Oldboy

I saw it twice before I began to fully comprehend director Park Chan-wook's Oldboy. You may have heard, "Don't get mad, get even," and "Revenge is a dish best served cold," but Oldboy is a cautionary tale.

Don Murphy, producer of Natural Born Killers, Apt Pupil and Transormers wrote:

At the height of the mystery of OLDBOY, the main character Oh Dae-su has just fought his way back out of the building where he believes he was illegally held prisoner for a decade and a half. It will turn out he's correct, although it doesn't solve the central mystery of "who" and "why." He takes a moment to suck up his courage. He just fought off three dozen thugs with weapons and this is no easy thing.

It's at this point that Oh Dae-su wonders, via the magic of narration, whether he'll ever be the same after he's had his revenge. He doesn't allow himself all that much reflection -- mere moments later he's back on his journey of revenge. But, having seen the film multiple times, it's that split second that stands out to me. He knows this is all going to end in blood and shit, in pain and agony. But he's got to do it. ...

... Indeed, upon reflection, the one and only possibility to avoid the vengeance that ultimately comes in OLDBOY is to walk away and do nothing. But Oh Dae-su can't walk away. He NEEDS to know who stole fifteen years of his life and killed his wife. He needs to find out and get the bastard back. I would too. So even though he does pause to reflect about whether this is a good idea or not, he cannot stop. As humans the desire for retribution is in our genes.

Oldboy is part of the "Vengeance Trilogy," which includes two additional, excellent films from director Park Chan-wook: Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance.

The photo (Oh Dae-su imprisoned) is a still from Oldboy and was found at The New York Times' unappreciative review of the film, "The Violence (and the Seafood) Is More Than Raw." (I noticed two tooth extraction scenes; the tooth extractions weren't done by a dentist; however, what was about to happen was sufficiently foreshadowed that I had time to put a hand in front of my eyes. What I imagined was about to happen may have been far more gruesome than what was filmed. I'll see the film again and may screw up my courage to find out.)

The quote from Don Murphy was copied from a booklet that accompanies the "Vengeance Trilogy."

Should you see this film? Yes! For the irony of Oh Dae-su's quest and to experience his horror when he learns "who" and "why."