Oldboy

Release Year: 2003

Director: Park Chan-wook

Review: The second film in Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy.  Oldboy is a powerful revenge thriller that is expertly crafted by Chan-wook to squeeze every ounce of emotion out of the viewer.  Oh Dae-su(Choi Min-sik) awakes imprisoned in a room after a drunken night and is held captive for 15 years, not knowing why or by whom.  When he is let free he is on a mission to exact his revenge on his captor. Even after repeated viewings this holds up as one of the greatest revenge films.  The tension and raw emotion Chan-wook captures is remarkable.  The nature of revenge and the the consequences of it are brilliantly explored.  The ultimate pay off is an astounding reveal and is the perfect ending to this fantastic film.  Chan-wook is a master at a gritty realist style ad it works wonderfully for this type of film.  'Oldboy' is quite simply the pinnacle of the revenge genre and is a flawless movie experience.
Rating: 5/5