A scene from Old Boy by Roccoloko on Deviant Art
Old Boy is unquestionably a masterpiece. It saddens to me learn that an American remake is currently in the works (Starring Josh Brolin and possibly Elizabeth Olsen). What is it about the American film industry and their need to remake (already perfect) foreign films for American audiences? Are Americans allergic to subtitles or something?
Old Boy is the second instalment in Park Chan-wook's The Vengeance Trilogy. However, Old Boy is so much more than just a revenge film. It starts off with Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) drunk in a police station on his daughter's birthday. Luckily his friend bails him out. He calls his daughter from a phone booth to tell her that he is on the way home and then without warning he is abducted. Our only clue at this point is a violet umbrella with an intricate geometric pattern on it. Dae-su then spends the next fifteen years in a prison cell that is done up to look like a cheap motel. His only salvation is his television set. To pass the time he digs a hole out of his cell wall using a single chopstick and of course exercises to get ready for his revenge. He is finally released by being dumped in a suitcase atop a grassy rooftop. He emerges from the suitcase dazed thinking he is in a grassy meadow. Prior to his release his captor Woo-jin (Yoo Ji-tae) tells him that he has just five days to unravel the mystery of his fifteen year imprisonment. He has his first meal as a free man at a sushi bar where he meets Mi-do (Kang Hye-jung) a waitress and instantly feels a strong attraction towards her. She later takes him home and having read his prison journals decides to help him on his quest for revenge.
The resultant story is actually two revenge plots and two love stories rolled into one. The true horror of the film lies in the unexpected psychological torture inflicted upon Dae-su. The ending is purposefully ambiguous and will haunt you long after the film. As with Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (third instalment of this trilogy) the violence in this film never feels unnecessary and is done in such a way that it is visually poetic. I wouldn't say that costuming is an important aspect of this films aesthetic, however, I did like the gold cat-eye sunglasses that Dae-su wears when he is released. The glasses with their exaggerated shape seem to go with his maniacal grin and contrast nicely with his otherwise sombre attire of a black suit and black shirt.
Choi Min-sik is perfect as the tortured Dae-su who was once just an ordinary guy but is now forced to become (in his words) a "Monster". Yoo Ji-tae brings a surprising amount of pathos to the role of villain Woo-jin. It's hard to imagine how you could feel any sympathy for the twisted Woo-jin but amazingly you do. Kang Hye-jung makes Mi-do an endearing character and throughout the film you just hope that things will work out for her because she seems like such a nice person. I would recommend this film to everyone and especially urge you to see it before viewing the upcoming American remake (director, Spike Lee). To be honest after watching the original you won't be interested in seeing the remake.
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