Movie: Old Boy
Year: 2003
Director: Park Chan-Wook
Language: Korean
Synopsis: Oh Dae Su suddenly finds himself in a small room when he wakes up from a drunken stupor. The room which looks like a hotel room has every facility including a TV which shows all channels. Yet he has no clue why he is in there. He tries begging to the lone hand that gets him food, bangs the walls, screams but nothing stops his ordeal. His attempts to suicide are foiled every time and his room is cleaned everyday when he is sedated. Finally he gives up and starts counting the number of years he needs to wait as his anger builds up. Only the fried dumplings he gets everyday keeps him in touch with the outside world’s reality. Fifteen years after his imprisonment he finds himself on the roof of a building. A cellphone given to him directs him to a sushi restaurant where the young chef Mi-do picks him up. His story of the search for revenge starts here.
My own take: If you think this is another of the brutal gory action movies from the east that will have lots of kung fu and theatrical blood then you will be sadly mistaken. This story is just too gripping to be told. Originally from the manga series of the same name this movie's strength lies in laying bare human emotions and makes you think on a platform which is beyond normal reasoning. One of the everlasting lines of this movie is “ a grain of sand and a rock sinks equally in water”. The reference to zen philosophy is a constant pattern in the movie. Brilliant editing and equally brilliant usage of camera. Leaves a lot to be imagined. Do not watch this movie when you are looking for a light or easy entertainment. Watch it when you can take serious stuff and remember the idea of Korean violence can be very different from yours. I would rate this as an art work by a surrealist who succeeds to shock you in the end.
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