OLDBOY (spoilers!!) (1 Viewer)

[bubz :D]

omg, who has seen this movie.

watched it last night after hearing how fucked up it was, but with an excellent storyline... and excellent it was!

i have to say though, i kinda guessed mido was his daughter, at the sushi bar when she tells him that he looks familiar?? (does she say that? i was half asleep, i really need to watch it again)

and how good was the scene where he goes completely insane? god, what brilliant acting. i couldn't bring myself to watch the tongue-chopping part, though - i knew it was coming

 

[Benny_]

http://community.boredofstudies.org/showthread.php?t=64799&highlight=boy

It was definitely an experience. Can't agree about the story though. The ending was sheer copout.

 

[walrusbear]

http://community.boredofstudies.org/showthread.php?t=64799&highlight=boy

It was definitely an experience. Can't agree about the story though. The ending was sheer copout.

whilst i enjoyed the film a lot (especially the hallway scene), I was a little underwhelmed by the plot. it was a little TOO contrived, i thought. that said, it was very hyped so maybe my expecations let me down

 

[bubz :D]

ahh thanks benny

well i'd never heard of it before, until my friend recommended it to me and lent me the DVD...

i watched it again - the tongue part as well. nowhere near as bad as i thought it'd be - it wasn't even graphic! but very symbolic.

a few questions:

what's with the daughter living in stockholm?
wouldn't people recognise him (since he is accused of murdering his wife)

and which part did you guys like the most?

 

[MasterP]

Oldboy: I'm lovin' it

Watch this Korean movie that came out on DVD here recently.
The first time through you might be a little put off by the twist, but watch it again.
It's purely awesome in every way.

They plan to remake it in America this year (bastards), so I advise you all to watch it before they rape it themselves and spoil the magick.

Anyone else seen it?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364569/

 

[LMF^^]

Re: Oldboy: I'm lovin' it

Yeah, best Korean movie ever.

Hmm I'll prob say itz the best Asian movie ever made.

 

[inasero]

Re: Oldboy: I'm lovin' it

its good but prob going a bit too far by saing it's "the best"...

excellent twist and plenty of disturbing scenes ehe...

 

[wanton-wonton]

Re: Oldboy: I'm lovin' it

Captain Beefheart, "magick", Korean movies? How diverse....

 

[MasterP]

Re: Oldboy: I'm lovin' it

You can blame the internet + thievery for that.

 

[wanton-wonton]

Re: Oldboy: I'm lovin' it

You can blame the internet + thievery for that.

I'm not blaming anyone for anything.

 

[LMF^^]

Re: Oldboy: I'm lovin' it

its good but prob going a bit too far by saing it's "the best"...

excellent twist and plenty of disturbing scenes ehe...

I can't think of any other better movie off the top of my head, maybe Once Upon A Time In China, but I still love thiz movie.

Hallway scene waz stylish, and the part where he findz out the truth just showz what a great actor Choi Min Sik iz.

 

[Benny_]

Re: Oldboy: I'm lovin' it

Far from the best Asian movie ever made. Agree with walrusbear 100% about it being too contrived. The movie cheats with the explanation a bit really. What 'the truth' all boiled down to in the end was the bad dude having more than a few screws loose. I hate explanations like that, it really kills the payoff.

 

[fantasia]

yeh definately one of my favourites as well. korea's been producing alot of good movies lately.

i love the cinematography, symbolism, acting, plot... whats there not to like about this movie? it's how a revenge movie should be made. It's ironic how oldboy is a movie about oh de su guy seeking revenge, but in fact its the other villain guy seeking revenge and actually gets it. Oh de su just becomes more lost, he never achieves the revenge he's after.

a few questions:

what's with the daughter living in stockholm?
wouldn't people recognise him (since he is accused of murdering his wife)

and which part did you guys like the most?

the daughter in stockholm is non existent.. its just something the villain guy made up to make oh de su think that. I dont think people would recognise him since its been years since the murder took place.

My favourite part is when the guy is in the elevator and shoots himself.

 

[MasterP]

Re: Oldboy: I'm lovin' it

Far from the best Asian movie ever made. Agree with walrusbear 100% about it being too contrived. The movie cheats with the explanation a bit really. What 'the truth' all boiled down to in the end was the bad dude having more than a few screws loose. I hate explanations like that, it really kills the payoff.

I think calling it contrieved, you may be missing the point. I can tell you that was the exact same impression I had the first time I watched the movie, but the second time through I couldn't get over how perfectly crafted the film actually was.

***SPOILERS***

Let me try and explain.


As far has "having more than a few screws loose', what I think this film was trying to say here was the pointlessness of revenge. The whole indiscretion on Oh Dae-Su's part (shooting his mouth off at an innappropriate time) was extremely minor, and yet the fact that Woo-Jinn went to such lengths to secure vengence, to square the blame on Oh's shoulders and punish Oh Dae-Su for his own crime of euthanising/murdering his sister, clearly shows the denial oneself will go to in order to relieve guilt and somehow make "amends" with one's conscience.

BUT. Woo-Jinn cannot forget his crime. He remembers in the elevator the death of sister and cannot truly forgive himself, and blows his brains out right then and there. Again, revenge did nothing for him, and Park wants us to know that revenge relieves none of the soul's pain.

"Even though I am a monster, don't I have the right to live?" - This line is about accepting one's crimes, and moving on with one's life in spite of the guilt and regret. Woo-jinn could not do this - he had to find an unlucky scapegoat - Oh Dae Su, who truly did not deserve his fate - to rationalise the blame unto. It didn't work, he couldn't forget his part. It was too late for him.

In the final scene, Oh Dae Su tries to forget through hypnosis, and the ending is left ambiguous (the smile, then crying) on whether or not he truly has forgotten and can live with himself (having done what he has). This poses the answer to the film's question solely on the audience's lap.

Now, next time you see it, keep all this in mind. There are other aspects that pop up during the narrative that also make the film immensely re-watchable.

 

[AsyLum]

Re: Oldboy: I'm lovin' it

It is part of the 'revenge' trilogy, so perhaps that might give you a hint, but good explanation MasterP

 

[walrusbear]

Re: Oldboy: I'm lovin' it

I

As far has "having more than a few screws loose', what I think this film was trying to say here was the pointlessness of revenge. The whole indiscretion on Oh Dae-Su's part (shooting his mouth off at an innappropriate time) was extremely minor, and yet the fact that Woo-Jinn went to such lengths to secure vengence, to square the blame on Oh's shoulders and punish Oh Dae-Su for his own crime of euthanising/murdering his sister, clearly shows the denial oneself will go to in order to relieve guilt and somehow make "amends" with one's conscience.

BUT. Woo-Jinn cannot forget his crime. He remembers in the elevator the death of sister and cannot truly forgive himself, and blows his brains out right then and there. Again, revenge did nothing for him, and Park wants us to know that revenge relieves none of the soul's pain.

"Even though I am a monster, don't I have the right to live?" - This line is about accepting one's crimes, and moving on with one's life in spite of the guilt and regret. Woo-jinn could not do this - he had to find an unlucky scapegoat - Oh Dae Su, who truly did not deserve his fate - to rationalise the blame unto. It didn't work, he couldn't forget his part. It was too late for him.

In the final scene, Oh Dae Su tries to forget through hypnosis, and the ending is left ambiguous (the smile, then crying) on whether or not he truly has forgotten and can live with himself (having done what he has). This poses the answer to the film's question solely on the audience's lap.

Now, next time you see it, keep all this in mind. There are other aspects that pop up during the narrative that also make the film immensely re-watchable.

i wouldn't mind watching it again, but isn't your explanation a hallmark of most revenge tragedies??
my biggest gripe was the movie was how completely unexciting the ending is given how interesting the first hour or so was. for all of the mysterious and surreal threads the film starts there is just a somewhat silly and literal 'revenge' explanation. that's how i found it anyway, maybe i was just expecting more.
or maybe just watch it again, i don't know