some time now. I've always been a fan of foreign films, particularly Asian horror. However, this movie not only takes the cake, but the whole damn bakery.

Oldboy is the 2nd in a series of South Korean films referred to as The Vengeance Trilogy. From the mind of director Chan-wook Park, The Vengeance Trilogy are a series of films all connected not by characters or plot, but by one central, menacing theme: vengeance.

The other two movies are called Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, the former of these two being the better one, in my opinion. However, this post will focus on the middle child of the triplets that I mentioned earlier, entitled Oldboy.

Oldboy is the story of a man named Oh Dae-su, on his quest to find the man who has, for some inexplicable reason, imprisoned him for the last 15 years of his life. When he's released, he is given money, a phone, and clothes. While searching for answers, Oh-Dae su starts to put his pieces together and figures out that his kidnapper has much bigger, complex, and painful plans in store for him.

Without giving anything away, I will assure all readers that Oldboy is a FANTASTIC movie and a complete and utter mind f***. It received an 8.4/10 on IMDB, and is what I consider to be the best movie I have ever seen.

While Oldboy definitely satiates my desire for graphic horror, gore in some places, and twisted plot lines, it goes above and beyond your typical thriller/horror flick. Oldboy connects the audience to the protagonist better than I've ever seen. The audience is just as much in the dark about what is going on in the story as Oh Dae-su is, and as a viewer, it draws you in like no other. The cinematography is utterly phenomenal, with a fight scene taking place in a hallway that is, in some reviews I've read, being dubbed as a "classic" fight scene (I'll post the link to it down at the bottom). Min-sik Choi is a fantastic Korean actor who puts on a beautiful performance as Oh Dae-su. Simply put, I cannot think of a single thing that is wrong with this movie. Every single aspect of it functions to tie together the story being told and, at the very end when the big reveal of the plot is made, leaves the viewer saying, "Holy crap, that was amazing".

I have watched this film about 3 times and enjoy it more and more every time I watch it. It is my favorite movie of all time and I recommend it to ANYONE who wants to see how a good thriller is made. Go on Netflix right now and watch Oldboy. You may have to look away and you may be uncomfortable at times, but I guarantee you will not regret watching this movie.

It's also got one of the best quotes from a poem ever. Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.


Here's the trailer, and the fight scene I mentioned earlier. Thanks ya'll.

-Nick

Trailer

Fight Scene (skip to :37)