Review of Oldboy (2003) by Charos — 16 May 2012

Quite possibly one of the most imaginatively shot, brilliantly conceived and amazingly paced revenge thrillers of the past quarter century. In fact, if I were forced to list my favorite movies period to be made since my birth in 1980, this would most definitely be near, if not AT the top of that list. Park has very quickly, in my mind (ever since my exposure to his Joint Security Area) skyrocketed to the top two or three directors of the generation. He not only can tell a story, perfectly balancing the surreal and aesthetic qualities that make cinema interesting, not only can he present those concepts in such a way as to allow the viewer to suspend disbelief and become personally invested in the overall arc, but he can do so without throwing his intellect out the door as many directors are wont to do in the interest of making something flashy to hold their viewers interest.

Now that seems like very high praise in a general sense toward the director, and it is, and yet this film and the films preceding and succeeding it in his roster move a step further into something wholly visceral, tragic and unimaginably investing. This film in particular, is quite possibly the only film to have been made in the last decade that I would actually be perfectly comfortable placing the name "Shakespearean" to. The tragedy of this film, Mr Vengeance and Lady Vengeance are such that if this director, and for that matter the actors, and crew who put themselves into this film aren't remembered along with the likes of Aronofsky, Goddard, Welles and the like it would be a true miscarriage of justice. I would recommend any person with a love of tragedy, action, mystery or just a love of cinema in general seek out this film, I've watched this from beginning to end at the very least two dozen times (not including the playthroughs I've done with the commentaries on the Tartan "Asia Extreme" boxed set I own), and I've yet to become tired of it. One of the great classics of our age, if not all time in cinema.