Oldboy

Well, wasn’t that a shock. After a long time I was flabbergasted by a twist! A great story, fantastic performances and direction, and a very interesting narrative style. The cultural differences can be felt and I didn’t get the emotional side of Old Boy, but thumbs up for everything else. PS: This is one of those films where bringing the story closer through a western remake would not be out of the question, provided it gets in the hands of a competent director, of course. (27/05/2010)

I can't help but find it unnecessarily overly violent, transparent (when the two met in the bar and she told him he reminded her of someone, my first thought was what the guy learned at the end) and a bit of boiling water. Yeah, the filming probably wasn't easy, and while there is something to be gained from the film, it's nothing world-changing, for me it's an average film. Basically, I don't even know what to admire about it or what I really liked about it. Too bad, I was looking forward to it quite a bit. (15/04/2013)

A simple story told in a needlessly incomprehensible way. The visual aspect is captivating, the music is amazing and the actors are great, but the story itself, particularly its conclusion, left me cold. The Asians are simply different, as they express themselves differently and perceive things differently – and with Oldboy, whose story otherwise has something to it, I didn’t experience what the individual dramatically escalated scenes were trying to tell me. But I’m very curious about the American remake. (24/10/2004)

A film that has a hero. A film that has charisma. A film that has a charismatic hero. I'm slowly moving from South Korean romance to something edgier. Of course Old Boy was the best choice. It offers everything from really hardcore fight scenes to eating an octopus alive... to the amazing (but truly amazing) music and the fantastic lines. So my message to everyone: Whether you're a boy or a girl, you have to see this! (28/07/2011)

OldBoy does not deny its obvious inspiration from the manga comic style, from which the source material ultimately emerged, and the director's film school, which originated from classical commercial production of action crime dramas. However, it is also a visually provocative film full of interesting cuts and sophisticated tricks in the style of David Fincher. A film that conveys the creation of these declining genres to the festival audience. Who doesn't like violence, perversity, and morbidity, if it is presented somewhat more complicatedly and masquerades as an art film? However, in terms of emotional appeal, East Asian cinema has not consistently appealed to me (except for rare exceptions), and OldBoy is no exception in that regard. For me, it is an overrated film that reminded me of Lynch's film Wild at Heart in terms of style. If Lynch were to make a film with a similar theme, I would probably like it better. Especially because Wild at Heart is, after all, a little closer to parody, or rather, it does not take itself so seriously. Overall impression: 25%. (29/03/2009)