Oldboy (2003)
I want to get a disclaimer out of the way, Oldboy is a strange flick. I'm still shaking my head when thinking about some of the things I saw when I watched it on Saturday morning (2/16/13). Thoughts like, "did that just happen?" and "wow!" are prevalent throughout. Don't let those thoughts deter you from watching it though, because Oldboy is truly a movie that has to be seen. It's one of a kind.
Oldboy is a Korean film about a man who has been imprisoned for 15 years without knowing the reason why. The search for truth and the quest for vengeance makes for an incredible journey with a finale you won't soon forget. There is an American version being released later in 2013 starring Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Brolin with Spike Lee at the helm. It will be interesting to see how faithful it plays to the original considering some of the themes. It's amazing how many things from Oldboy could lead to great discussion. Be sure to come by and talk about it.
What a film! 'Strange' is an understatement. With it's out this world, bizarre plot points and imagery, 'Oldboy' is engaging throughout and cause for a experience that you can not take your eyes off of. The voice over aspect was maybe my favorite thing about the film. I love the insight and commentary Dae-su Oh gives here. The music is also brilliant and gives the film a really epic feel. With all of this said though, do you think that the imagery, camera work, quotes and music is at a level where it takes away from the films story and message? Does it feel like 'Oldboy' is just going for shock value and just wants to cinematitcaly grand instead of heavy in substance?
ReplyDeleteWhen the movie first started, I was a little disappointed that the Netflix version was dubbed in English. I thought the movie would be less enjoyable because of this but once I experienced how the film was set up, it really would have detracted from the movie if I had to read the dialog. The commentary would have been less effective through subtitles too. Dae-su's commentary was great. I loved hearing his views on what was going on throughout the movie.
ReplyDeleteI do not think the styles used take anything away from the movie. Everything seemed to fit together to me because it was all consistent. Everything here is crazy and big. Consider the over the top twist at the end, everything that happened before that was done to make us buy into the shock ending. Dae-su is an epic character within an epic movie.
Some of the things that really intrigued me in the film were similarities and differences between Woo-jin and Dae-su. These two characters are deeply flawed human beings but they have a high amount of likability, more than I thought they should of anyways. Are Woo-jin and Dae-su too visceral for the American audience? Will their strong personalities, and desires, be toned down for the 2013 version? Do you think the US version will try to appeal to the mainstream audience or will it stay dark and attempt to pull in critical acclaim?