Oldboy DVD Review

Written by Supernova

DVD released by Starmax

Directed by Chan-wook Park

2003, Region 3 (NTSC), 120 minutes, Rated III (Southeast Asia)

Starring:

Choi Min-Sik

Yu Ji-Tae

Gang Hye-Jeong 

Movie:

Dae-su (Min-sik Choi) is on his way home from a drunken rage after his best friend bails him out of jail. It’s his daughters birthday and he wants to get home to give her a present, but before he can make it someone mysteriously kidnaps him and they vanish without a single trace. Dae-su wakes up in a small room, which resembles a hotel suit complete with four walls, a bed and even a TV. At first his confusion begs for an answer, until finally giving up and accepting what has been done to him. Days turn into months and eventually they lead into years of confinement and seclusion. After fifteen years of punching a wall, finding out his wife’s been murdered and he’s been framed for it, hallucinating his death, eating fried dumplings and writing down all the names of the people he’s hurt in life Dae-su awakens one morning to find himself on the rooftop of a building. Dressed in a new pair of clothes and supplied with a wallet full of money Dae-su goes about rediscovering the world one person and exhibit at a time.

Before entering a restaurant Dae-su is approached by a man in the street who hands him a cell phone and quickly disappears without giving him his name or a reason for the phone. Once inside and enjoying his live meal (Actor Min-sik Choi is actually served a live squid in which he bites the head off and sucks the juices down his throat ferociously. It’s all captured on camera even the tentacles of the barely alive fish thrashing about.) his cell phone rings and on the other end is the mysterious Woo-jin Lee (Ji-tae Yu). Dae-su draws attention to his own self by raising his voice to the man who hauntingly states he’s majored in Dae-su and is the same guy behind his imprisonment. Woo-jin Lee tells Dae-su he has five days to figure out who he is and why he kidnapped him and kept him locked in a cell for fifteen years.

Dae-su hangs up the phone and collapses from near exhaustion and a lack of nutrition. He awakens to find himself in the home of Mi-do (Hye-jeong Kang) a young sushi bar girl from the restaurant intent on reading Dae-su’s personal journal without him knowing. The two immediately form a romantic attachment, Dae-su being the manipulative, unappealing older man and Mi-do the innocent and compassionately gentle young lady. After tracking down a catering service, Dae-su follows a local delivery to the place of his imprisonment where he extracts revenge on not one, but a whole gang of thugs. As the clues start to fall into place one thing still remains unanswered, what did Dae-su do to deserve such harsh treatment? Find out when you watch Chan-wook Park’s Korean masterpiece Oldboy.

Review:

Psychology is the asset of our mentality in which we all break down in destruction harbored by inner fears and framed realities. Life’s soul person seems to feed on the amusement we can provide through various emotions teetering the scale of uncontrollable behavior on a level that approaches concepts unreachable to the rationality of ones suggestions. Oldboy is a prime example of the multiple sentimental veneering occurring in the minds of individuals whose worldly disruptions are steadily increased by their own polluted fixations. Recognized by his past directorial achievements, Chan-wook Park (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) creates a story so emotionally consuming and mentally fascinating any forthcoming assumptions are automatically defused as the film breaks down barriers unimaginable to even the most complicated puzzle solvers. The structure of one mans life is examined through the strength of his morality, testing his desires and evocative fantasies through the harsh realms of ultimate torture and complete isolation. The objective isn’t to punish the human guinea pig, but provide a series of results and collective answers about his own philosophy of life essentially using him as a tool for retribution and a pawn for satisfaction as well.

With Oldboy Chan-wook Park takes the concept of humanities indecencies and approaches it with a sensible story beset by the scarification of mans loyalty. The larger scope of the film is portrayed as a revenge epic with varying expressive highs and lows that purposely serve to balance the rather blunt appearance of dramatic assaults against the human psyche. Underneath its nihilistic layered outcome and at its core is a blanket of vengeance that conceals a more concise study of the rage and guilty conscience we all find present inside ourselves. The transferring ability to blame others for our own greed and corruption just long enough to forget the pain we truly feel deep within while embellishing in the fact of someone else’s misfortune. The film doesn’t want to emphasize violence and revenge, but progresses to show a great character study of how anger can be subjugated. But once the revelation makes itself known the forgotten pain can no longer exist as a memory, but rather a substantiation of losing a part of yourself.

The story of Oldboy is told in a fast forward sequential manner supporting our main character Dae-su with quick flashy impulses of historical events and background information. The seclusion from society makes Dae-su even more remotely dissident than the average suicidal demon materializing its ugly head inside the cursed minds of the youth and hostile. Dae-su’s advantage if you want to call it that is the separation from the public eye - out of sight and out of mind. But what could have been an interesting studying of one mans inability to enter a world he was vanquished from sadly wasn’t. Instead of focusing on Dae-su’s disparities and the humanity around him the majority of the film is spent with Dae-su searching for an answer to his imprisonment. It’s in this motivation that the assembly of the mystery begins and the true meaning behind it all starts to unravel, but the fault lies in the director taking our main character from a point of loneliness and throwing him into a world in which he seemingly never forgot. The idea is that Dae-su found comfort in the TV and as the years past he acquired new knowledge and an awareness of his surroundings. But the intriguing thing that beckons my curiosity is how simple it was for a man to enter back into a civilization without regret, hesitation, or a feeling of complete abandonment after spending fifteen years away from it. The hypnoses would explain this question (Dae-su was hypnotized during his captivity), but the solution still seems vague, as mere compressed minutes imprisoned unevenly balance the time Dae-su is lead around searching for clues.

Woo-jin Lee has a complex in which he himself could possibly never understand, but the tainted mind of a man with a desire for lust and love seems uncontrollable as it is. The idea of committing incest is one of the most repulsive fixations someone could have, but the love two people share is often bitter sweet when examined in a position of weakness. The energy the body can possess in a pose is alarming and the chemical interaction between two people in a frail state is a recipe for interaction in even the most distressing of ways. The eagerness to spill the seed or to release all climactic hell can often blind the eyes of the soul and shift into a state of frenzy or orgasmic troubles causing a reaction that doesn’t want to be controlled. The most peculiar thing is finding out how much will power we all sincerely have inside. Thoughts may arise and should be easily left go, but in this case Woo-jin Lee shares his harmony with his beloved sister. Once the connection dies and the seed freed from confinement, the glory of all things life and sensible hits like a cold sweat upon your brow. Though this is mentioned delicately in the film the result of his sisters death surely played a pivotal role in his mind frame. The uncertainty of what someone would say if they ever found out about both of them and the child that she nurtures inside her and the identity of the father was more than enough scar ones ego. It’s this sad revelation that reveals the morally corrupt and the tragedy of our own societies deeds and consequences. We all are human, even throughout the age of innocents and sin we share the same feelings and harbor the same desires. Those who take it further are the ones who suffer and so in Oldboy the result of a forbidden love ultimately ends in a suicidal imbalance.

The film succeeds about ninety nine percent of the way, sadly just falling apart near the climax in what seems like a conventional overdose to bring resolve to an ending that proposes secluded happiness. One can assume all Dae-su has in his life is the love of Mi-do and it should be safe to say all Woo-jin Lee had to look forward to in his life was the bittersweet pleasure of watching Dae-su suffer through the revenge he’s cast over him. But once the exposure of Woo-jin Lee’s revenge is glorified, the rebound is like a leech constantly devouring the happiness until nothing is left, but the sadness he felt from the start. Each character has a distinction that in a lot of ways can be related to a feeling. For example Dae-su is of the feeling isolation. Living in a world deprived of his existence and everyday necessities, but driven by a past that haunts him and forces him to develop into a maniacal personified monster just to discover a meaning from it all. There’s a scene that shows Dae-su entering the world for the first time in fifteen years. His first encounter is with a man ready to commit suicide, which oddly enough depicts the image of Dae-su when he was imprisoned. A man on the edge uncertain of his life and all that has come to be. It’s interesting if you think about it, because there’s a message here that some will easily pick up. In life we go about our business, making mistakes and learning from our past failures. Some of us have it rougher than others and in this case it seems setup for Dae-su to awaken and find a man on the break of devastation other than himself. The curiosity of what’s possibly troubling this man and how his life could be any worse than Dae-su’s is pessimistic at best and a complete admiration on the directors part to exploit this scene. Though we don’t know the man, we’ve witnessed the injustice done to Dae-su which itself is a story of survival and triumph. How will Dae-su interact with this stranger is the question and it’s downright fascinating to witness.

Oldboy is a movie that makes you think and appreciate foreign cinema. It doesn’t hold back in its attempt to expose human desires, grudges, and fears. Min-sik Choi who starred in the romantic drama Failan delivers a powerful performance as Dae-su. At first his questioning of internment comes swiftly, but as the years pass his fait is easily accepted. It’s this cynical humorous outlook that makes for sincere and complete story telling. If there was one scene that is the epitome of Oldboy it’s of Dae-su holding the man ready to commit suicide by his tie. The stranger is leaning over the edge, close to falling and Min-sik Choi acts like he couldn’t really care, but for some reason he’s holding onto this fool. The sense I got from the scene was that this was Dae-su entering the world for the first time, like a child enters the world with their eyes wide open anxious to see everything. Even though this man wants to die, Dae-su can’t help but hold onto him because he’s the first human he’s had the privilege of seeing in fifteen long years, like a child not wanting to let go of their mother. He’s a brilliant actor and the action is so subtle and gripping that it’s just truly amazing when viewed. Ji-tae Yu is fantastic as Woo-jin Lee. His intense charisma and corruptibly evil charm make for a likable character despite his unethical behavior. He’s a man who conceals a deep hatred and grudge inside insensitively subjected to forever caress a pain that he cannot let go of. A memory that’s always there to remind him no matter how hard he tries to escape from it. Oldboy is just as much of a movie about Woo-jin Lee as it is Dae-su.

And one should never forget the important role of Mi-do portrayed by the lovely Hye-jeong Kang. She’s such a ambitious and strong actor that it’s odd she comes through as a understated character here, but that’s the intentions of director Chan-wook Park. The film projects Mi-do in a state of neglect, uncertain of her own feelings, her past and where she is headed. She’s living for the moment because it’s all she really has to carry on. I thought the negated focus on her life really helps build the film and makes the climax all the more unbearable. Oldboy is a deeply touching film that exists to bring out the desolation a human can feel inside, while remaining committed to tell a solid story with thoughtful interactions and even providing a rebound of happiness. Chan-wook Park does a magnificent job behind the camera as the director and credit goes to cinematographer for crafting some truly inventive imagery.

Possible spoilers below:

The reoccurring theme in Oldboy is the mirror imaging of Dae-su and his own personal demon entitled “The Monster.” The idea exist that we all have two sides to our story, two faces in which we wear like mask to cover up our own fears and disturbing evidence. The ending leaves the viewer to pose a question, was it Dae-su or the monster who we see last? To answer this you have to go back to several key important moments during the film, which are repeated like quotes protecting a message.

"Laugh and the world laughs with you - weep and you weep alone"

and

"Even though I'm worse than even a beast - Don't I have the right to live?"

Within the quotes conceal the feelings of the characters, how they’ve felt or have come to felt due to their own impartially and injustice. The hypnotist states Dae-su will see himself and his two personas will become evident. The monster will walk away with each step aging one year. Right before the film ends Dae-su is seen meeting with Mi-do and she asks if he had company. The camera pans out and shows footsteps in the snow leading away from Dae-su or towards him perhaps? (The camera angel and lack of detail in the footprints make it hard to interpret) A viewer is easy to assume the footprints came from the woman hypnotist, but in reality the prints are the evidence of the ugly part of Dae-su dying or aging well. The question remains, does he remember what has happened or has he put the past to rest so he can carry on with his life? The answer is truly how you want to interpret the smile Dae-su has on his face. There is no right or wrong, the result is just hard to imagine because we as a viewer know the situation and understand one of them has to live with harboring a guilty conscious forever.

End Spoilers.

Video and Audio:

Broodingly captivating and expressively overshadowing are words that come to mind when describing Oldboy’s core artistic level. Presented here in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, the print offered by Starmax is captivatingly beautiful. Graced with vibrant color schemes and saturated hues, never has a film of such noir presented itself to be elegant and peaceful, but at the same time poetically disturbing. The cell in which Dae-su is thrown in at the beginning of the movie has a dark and ominous feel. The low level burning of lights gives the viewer as sense of the energy force slowly draining Dae-su of his mind. It’s an artistic masterpiece conjoined with dark predominant colors that unearth striking images and oil grease painted tones. English subtitles are easy to follow and appear consistent without any spelling errors.

It moves to every beat, like an imbalance in the body’s posture. It contracts the muscles weaving dramatic jolts to the nerves. It’s soft and soulful, brash and hideous and above all else compelling. It’s truly the heart and essence of the story, pumping life into every breathtaking scene. Of course I’m speaking of the soundtrack for Oldboy, which is wonderfully accessible on the second disc for fans to enjoy. Starmax presents Oldboy in a DTS 6.1 mix track and a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix track along with a 2.0 mono track. The sound quality is amazing through the 6.1 DTS mix track. Audio is lucid and well balanced, protruding through the front speakers with dynamic force.

Special Features:

Starmax presents Oldboy in a two disc digi-pak set. The first disc is made up entirely of the movie with an audio menu and a chapters selection menu consisting of twenty four chapter breaks. The second disc contains a variety of supplement material that will dazzle the minds of those wanting to learn more about Oldboy than what I’ve covered. Everything from the production, to casting, and behind the scenes interviews is displayed for the viewer in a very professional manner. Unfortunately like with most region three release there are no available English subtitles on the supplements. Also as I mentioned above the Oldboy soundtrack is present in a jukebox like form that's very user friendly and easy to navigate through. There are a total of ten tracks, which overlay a variety of scenes from the movie like a music video. Also available is a theatrical trailer, a teaser trailer and a TV spot trailer.

1.Monster

1)Look Who’s talking
2)Jailhouse Rock
3)The Old Boy

2.Evergreen

1)Out of the Past
2)Room at the Top
3)Cries and Whispers
4)Dressed To Kill

3.Lover

1)The Searchers
2)The Last Waltz
3)For Whom the Bell Tolls

4.Get Together

1)Audition
2)Characterizing
3)Hunting
4)Reading
5)Crank in

5.Trailer

6.Teaser Trailer

7.TV Spot

Grades:
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Overall:

Conclusion:

Oldboy is a film that pushes the boundaries of cinema without being condoned for shocking an audience. The movie has a lot of heart and is underlined with more creativity and soul than the majority of American films I’ve seen that have tried to explore this story format. When you make a film about a love triangle and the barbarity of incest you cannot shy away from truth and reality, Oldboy doesn’t do that and it doesn’t cover it up either. Chan-wook Park managed to make a film within Oldboy that builds a connection with a viewer through a portrait of human fear - the isolation we wish to never feel, the desire to find eternal tranquility and the second entity in which we find inside ourselves. It’s a mosaic of patterns that all lead to a final conclusion, like following the yellow brick road until finally reaching ‘Emerald City’ just to find out all your hard work of remaining committed to searching and understanding was about as meaningful as living in the small box you desperately tried to escape from and avoid. The only thing Chan-wook Park did wrong was allow Dae-su to enter the world comfortably, but had he not the story would have been completely different. Allow yourselves time to immerse your total attention unto Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy that way you’ll understand the movie and I guarantee you’ll like it.

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