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Index
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Introduction
This phrase, which is repeated by the protagonist numerous times, captures the essence of a manga-inspired work whose originality lies less in the plot (which includes an endless examination of the origins of the spirit of vengeance and a frantic search for the significance and justification of it) and more in the mise-en-scène, a skilled mixing of hyperrealism and nonsensicality where the alternation of tears and blood keep the viewer glued to his chair for all the duration of the movie.
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Revenge
Oh Dae-su is unsure of why someone would wish to keep him imprisoned for such a long time, and he is unsure of when and if his imprisonment would end. This time has such an experiential value that it leaves the protagonist's body with an imprinted trauma. The main character's body transforms; he has tattoos on his hands that indicate the passage of time; he has scars from a failed suicide attempt; and he starts working out in an effort to transform his slender physique into a fighter capable of facing anything.
The fifteen years drastically alter Dae-su, leaving society with a totally different individual who is not necessarily better than the egotistical, drunken employee we are familiar with from the prologue: It is constantly remarked that Dae-su appears like a monster, a type of creation created by a Dr. Frankenstein whose motives are unclear. Once free, Dae-su walks like a blank-eyed automaton and hardly talks; his hair is frizzy and disordered. But after being humiliated and traumatized, Dae-su develops into a figure that other people can find fascinating.
The movie embodies the concept of "Han", which permeates Korean culture and denotes a sense of pain, suffering, as well as resentment and grudge, and whose original nucleus in a colonialist stereotype dating back to the era of Japanese domination. Although this emotion is typically considered passive, in "Old Boy," it causes an indignant response, and Dae-su's parable brilliantly captures a personality trait that is today thought to be innate to Koreans.
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Good and Evil
Thanks to a clockwork screenplay that channels a series of twists and turns, some of which are truly shocking and brutal, until the epilogue, Oldboy is a box, a Pandora's box that when opened can reveal the worst fears, a clever and cruel interlocking game that has revolutionized the entire cinematic thriller panorama. A complex and Machiavellian revenge drama in which the 'villain' himself exhibits motivations and reasons that are perhaps aggravated but not wholly inexplicable, all connected to a long-forgotten secret from the past that is progressively exposed.
Unsustainable boulders for the two rivals to carry, providing a 360-degree view of good and evil, without black or white but with a varied shade of grey that accurately captures the most human motivations. The choice of the epilogue in this revenge/redemption story is intriguing; it increases awareness more in the audience than in the protagonist, giving viewers more food for thought on subjects that are undoubtedly complicated psychologically.
And while some sequences may upset the stomachs of someone, the violence, which is a dominating and important element here, hurts more from an introspective point of view than from a physical/visual one. Oldboy is an intense journey into the darkest corners of the human soul, accompanied by a score that both fascinates and unnerves. It flawlessly combines the action thriller element with a dramatic charge of unparalleled power, shocking and conquering, bewitching and destroying, a rapacious predator ready to leave victims in its path, in an inferno of rage and pain that perhaps only oblivion can finally erase.
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Plot
Oh Dae-su is kidnapped after being arrested for public drunkenness. Dae-su finds himself in a kind of tiny cell apartment when he awakens, complete with a bed, a bathroom, and an outdated TV. He learns through a media report about the murder of his wife that he is the suspect, leaving him trapped and devastated. Days, weeks, and months pass in between. Dae-su harbors resentment, rage, and insanity year after year in between failed suicide attempts and impossible escape plots. Then, one day, fifteen years later, he gets released.
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Conclusion
Old Boy, the film that first made Park Chan-wook's brilliance known to the world, is a must-watch for everyone who likes this genre of movies. The director and script do an amazing job of guiding the viewer through Dae-Su's suffering. Old Boy, which continues to set the bar for revenge movies, does not currently appear to have aged. a genuine work of modern art.
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Rating
My personal vote is:
9.5/10
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Farewell image and text separators, created by me with Canva
