Old Boy. A Korean flick worth checking out

[razerfish]

The guy at Blockbuster recommended this to me after one of the new releases I was looking for was sold out.

Pretty interesting. Violent but also has a coherent plot, which I'm thankful in a foreign movie.

Worth checking out if you like revenge flicks.

[wcmartell]

I second that. Saw it at the Raindance Festival last year when I was on the jury. Lots of great plot twists and some real dramatic revelations... plus, a great fight where our hero is armed only with a hammer.

My review is somewhere on this page of my Film Fest Diary:
http://p083.ezboard.com/fscriptsecretsscreenwriterscafe.showMessageRange?t opicID=306.topic&start=21&stop=36


- Bill

[habronic]

yeah, the one shot fight in the corridor is amazing.

there have been some quality korean films in the last couple of years.

[theturnaround]

Great film... fyi: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is coming to theaters soon... "The first film in director Park Chanwook's "revenge" trilogy (Oldboy, the upcoming Sympathy for Lady Vengeance) is a disquieting and brutal tale of love and loss."

September in Landmark Theaters...

[gesztenye]

good... mr.vengeance is just coming...

so I can start working on my take on it... this movie's gonna make some splash and producers will be looking for this kinda ish just like it happened with the horror genre. I'm tellin ya.

[QuackCorleone]

Don't forget to watch for the American remake of Oldboy, too. With Justin Lin (director of all-Asian teen movie Better Luck Tomorrow) at the helm, the film looks to extend Hollywood's recent streak of stellar remakes.

:rolleyes:

On a brighter side, at least Hollywood's veering away from just mangling Japanese horror flicks.

;)

[s1eve]

Also, you all should check out THREE...EXTREMES - 3 short films by Fruit Chan, Takashi Miike, and Chan-wook Pak. It's available on DVD at yesasia.com

Chan-wook Park's THE CUT was my favourite out of the three and I think its a MUST SEE if you're a fan of his films.


More info at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420251/combined?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnx0dD0xfGZiPXV8cG49MHxrdz0xfH E9dGhyZWUgZXh0cmVtZXN8ZnQ9MXxteD0yMHxsbT01MDB8Y289 MXxodG1sPTF8bm09MQ__;fc=1;ft=21

[Bad Liver]

Don't forget to watch for the American remake of Oldboy, too. With Justin Lin (director of all-Asian teen movie Better Luck Tomorrow) at the helm, the film looks to extend Hollywood's recent streak of stellar remakes.

:rolleyes:

On a brighter side, at least Hollywood's veering away from just mangling Japanese horror flicks.

;)


I just watched this tonight. I can't possibly imagine a US studio version of this film being anywhere near as twisted and f'ed up as the original.

I gotta hand it to 'em. I did NOT see that reveal coming. :|

And yeah, that hallway fight is fantastic. The whole film is wonderfully stylish.

[dgrunert]

Yeah, Oldboy's great. For the Hollywood remake, the only way I could see it working is by casting Johnny Depp in the lead. My wife suggested Benicio Del Toro, which ain't half bad either.

[Bad Liver]

Beyond casting - is the subject matter even palatable to a mainstream studio audience?

[NoTalentAssClown]

'Better Luck Tomorrow' was so bad. I hope the remake never happens.

[wcmartell]

Major plot twists and elements from OLD BOY seem to be lifted from Paul Schrader's OBSESSION - a major release from a couple of decades ago. That film also use the present-blended-with-past flashback method.

Instead of remaking OLD BOY, let's just leave it as it is and re-release OBSESSION (a different movie with a different story).

- Bill

[dgrunert]

Great, now somebody in Hollywood's gonna want to remake Obsession, too!

[AlabamaBlackSnake]

I had nightmares for 2 days at sundance after watching it. (i loved it.) A disturbing work, every frame masterfully composed with an eye toward lulling the viewer into a psychological labyrinth.

Unfortunately, MR. VENGEANCE, 3 EXTREMES and JSA did not come close for me. I believe LADY VENGEANCE will screen at the LA Korean fest in October.

Was OLDBOY a fluke? Maybe LADY VENGEANCE will reveal the answer. At any rate, you have to give the man props for very last shot, lingering on the grimacing Choi just a second too long for comfort, perverting his smile and leaving the viewer to wonder.....DID IT WORK????

Park's translator at Sundance told me Nicolas Cage may play Oh Daesu in the remake. With all deference to Cage/whomever is doing it, remaking OLDBOY would be like remaking a Hitchcock film - it would be a triumph to pull off anything in the same league.

[trinidaddy]

" Unfortunately, MR. VENGEANCE, 3 EXTREMES and JSA did not come close for me. I believe LADY VENGEANCE will screen at the LA Korean fest in October. "

Interesting, Alabama. I found MR. VENGEANCE to be far more haunting than OLDBOY, though it's not nearly as 'alive' or 'visceral'. It's slow and methodical but damn if it doesn't take you places you never thought you'd go when you sat down to watch it...and without cheating to get there, imo.

Granted, his short 'Cut' from 3 EXTREMES was a bit too self aware for it's own good and JSA ( while enjoyable and well done ) was nothing you couldn't get in Hollywood.

But this 'Vengeance' trilogy is something special. Fluke? I don't think so. Even if you didn't gush over MR. VENGEANCE ( though i sure did and actually consider to be a stronger film ) you'd have to agree that films with a vision as strong and detailed as OLDBOY's don't happen by accident.

[whitenavel]

Caught this over the weekend. I can't stop suggesting it to others. I loved it.


However, while watching it, I kept thinking about a Hollywood remake and how it would probably suck and wouldn't have the same emotional affect, nor would it contain all of the same plot points, violence, reveals, etc.

[NoTalentAssClown]

I thought JSA was great. While slow to start, it slowly sucked me in and by the end I was emotionally drained. Really grew to love the characters.

I saw LADY VENGEANCE last week. It packs the visceral punch of OLDBOY while looking similar to MR VENGEANCE with its colors and shot composition. I wasn't quite as emotionally invested in it, but it's a fine film nonetheless. Fluke, shmook. Park is one of the world's top directors right now.

[Adam Isaac]

Fantastic film! I still need to see LADY VENGEANCE.

[Tipjar]

I've almost rented Old Boy a couple of times, now I will.

I recently saw "Untold Scandal", which is the Korean version of Dangerous Liasons. (I thought it was much better than the American version with Michelle Pfieffer and John Malkovich -- twenty years ago now!) Not only did I think the story worked better in 18th century Korea, I was blown away by an actress I've never even heard of before, Lee Mi-Sook. (She played Glenn Close's character.)

I also want to recommend "Spring Summer Fall Winter...and Spring". Beautifully shot. Totally different kind of flick than "Untold Scandal". A bit more of a contemplative work.

[Slappynipsy]

:rolleyes:

On a brighter side, at least Hollywood's veering away from just mangling Japanese horror flicks.

;)


You seen the trailer for Pulse? God it made me ill! I loved the original...

if they wanted to do a Kiyoshi Kurosawa film why not do Cure? or Bright Future?

And Oldboy w/ Johnny Depp would be interesting... But I also hated "Better Luck Tomorrow"


EDIT: Oh and Tipjar if you liked Spring Summer Fall Winter and Spring you should check out 3-iron by the same director... very different in tone but a very enjoyable film...

[Tipjar]

Slappy'...

I saw 3-Iron a couple of weeks ago...Thanks for bringing it up, I was trying to remember it...

***MINOR SPOILERS***

There was some interesting enough stuff in it, but I never could quite get into that main character, I mean he was just TOO quiet, man. I think there may have been a little cultural allegory I wasn't connecting with, which was somehow hooked into his quiet acceptance of undeserved guilt at the police station, and, coming back to (presumably, stealthily) 'live' in the wealthy bastard's home right under his own shadow.

I really dug it when the girl re-hung the nude of herself as a mosaic in the photographer's apartment.

[Hairy Lime]

Finally got around to Seeing Oldboy. Enjoyable enough, but the reveal left me saying, "tell me something I don't already know." The clues were pretty obvious throughout. Or maybe I've just watched too many thrillers. I was watching CSI the other night (my first episode ever) and I had the twist figured out by the 30 minute mark. My house guest was amazed that I'd figured it out, but it was far too easy if you've watched enough episodes of Law & Order and the other various and sundry police procedurals, let alone feature length thrillers.

[Adam Isaac]

Tough genre.

[The White Album]

Caught this over the weekend. I can't stop suggesting it to others. I loved it.


However, while watching it, I kept thinking about a Hollywood remake and how it would probably suck and wouldn't have the same emotional affect, nor would it contain all of the same plot points, violence, reveals, etc.

*******POSSIBLE SPOILERS*********************

One of the producers of the OLDBOY remake is also producing my project. I asked him specifically if the American remake is going to keep the incest plot, and he said "yes."