Oldboy Won 2004 Grand Jury Prize at Cannes
Oldboy is a Korean production, based on a Japanese manga of the same name. It is part of Park Chan-Wook’s loosely based ‘Vengeance Trilogy’ (including Sympathy for Mr.Vengeance and Lady Vengeance), whose central themes revolve around characters obsessed with personal retribution.
Oldboy is unquestionably the superior of the three.
It won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes in 2004 and, according to Quentin Tarantino, should have won the Palme D’Or, for which it was nominated. It also won many other accolades, including the Grand Bell Awards for Best Director, Actor, Editing, and Music.
Choi Min-Sik Seeks the Truth About Abduction
Oldboy tells the story of Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-Sik) who is inexplicably abducted and held captive, for fifteen years, without ever knowing why. When he’s just as inexplicably released he is contacted by his kidnapper and given clues to help him unravel the truth.
Oh Dae-Su begins his desperate hunt to fathom his tormentor’s identity, Lee Woo-Jin (Yoo Ji-Tae), while being accompanied by a love interest in Mi-Do (Gang Hye-Jung).
Woo-Jin promises Oh Dae-Su that if he does not discover the cause of his punishment in five days, Mi-Do will be killed, while any attempt on Woo-Jin’s life would be fruitless, as he is prepared to kill himself and deny Oh Dae-Su the chance of ever knowing the truth…
…on which premise the rest of the film is based. If it sounds convoluted, that’s because it is, but the mystery of the plot here is critical to the film’s success and it delivers with an impact that is guaranteed to leave you astonished.
Oldboy Cast and Crew
The Director has put together a full-blown masterpiece, mixing the long, still shots that are so rare in the West (famously including a truly remarkable ‘One versus Many’ brawl that unfolds in a single, scrolling shot of the action) as well as skilfully dove-tailing one scene into another .
He also works closely with the beautiful score provided by Jo Yeong-Wook to dramatic and moving effect, and a waltz-infused theme lends much of the affair a deeply surreal ambience.
There is a strong visual and audio style everywhere in this film, the likes of which most mainstream directors can only dream of (though to be fair, even Chan-Wook will find it hard to emulate Oldboy).
Choi Min-Sik as Oh Dae-Su likewise delivers a titanic performance, displaying such emotional carnage in his character that it would be difficult to watch were it not so utterly compelling and spellbinding. Yoo Ji-Tae is also excellent in his portrayal of the similarly tragic and deeply twisted role of Woo-Jin.
Oldboy Summary
It is impossible to categorize this film under any conventional title – action, suspence, drama – Oldboy not only has it, but masters it with ease.
While it’s dark and edgy content promises moments of graphic violence, it does not, however, take the opportunity to show said violence with the obvious glee that defines such films as the bizarre Ichi the Killer or the brilliant Audition.
Instead, it accomplishes it’s task via mechanisms more subtle and rewarding, even if those rewards are just as horrific.
If you're looking for a film unlike anything you've seen, you're looking for Oldboy.
- Producer: Lim Seung-yong.
- Director: Park Chan-Wook.
- Screenplay: Hwang Jo-Yun, Lim Chun-Hyeong, Park Chan-Wook.
- Starring: Choi Min-Sik, Yoo Ji-Tae, Gang Hye-Jung.
- Released: 2003 by Show East.
- Running Time: 115 mins.
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