The first time I watched Park Chan-wook’s “Oldboy,” nearly 20 years ago, I didn’t know what to expect, other than something bizarre and crazy.
That’s probably the best way to experience the South Korean cult classic since it delivers some of the most audacious twists in cinema history. If you’ve never seen “Oldboy,” you have until March 24 to catch it on Netflix, and all you really need to know is that it’s a dark, visually stunning thriller with intense performances and a fascinatingly warped sensibility.
Even if, like me, you’ve seen “Oldboy” before, it’s rewarding in a different and equally exciting way to watch it again. Like the best movies with memorable twists, “Oldboy” isn’t just about the trickery of surprising viewers with a development they didn’t see coming.
It’s an intricately constructed story that weaves in hints and foreshadowing of things to come, which are even more satisfying to spot when you know where the story is headed.
‘Oldboy’ is a revenge story like no other
“Oldboy” grabs the audience’s attention immediately, as harried protagonist Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) is dangling a frightened man over the side of a building, insisting that the man listen to him recount his tale of woe.
The single-minded Dae-su has just been released from 15 years of solitary confinement in a mysterious private prison, where he was frequently drugged and manipulated, with nothing but a TV to keep him company.
The suicidal stranger is the first person that Dae-su has seen in 15 years, but he’s not interested in the man’s own personal history, and he doesn’t even flinch when the person he just spoke to plummets off the roof and lands on a car behind him. That’s how determined Dae-su is to find the person who kidnapped him and discover the reason behind his imprisonment.
He may wish he never bothered, though, given the horrific secrets he eventually learns. Before that, he meets shy young sushi chef Mido (Kang Hye-jung), who takes him in and becomes his devoted ally as he searches for the truth about what happened to him and why.
During his captivity, Dae-su’s kidnapper framed him for his wife’s murder, and his daughter who was four years old when he was taken is now an adult he’s afraid to contact.
That’s all the more reason for Dae-su to inflict some of the same pain on his mysterious enemy that has been inflicted on him, although his attempt at revenge is not as purely motivated as he believes.
It’s tough to say more about Dae-su’s mission without giving away the movie’s bold plot developments, but both the character and the audience will be shocked — and possibly disgusted — by what unfolds.
The style of ‘Oldboy’ is as ambitious as its storytelling
Park matches the uncompromising narrative with a propulsive visual style, as Dae-su applies the martial arts skills he honed in captivity against the various criminals who stand in his way.
The most famous moment in the movie is a bravura single-take fight scene in a hallway, as Dae-su takes out a whole squadron of thugs with nothing but a hammer and his furious determination. Shot like a side-scrolling video game, it’s become an iconic action sequence, emulated by numerous other films and TV series, including Marvel’s “Daredevil.”
Park uses close-ups and deep focus to emphasize the dichotomy between Dae-su and his tormentor, and also between the past and present versions of those characters, who are defined by a history they can’t escape. As Dae-su immerses himself in his own lost memories, the line between the past and the present is often blurred, just as his lengthy confinement has muddled the subjective passage of time.
Those are heavy themes, and “Oldboy” gets even heavier as it goes on, but it’s also playful and often fun, especially in the glee that Dae-su exhibits in taking out his frustrations on the people who facilitated his torture. Park puts the audience through a harrowing ordeal, but he makes it consistently entertaining even amid its most punishing anguish.
Maintaining that balance is what makes “Oldboy” so brilliant, and what has allowed its reputation to continually grow since its 2003 release. Park has gone on to become a major international filmmaker, with similarly mesmerizing, accomplished movies including “The Handmaiden” and “Decision to Leave,” but “Oldboy” remains his signature masterpiece.
There’s nothing quite like it, whether you’re watching it for the first time or seeing it again with a fresh perspective.
“Oldboy” is streaming on Netflix until March 24.
More from Tom's Guide
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
