Oldboy
Sure it’s technically two years old, but it’s just now out in the States and you should get your hands on it before Hollywood remakes it with the Olsen twins. Oldboy is a massively epic journey through vengeance and retribution, with more style, panache and substance than any other movie has in recent years.
Oldboy tells the story of Dae-su Oh, a drunken absentee father and husband who is imprisoned in a hotel room for fifteen years until he is inexplicably released to find those responsible for destroying his life. The film moves with a lightning pace, while being beautifully executed in cinematography, acting, dialogue everything. Its violence is beautiful and breathtaking to watch. The cuts are extra-long so the immersion effect completely manifests itself within the viewer’s mind. The story evolves with such atomic intensity and has an utterly twisted, but convincing payoff I am completely willing to set this film side-by-side with possibly the best written film in history, Chinatown.
The DVD contains a plethora of extras, which start with the Oldboy trailer editing contest winner. Whoever this guy is, he needs to compose for major studio releases. Furthermore, there is an intelligent and witty –albeit subtitled – commentary from the director Chan-wook Park. The DTS, sound staple American studios have apparently forgotten about, is clear crisp and thunderously powerful in all the right places. Not only does this disc contain a great film, but also gives it the presentation it deserves.
Written by: Kevin Yeoman
Reviewers Rating: 10
Reader's Rating: 6.00
Reader's Votes: 2
Added: 9-Oct-2005
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