Oldboy

This film is fantastic. It's full of mystery and kept my interest right up until the credits. It's about a man named Oh Dae-su, who lives with his wife and daughter. He is kidnapped and later wakes up to find himself in a private makeshift prison. Dae-su wonders what made someone hate him so much enough to imprison him without any reason. While imprisoned, Dae-su hears on the TV news that his wife was murdered. Dae-su swears to take revenge on the person who destroyed his happy life. Fifteen years later, he is released with a wallet filled with money and a mobile phone. An unknown man calls Dae-su and asks him to figure out why he was imprisoned. The story then unfolds into an incredible and shocking tale of revenge. This movie is an absolute must-see.

oldboy is pretty awesome with a storyline that holds your attention the whole way through and some pretty excellent action thrown in as well. I saw the little twist near the end coming a mile away but thats a minor set back from what otherwise is a really good movie. Great acting by all the leads and the first half keeps you wondering what exactly is going on. I'd say the first half was my favorite and most interesting part of the movie. I recently watched I Saw The Devil which has been compared to this movie i actually liked istd a little bit more than oldboy but they are still both great moviers.

This is the sort of film that reminds me why I love Korean cinema so much. I had meant to see it for years and am so glad I saved it up. This is the fascinating story of Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-Sik) who gets abducted one night after a drinking binge and is locked up in a sort of private prison for fifteen years. During that time no-one will speak to him, tell him what he has supposedly done or how long he must remain confined. It is based on a Japanese Mange written by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya. It is the second part of the trilogy preceding Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and followed by Sympathy for Lady Vengeance - and they are excellent too.

He is finally released and given a mobile phone and some serious cash. He sets out for vengeance on those that had wronged him and on his travels he meets and falls for a young and attractive sushi chef who he moves in with right away. He soon finds he is being watched and followed but the years of being locked up have made him resilient and fit as he had little else to do whilst being alone, other than build himself up. I do not want to spoil the plot but the more he finds out the more complex his situation becomes, with violent consequences.

The acting is superb, no-one is a passenger and director Park Chan-Wook does a brilliant job. This is violent, visceral and yet stylish. It had me on the edge of my seat for most of the film and it is nearly two hours long, so that is some achievement. It is full of great lines that are heavy with poignancy, like - "whether a rock or a grain of sand; in water they both sink alike. And that is the whole point of this film; we are all equal when faced with the unspeakable truth of our own depravity. This is a must see for anyone even slightly interested in Asian/World cinema, I strongly suggest watching them all in order as you will get so much more from the experience . It is an 18 certificate and contains violent scenes and adult themes, but it will stay with as a stunning piece of cinema.