Review of Oldboy (2003) by Alasdair B — 30 Sep 2015

Action films nowadays have become mediocre, bloated, and a bit bland. From time to time, we get something like, Mad Max: Fury Road, or a solid superhero film. Itâ(TM)s not often that you see an action film thatâ(TM)s got honest to god great action, well coordinated fight scenes, and an interesting story. âOldboyâ� is an action adventure film directed by, Park Chan-wook. The cast includes; Choi Minâ'sik, Kang Hyeâ'jung, and Yoo Jiâ'tae.

Oh Daeâ'su (Minâ'sik) is a low life, down beat father. One night, after being released from a local jail, drunk Daeâ'su vanishes. Upon waking, he finds himself in a prison. He has no idea why he is there. After fifteen long years, Daeâ'su is released. The world has changed. The city has changed. Daeâ'su has changed. When he discovers the death of his beloved wife, Daeâ'su goes on a investigation to find out who and why he was imprisoned, and to take revenge on his captors.

A good film needs solid characters and a script, and this film has it. Most of the characters are pretty vague, except for the lead protagonist, Daeâ'su. Choi Minâ'sik gives a fantasticâ"and I must say, eccentricâ"performance as the hero of the film. He has been in a few American films, but is known for his roles in; Our Twisted Hero, Lucy (2014), and television drama, Moon Over Seoul. He is an acclaimed foreign actor with lots of talent.

As with any good action film, Oldboy sports lots of fantastic action sequences. Typically, fight scenes in todayâ(TM)s filmsâ"from what Iâ(TM)ve experiencedâ"arenâ(TM)t as impressive as the classic Japanese film style of fighting. Allot of it has to do I think with the poorly handled cinematography. Shakey-cam is my main enemy in a film, especially during a fight scene. For some reason, certain cinematographers and directors feel the need to shake the camera violently during a combat sequence. Usually, this is done to cover up how horribly the hand-to-hand combat isâ"I suspect. In this film, the fight choreography is amazing. I couldnâ(TM)t find out who the choreographer was, but he did a brilliant job. Each fight scene is brutal, fluent, and well filmed.

âOldboyâ� is a classic action thriller that every film noir will enjoy. Itâ(TM)s got a great script, solid performances, and brutal thrilling action. Director, Park Chan-wook is an impressive director. Each fight scene is pristinely handled. The choreography is extremely impressive. Fans of classic Japanese fighting films will have a blast. The cinematography is by nominated Asian cinematographer, Chung-hoon Chung. Each of his shots is beautiful and well framed. This is a must see classic action film.