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Old Boy
Reviewed by Alexa Moses Date: 3/2/2005 |
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Sometimes a movie appears in which the direction breathes life into an otherwise thin, dull, or implausible narrative. Old Boy Written by Hwang Jo-yun, Lim Chun-hyeong, Lim Joon-hyung, Park Chan-wook and Tsuchiya Garon Directed by Park Chan-wook Rated R Greater Union George Street, Hoyts Cinema Paris, Chatswood Usually, I like a film with a smart, pithy story, regardless of how it looks or sounds. But sometimes a movie appears in which the direction breathes life into an otherwise thin, dull, or implausible narrative. Citizen Kane is one example. The genius of Orson Welles's film is in his direction, the creepy shadows, the low-angled and deep-focus shots. The story of Citizen Kane is about as sophisticated and entertaining as queuing for a train ticket in peak hour. Old Boy is another film in which the art lies squarely in Park Chan-wook's direction. In a lesser director's hands, this violent revenge story would have been contrived and hammy. One night, Korean father Oh Dae-soo (Choi Min-sik) disappears from the street. He wakes up to find himself in a locked room with a small trapdoor, through which food appears. He has no idea why he's been imprisoned. Soon, he discovers via television that his wife has been murdered. It takes another 15 years filled with attempts at escape and suicide before Oh is suddenly released. He wakes up on top of a building with a briefcase and a money-thick wallet. He has no idea why he's there. Advertisement AdvertisementThe bulk of Old Boy is about Oh's search to discover who kidnapped him and why. Oh plans to kill whoever was responsible. On his journey, he meets sushi chef Mido (Gang Hye-jung). Old Boy, which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes film festival last year, is something like Kill Bill drunk on absinthe. As far as visual style goes, it is one of the most eerily beautiful movies I've seen. It's freakishly operatic, messy, bloody, sickly colourful, spiked with gruesome violence, distressing and funny. To give you a sense of the uncomfortable, even unethical moments in this film, live squid are consumed during one spectacular scene in a sushi bar. Old Boy also contains a ghastly yet comic fight scene that takes place in a corridor, a sustained long shot that lasts for minutes. Storywise, Old Boy is a stretch. It's taken from a Japanese manga (comic) with the same title, and the characters are thin, the detective work unbelievable, and the reason Oh has been kidnapped is laughable. It's not far removed from the sweeping story of an opera, and works in the same way. In context, it's highly effective. Afterwards, it seems artificial and full of holes. If you have a strong stomach, Old Boy is a must-see, for its sheer spectacle. |
| Source: Sydney Morning Herald |
