Oldboy

After chatting with a friend about films he reminded me of what a brilliant movie oldboy is (2003) and I decided to write about it. Also it has been remade recently by Spike Lee. I didn’t even bother to watch the new version since I believe that Park’s original based on a Japanese manga cannot be surpassed.

Oldboy is the story of Oh Dae Su who is kidnapped the day of his daughter’s birthday and placed in a confined hotel type solitary facility. The only contact with the outside world is a TV. After 15 years he is being released without any explanation. Dae Su begins his journey to find his kidnapper and take his revenge. With the help of Mi-Do a sushi chef he tries to find his daughter and manages to spot the prison where he was kept for 15 years. Dae Su and Mi Do finally have sex, something that she refused at the beginning. In his quest of discovering his captor Dae Su is approached by him, a wealthy man named Lee Woo-Jin and realises that they were classmates. This is when he discovers that the reason of his imprisonment was a rumour spread by him about Lee Woo having intimate relationships with his sister which tragically led to her suicide. After Dae Su admits the accusations Lee Woo reveals that Mi Do is his daughter and the actual reason of his imprisonment was that he was waiting until Mi Do would be old enough to fall in love with her father. Through hypnosis there were driven to meet each other and start having erotic relationships with the intent making Dae Su feel the same pain as Lee Woo felt after his sister’s death. Dae Su begs Lee Woo to keep it secret from Mi Do and as an act of remorse cuts off his own tongue. Lee Woo finally commits suicide. The film ends with Dae Su asking to be hypnotised in order to forget. Mi Do finds him and confesses her love for him. Dae Su looks at her and after smiling he is soon gets possessed by a look of fear leaving you wondering whether the hypnosis worked or not.

The film is the ultimate story of revenge and the amount of pain a rumour is capable of spreading.  Dae Su and Lee Woo desire revenge for different reasons. Everyone that I know and have seen the film always comments on the octopus scene. Just for information alive octopus was used and the scene is not a result of computer graphics. So a big well done to Min-sik Choi for his magnificent performance. Oldboy reminds me of a Greek tragedy. Although it is a mixture of violence and blood it tells the story with a philosophical and sophisticated way. Dark and well directed, it aims to remind you to know when to keep your mouth shut and that revenge is definitely a dish best eaten cold.