Oldboy Film Difficulty Ranking: 2
You’re in for a treat. Oldboy is the best revenge film you can find in the 21st century, let alone South Korea. Prepare yourself for a witches brew of 1 part The Truman Show, 1 part Memento, and 1 part “what the f**k! Park Chan-wook has made one crazy movie!
From: South Korea, Asia
Watch: Trailer, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: The Truman Show, Memento, Le Samourai
Why Watch Oldboy?
- To see the best revenge thriller of the 21st century (and possibly all time).
- For crazy violence, gore, and action – this director knows how to put you on edge.
- You have a love for trying exotic seafood.
- The awesome fighting shots.
The Breakdown
And that’s it. If instead, you are a fan of revenge, reality TV shows, family gossip, dumplings, or crazy, you won’t forget this film. Prepare for dark humour, telenovela-like music, eccentric characters, and video-game like cinematography that will give you a very sudden immersion into Korean film.
Trust me, this Korean original is better than Spike Lee’s English-language remake. If you want crazy you’re better off avoiding Hollywood.
Three things to watch out for:
- How the fight scenes are filmed: How does the camera move? What fits on the screen and what is hidden?
- How smooth is the editing? Are the shots continuous? (in English: does each shot continue from the previous shot without you knowing?)
- What are you hearing? Is the soundtrack imposing?
Follow this link for After Party analysis.
See you on the other side…
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