OIdBoy (2003) DVD Review

Wow.

From the opening scene of the film, that is the only word to cross my brain.

Wow.

This movie is amazing. I had read a few reviews about it, especially after it's showing at Cannes and had to pick it up. I recently ordered a copy from ebay (bad mistake) and finally got around to watching it last night.

The story revolves around a man named Oh Daesu. We first meet him in 1988 while he is sitting at a police station, drunk. A buddy comes to pick him up, and he leaves to go see his daughter being as it is her third birthday. While his friend is using the phone, Oh Daesu disappears.

We then find Oh Daesu locked in a strange prison. It looks like a hotel room. It has a bed, shower, cable TV and a faux window. Oh Daesu is not sure why he is locked in the room, but is stuck there with nothing to do but watch TV for 15 years. While in the prison he sees on the news that his wife was murdered while he was in the prison. The police are obviously looking for him.

Oh Daesu finally plans an escape by using metal chopsticks to tunnel out from his prison, only to be put to sleep on the day of his escape and wakes up on top of a building.

And all of this happens in the first 10 minutes.

Oh Daesu then begins his quest for revenge on whomever put him in the prison. While spending his 15 years in the prison, he trained to become adept in fighting. His insanity and hatred are bursting by the time he gets into the real world.

The person who put him in the prison contacts him via a cellphone that he was given by a bum. He tells him that if he can find out why the man put him in the prison within five days, then he will kill himself. If Oh Daesu does not find out why, he will kill Mido, Oh Daesu's new love interest and will kill everyone left in his life, including his now grown daughter.

This flick is an absolute roller coaster ride. The directing is extremely tight and unique as is the acting. There is an extremely dark sense of humor running beneath the film and I just couldn't keep myself from loving some of the more gruesomely comedic scenes.

The director, Chan-wook Park, definently had some influences and they show throughout the film. The film had the same Neo-Noir feeling of some of David Fincher's works like Fight Club and The Game. There were also some beautiful Tarantinoesq touches throughout.

And then there were the fight scenes. Oh Daesu is p**sed off! One scene has Oh Daesu in a hallway with about 30 men coming towards him, all with knives and bats. By the end of it Oh Daesu has been stabbed and beaten. Watching this man beat the hell out of his enemies while staggering with a knife sticking out of his back is purely amazing.

The only problem that I have with it is that I NEVER FINISHED IT! The DVD that I ordered from ebay was obviously a copy, but the quality was great. I got to one of the last scenes right before the big "mindf**k" that I keep reading about when the DVD began to freeze. It started skipping scenes and then would not play at all. I still do not know the exact reason why Oh Daesu was imprisioned, but I have a pretty good idea.

Even though I have not finished the film, I would recommend it to anyone who digs on the whole "Revenge" subgenre, or who likes Asian cinema or who is even just looking for something different.

Fantastic movie.

Post Edited (08-25-04 07:33)