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OLDBOY

With Choi Min-sik, Yu Ji-tae, Hye-jeong Kang, Dae-han Ji, Dal-su Oh
Directed by Chan-wook Park

Derived from Nobuaki Minegishi’s comic, this intense South Korean offering had several screenwriters, including Garon Tsuchiya and Jo-yun Hwang, and is part of director Chan-wook Park’s vengeance trilogy which consists of
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.
Oldboy opens quite abruptly with the capture of Oh Dae-su, a seemingly random man who is drunk in streets (on his daughter’s birthday). He is held prisoner for 15 years with no explanation. On his release he is contacted by Woo-jin who says he’s the man rtesponsible for his capture, and he has to find out who he is. Oh Dae-su’s mind is a wreck and he befriends a young girl, Mi-do, who works in a restaurant. As he tries to rewire himself, his captor turns his life into a further living hell. Saying too much about the details would simply spoil this amazing movie which pulls very few punches as the viewer is drawn into this man’s anguish and the violence resulting from the quest to get the truth.
Quentin Tarantino pushed for
Oldboy to get the Palme D’Or at Cannes 2004, but it got the 2nd best thing, the Grand Jury Prize.

5 / B
- PB


1 2 3 4 5 6
A - B - C




never let a review decide for you, but for those who need a rating, see the Flamedrop scale below
6 - Volcanic
5 - Blistering
4 - Hot
3 - Smolder
2 - Room Temperature
1 - Fizzled
0 - Extinguished

A: Multi-Viewing Potential

B: Could Enjoy A 2nd Look

C: Once Should Suffice



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