Movie Marathon 5 - Obsequiousmelon is an Old Boy.

Name of the Film: Old Boy

Starring:  Min - sik Choi, Ji - tae Yu, Hye - jeong Kang

This is the last review in my movie marathon and I am quite confident that I saved the best till last.

Dae - su Oh is abducted and held in a single room for 15 years.  On the same night his wife is viciously murdered.  When he is finally released he must find out who did this to him and what has happened to his daughter.

Directed by, the now legendary, Chan - wook Park, Old Boy was some what of a sensation when it was released.  The tale of extreme revenge and brutal violence deliberately invaded on what had, primarily been the territory of Japanese films and announced modern Korean cinema to the world.

Lets not mince our words here, Old Boy is a sick film on many levels.  The big reveal at the end is deeply unpleasant, as is Dae - su Oh’s solution, but the film is all the more powerful for it.

I saved this film till last because I know it well and have intended to buy it for years.  It is monumentally good.  Dark, brutal and occasionally horrific but glorious none the less.

It is wonderfully written with poignant moments that really make you feel for the characters in amongst all the carnage and oh is there carnage, whether it be one man taking on many in a corridor with a claw hammer, improvised dentistry or many different suicide attempts (some successful, some not) the violence is unrelenting and fairly constant.

But even for all the action this is a tragedy and be warned there is no clear happy ending even if our hero does find a way to live with everything that has gone on.  There are quiet moments to give emotional depth to the violence and that is why the film succeeds.  Everything has a consequence, no one gets out of this mess unscathed and by the end of the film the characters are trying to put their lives back together as best they can.

Not for everyone but very much for me, I love this film and cannot recommend it strongly enough.  If you think you can stomach it then seek it out because you will be richly rewarded with an array of well crafted characters from Korea’s seedy underbelly all drawn into a tale of mystery, revenge and horror.

Old Boy - go buy it and watch it now!

Did I enjoy the film?  Yes

Would I recommend it to my friends?  Yes 

Will I buy it on DVD/Blu Ray?  Yes

If it was a mate would I let it date my Sister?  Yes