Oldboy

I first watched Oldboy almost a year ago. I couldn’t find it anywhere to rent or buy so I had to watch a pirated version in 720p. I loved it, but something about it never fully clicked with me until today.  I bought the 4k blu-ray and finally gave Oldboy a proper rewatch. This time I completely fell in love with it and can say that it is absolutely a masterpiece. Everything is perfect. The camera work is phenomenal. The way every shot is set up is beautiful and has some form of visual storytelling. Every camera movement has purpose whether it’s to reveal something previously hidden or to flow seamlessly into the next scene. The transitions are some of the best I’ve ever seen. There’s not much to be said about the acting that hasn’t been said a million times, but Choi Min-sik’s performance as Oh Dae-su is amazing. The extreme lengths that he goes to to bring the character to life is impressive to say the least.  I also love the music. I’ve been listening to the score since I heard it for the first time, but on this rewatch I really loved how it was implemented into the story. While Oldboy isn’t an action film to me, it’s undoubtedly got some of the most impressive action scenes of all time. Again everyone has already said it, but the “Hallway” fight is literally action perfection.  The thing that really makes Oldboy the masterpiece though is the story. I won’t spoil anything because I believe you need to know nothing in order to fully appreciate the film on your first viewing. But that being said, the plot is extremely complex and there are so many tiny details that create the most horrifying and intricate revenge story I’ve ever seen. There are times where Oldboy can seem like a horror and in a way it kind of is. This film is without a doubt one of my favorites of all time.