Revisiting Oldboy, Which Never Gets Old - The Reel Deal: An Albany Movie Blog

After hearing that Spike Lee was remaking Park Chan-wook’s 2003 masterpiece Oldboy this year I decided to watch it again. I had seen it a few years ago when I heard about the Vengeance Trilogy Chan-wook had made. His three films are Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance. Each film tells a different story, but all involve vengeance of some sort. Oldboy is based on a manga of the same name created in the late nineties by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi.

The film tells the tale of Oh Dae-su, a business man who for some reason has been taken from society and locked up for fifteen years in a room with nothing more that a television to keep him company. Who has done this to him and why? This is something Dae-su has to figure out by any means possible.

Park Chan-wook has created a film that will be admired for many years to come. From the colorful cinematography to the Hitchcock/De Palma-esque score written for the film, he knows how to make a great film. The suspense alone keeps you on the edge of your seat, asking yourself why over and over again.

Personally I feel that it does not need to be remade. I have been getting tired of Hollywood remaking all of these foreign films for American audiences. I love Spike Lee and all, but are we really out of ideas for making new films here in the states? Why can’t we release these great films in mainstream theaters for people to enjoy. Yes I know I have an “Art-House” type theater in my area that shows these films, but I feel it would be a wonderful day when they can be shown to the general public just like Avatar or the new crappy Die Hard movie. Once in a while a foreign movie makes enough money and gets enough acclaim that it will make it into regular cinemas, but it is still rare.

Chan-wook’s films have proven to be successful world-wide, which has given him the opportunity to make his first British/American release, Stoker, coming out on March 1st this year. It stars Nicole Kidman and based on the trailer which is online, it looks like we are in store for a wild ride. So do yourself a favor and see Oldboy. I do have to warn you that it is violent and really makes you think. More so about being human and surviving than anything, but it can also be classified as a romance in some twisted and demented way. And if you like Oldboy, you should do yourself the favor and watch the other films made by Park Chan-wook. He is an amazing director who knows how to make an amazing film.

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