Oldboy/올드보이 (Oldeuboi)(2003) or, Nuts in South Korea

9/18/2022

Oldboy/올드보이 (Oldeuboi)(2003) or, Nuts in South Korea

♥♥

+ Most Overrated Movie of the Year

Two souls walk in a landscape of neon lights on this poster for Park Chan-wook's Oldboy

A man is caged in in an apartment for 15 years due a an incestuous relation. When he is released, he takes a mad revenge on the surrounding cityscape.

Oldboy is written by Joon-hyung Lim (Ashfall/Baekdusan (2019)), Jo-yun Hwang (Yasuwa minyeo (2005)) and co-writer/director Park Chan-wook (Daleun... haega kkuneun kkum (1992)). It is a loose adaptation of the 1996-98 manga Oldboy/オールド・ボーイ (Ōrudo Bōi) by Marley Caribu (Astral Project/月の光 (Tsuki No Hikari) (2005-07)) and Nobuaki Minegishi (Aburemon).

Oldboy is essentially a revenge fantasy that's dramatized in a way that evokes Greek myths. The drama is therefore intentionally over-acted, as the plot evolves as a showcase of hysterical emotions that run amuck. - You're likely to be repulsed by the violence, the language and possibly the impregnable strangeness of the Asian culture at display. The images are by many hailed as cinema art, but to me they were sad, distracted brushstrokes of pretense.

The music of Oldboy, (by Yeong-wook Jo (The Handmaiden/Ah-ga-ssi (2016))), is, however, magnificent.

Park Chan-wook: 2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Stoker (2013) - Chan-wook Park's over-styled American debut revolts and bores in turns

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

Listen to a 4-minute track from the film's score here

Cost: 3 mil. $

Box office: 15.3 mil. $

= Big hit (returned 5.1 times its cost)

[Oldboy was released 21 November (South Korea) and runs 120 minutes. Four live octopodes were ingested by star Choi Min-sik (New World/Sinsegye (2013)) for the most talked-about scene in the film. Shooting took place from May - October 2003 in New Zealand and South Korea, including in Seoul. The film opened #48 to a 68k $ first weekend in 5 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #40 and in 28 theaters (different weeks), grossing 707k $ (4.6 % of the total gross). The film's 3 biggest markets were South Korea with 1.8 mil. $ (11.8 %), Japan with 1 mil. $ (6.5 %) and France with 758k $ (5 %). It won the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival under jury president Quentin Tarantino. It was also nominated for a European Film award, among many other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to 4 notches over this one. IMDb's users have currently rated the film in at #71 on the site's Top 250 list, sitting between The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and Joker (2019). The film got an unauthorized Bollywood remake in 2006 and an American one by Spike Lee by the same name in 2013. Chan-wook returned with Three... Extremes/Sam gang 2 (2004, segment) and by himself with Lady Vengeance/Chinjeolhan geumjassi (2005). Min-sik returned in Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War/Taegukgi hwinalrimyeo (2004). Oldboy is certified fresh at 81 % with a 7.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Oldboy?

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Donald Sutherland has passed away

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William Friedkin has died

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Louise Fletcher has passed away

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Jean-Luc Godard has passed away

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Philip Baker Hall has died

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Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

Eagerly anticipating this week ... (17-24)

9/18/2022