Oldboy (DVD)

The film begins with a bedraggled and seemingly crazed man holding a puppy-carrying man off the side of a building by his tie. The aforementioned man turns out to be Oh Dae-Su (Min-sik Choi), the unwitting star of the film. We go back 15 years previous to see a drunken Oh Dae-Su sat in a police station having caused some trouble by virtue of the fact that he "Talks to much". Collected by his friend, they begin the journey home by calling Oh Dae-Su's ...
...alright. While his friend chat's on the phone Oh Dae-Su vanishes. Assumed dead or a fugitive by his family and the authorities, Oh Dae-Su is actually incarcerated in a windowless room with a TV to keep him company. He doesn't know why he's been put there or how long he'll remain. He is kept for 15 years until he wakes to find himself lying in a suitcase on the roof of a building with another man holding a puppy, which brings us up to present day ...

MacattacKMidsUK 28.10.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Oldboy (DVD)

...I loved every minute of Oldboy and this review will hopefully explain why. Min-Shik Choi plays the main character, Oh Dae-su. His performance is exceptional. From the very first shot of him in a police station waiting room until the credits roll at the end, I was mesmerized by his performance. The script, particularly during his time in prison, is rather sparse, so we have to rely on Choi to understand the pain and confusion that he is feeling. ...
...here is great. Oldboy is a thriller more than anything else. Wanting to know what Dae-su's crime was kept me totally intrigued and even once we found out, I wanted to know how (or if) he was going to extricate himself. I think what sets this film apart from the average Hollywood blockbuster is that it is never conventional. However, you think the film is going to go, you will be wrong. Even towards the end when I thought that I had got it more or ...

sunmeilan 29.09.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Oldboy (DVD)

...his captor. Oldboy is an intense, vivid film that assaults the senses and looks to provoke strong reactions in its audience. Its shocking plot, which escalates towards a sublimely constructed twist in the tail, and the sharply rendered visuals the director creates, add up to a film high on drama and impact. Asian cinema - Korean especially - has something of a reputation for brutal depictions of violence and conflict, and Oldboy is no exception in ...
...The performances in Oldboy are excellent across the board, with Choi Min-sik putting in a turn that drives the film and makes it what it is; his character is one who reaches to the limits of emotions, stretching the role and demanding plenty of the actor. Choi, though, is up to the challenge, and portrays a tortured, driven figure who inspires sympathy and revulsion in equal measures. Around him, the supporting cast play their parts with equal skill, ...

Puggers 07.04.2009 (31.03.2009) · Read full review
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Review of Oldboy (DVD)

...much unflinching consistency, but in Oldboy the filmmaker saturates every inch of celluloid with the residue of human suffering. Oh Daesu first introduces himself whilst sitting in a police station one rainy night. The name, he explains, means “getting along with people”, but Oh Daesu can’t seem to get along with anyone today – eventually forced to leave the station in the company of an apologetic friend, Oh Daesu’s problems only get worse. Whilst ...
...of Oh Daesu’s fate… Oldboy made a lot of noise when it was screened at Cannes 2004, eventually winning the Jury Prize (deservedly so, I might add) and later bewitching critics and audiences worldwide with its distinctive imagery, unforgettable score and flawless acting. Everything about this film has been fine-tuned in order to project the protagonist’s suffering onto the audience, drawing the viewer deeper and deeper into Oh Daesu’s fractured dimension, ...

broken_chords 13.02.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Oldboy (DVD)

When Park Chan-wook was directing this film, I'm sure he had no idea this film would have massive successes in the international market in 2003 (outside of S.Korea). The first film in the vengeance trilogy, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance did not reach out to many cinemas outside of S.Korea so he had no expectations that this film would even go beyond the first's successes. But this film appealed to the mainstream of beyond Korea and exposed the entire ...
...This character in this immense film Oh Dae-Su,superbly acted by Choi Min-sik, is wrongly imprisoned for seemingly no reason. We see him quite drunk in the beginning of the film, going out with his friend, and he rings his daughter, who we assume is just a by-product and had no relevance to the plot we were about to watch unfold. It was a stormy dark night when he is kidnapped, dumped into this room. It does not seem like a prison, it is like a regular ...

Annallon 30.08.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Oldboy (DVD)

Once again Asian cinema hits us with another very original take on an old age theme… Revenge. Comparing Old Boy to the two recent American visitations on the theme, ‘The Punisher’ and ‘Man On Fire’, you realise how predictable and safe American mainstream movies have become (and I say this as someone who quite liked ‘The Punisher’!). Park Chanwook (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance), the director and one of the screenplay writers, has turned the whole dynamic ...
...a man searching for a violent revenge, also manages to instil a real liking for the main characters Oh Dae-Su and Mido. Considering Oh Dae-Su is, or should be, an extremely dislikeable man this takes some doing. As befits an Asian import the plot for ‘Old Boy’ is suitably bizarre and it comes down to this:- Oh Dae-Su, a Korean businessman, has just finished a night on the town drunk and at a local police station. After being picked up by a friend ...

Ailran 04.11.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Oldboy (DVD)

Old Boy is a Korean 'art house' film that won the Grand Prix de Cannes last year. Although it has not been yet given a certified rating, it says 'restricted' on the box. I would guess that would usually mean certificate 18? It contains some strong language and scenes of a very violent nature, some nudity and sex. Ok, firstly, I have to admit that I only have the 1 disc version, but there wasn't a 'slot' for the one disc version on here, but if you ...
...film. This is a story about a man who has been imprisoned in a single room for 15 years and is suddenly released. It tells of his journey to find the reasons behind his imprisonment, the name of his captor and how he exacts his revenge. Oh Daesu, a drunken Korean business man, is kidnapped from a phone booth, right under his best friend, Joo Huan’s nose, and is held captive for 15 years. Apart from trying to figure out who had done this to him, ...

JuzzaNg 05.04.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Oldboy (DVD)

Oldboy is a fantastic film and I was simply spellbound when i watched on the big screen in the cinema. It is a powerful film with all the hallmarks of a Greek tragedy, and is a masterful production on the idea of revenge, betrayal and the self-destruction that such emotions bring. On a wet winter evening, the protaginst finds himself kidnapped and imprisoned by a mysterious adversary for no less than 20 years. As he plots his revenge as well as his ...
...startling choice, if he can work out why he was imprisoned, then he captor will kill himself, should he fail, then the captor will kill his daughter. The whole film then carries on a wild goose chase of almost Matrix/Alice in Wonderland proportions with the suitably sinister Woo-Jin, the bad guy of the film popping up for a number of encounters. The character of Woo-Jin is by far my favourtie villian yet, as he manages to maintain a fine balance ...

Boothegoose 03.05.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Oldboy (DVD)

This is a great film that must be watched by those who haven't expeienced anything that is'nt in the english language A very engaging film with an original concept that satisfies til the very end. This is a must see!!! ...

screwshuey 20.09.2007
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Review of Oldboy (DVD)

Oldboy is a darkly twisting, highly original korean film, directed by the incredible Park Chan-Wook. The second film in the 'Vengeance' trilogy (three films unrelated plot-wise, but linked by the theme of - you guessed it - vengeance) Oldboy is a shining example to western directors of how a film should be made. To reveal too much of the plot would spoil the film, so I will tell you only this - the film is based around a man seeking revenge, on ...
...pointless, the story is so beautifully told and insanely watchable that the parts 'just fit together,' as it were. All-in-all, I cannot emphasize how fantastic this film is. A stunning story combined with passionate acting and subtle, mesmerizing directing have lead to this being one of the most memorable films I have ever watched. One for those who appreciate the beauty of the silver scene. One final thing - I would recommend watching this film ...

jooiv 02.03.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Oldboy (DVD)

...far more easy to follow. Oldboy is about a man called Oh Dae Su who has been kidnapped and kept in a flat with a prison door for 15 years until one day he is released on top of a building with a new suit, a phone and a wallet full of money. he is then contacted and told that he has 5 days to find his kidnapper. if he succeeds his kidnapper will kill himself, if he fails, the kidnapper will kill every woman he loves until he dies. With only five ...
...constant suspence at whether or not he will succeed, and in the end leading to a very tense ending scene. I would reccomend this film for anyone who is interested in Asian cinema and likes to be made to think whilst watching. The film definately is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18 as it contains some pretty nasty plot lines and subjects. overall this film is practically flawless, the only downfall being that there is not a dubbed version ...

vodka_mad_tommy 07.01.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Oldboy (DVD)

This film is not a typical asian style film. Yes it may have all the cool fightinh scenes where a martial arts expert takes on a hundred guys at once at easily defeats them all singlehandedly. The script and story are very unique, and shows much more of a western film style added to this very eastern type film. Imagine being thrown in prision for 15 years and no one telling you why you are there and not being in contact with anyone. This is what ...
...shows his time there and what happens when he is relased. The plot is quite amazing and twists are ever present throughout the film. The fight scenes are second to none and wish western films would include more things like this. The film altogether is a great watch and it needs to be watched a few times in order to view it from different angles as there is twists intermingled throughout it. a must watch and buy for any vivid movie lover. ...

xanderex 28.06.2006 (01.07.2006) · Read full review
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Review of Oldboy (DVD)

Odae Su has been held Cptive for 15 years , over these years he has Racked his brains to whom has Captivated him, with little to do he Resorts to reaching his Physical Peak. Upon release it is now a Race for Odae Su to find his Captivator and why he has been imprisoned.................................. The second of the Vengance trilogy from this director but easily the best in my opinion!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A griping story line makes the ...

superman666 23.02.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Oldboy (DVD)

I was introduced to this film by a friend, and loved it. It starts with your average drunken, slightly overweight japanese business man in trouble at the police station. I was immediately struck by the reality of the acting, it was all very natural. He is then kidnapped when his friend makes a phonecall, and wakes up in a grotty prison. After 15 years of captivity, he is released for no reason, and is obssessed in finding out why he was kidnapped, ...

Reaver1000 09.11.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Oldboy (DVD)