Oldboy - 2003

Only the Koreans deliver top notch revenge flicks... and this 2003 romp is generally considered the best, or at least, the most popular. Directed by Chan-wook Park from the Japanese anime of the same name, Oldboy received critical acclaim when it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004 - most significantly from director Quentin Tarantino.

The story follows business man Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik; previously seen in I Saw the Devil) who on the night of his daughters birthday gets into a brawl and held at the local police station. After getting bailed out from his friend Joo-Hwan, Oh Dae-su goes to a pay phone to call his wife and tell her that he'll be running late.

Before he gets a chance to talk to them Oh Dae-su is taken and held in a small room. Without any knowledge of who has taken him and why, Oh Dae-su is held.. fed dumplings and forced to sit alone for the incredible period of 15 years. Attempts at suicide and self harm are useless, as whoever is holding him periodically gases the room... and during this time, the captors clean, and maintain his health with a dosage of drugs. Time passes, and Oh Dae-su spends his time getting fit.. and preparing himself for his release, so that when the time comes... he can find out who did this to him, and "rip him from limb to limb".

Oh Dae-su is released with a brand new suit on the top of a building and begins to piece together just where he was and who held him. Given a mobile phone and wallet full of cash by a man on the street, Oh Dae-su goes to a local restaurant where he meets Mi-do, a sweet young chef...

That'll do for the plot... any more would probably delve into spoiler zone and this is one film that I'm glad I wasn't told anything about. At a running length of 2 hours, the film just speeds along... and I think it's mainly due to the work of actor Choi Min-sik who transforms from this slightly stupid drunk into a man that will stop at nothing to find the man responsible for turning him into a beast.

The photography and edits are all great... One scene in particular that involves a hammer is exceptionally outstanding... and as expected with most Korean cinema, it's slick and stylish and violent. Not as bad as I was expecting, but a few scenes of teeth pulling did get my attention and make me sound like a little girl. If you're a fan of revenge films.. such as Kill Bill, I'd totally send you straight to the shops to pick this film up. You won't be disappointed.

The fun with all these movies is piecing together the puzzle and trying to figure out who is responsible for this horrible crime. There are plenty of twists and turns in this film and I can guarantee you that you won't be able to take your eyes off the dazzling work that's on display in this amazingly fun... but surprisingly depressing and miserable film. Loved it.