Oldboy

Eine einfache Geschichte, die überflüssig unklar dargestellt wurde. Ein visuell überwältigendes Werk mit einer großartig genutzten Musik und tollen Schauspielern. Die Story selbst, besonders ihr Ausgang, hat mich aber irgendwie kaltgelassen. Die Asiaten sind einfach anders, sie drücken sich anders aus und haben auch eine andere Wahrnehmung. Und ich habe bei Oldboy, dessen Story eigentlich gut ist, nicht das gespürt, was mir die einzelnen dramatischen Szenen einreden wollten. Ich bin aber gespannt, wie das US-amerikanische Remake aussehen wird. (24.10.2004)

I have a problem with Asian films because their emotionality is beyond me. I don't deny the camera finesse, a few visually memorable scenes (although judging by the reviews I was expecting a much, much more visually striking work), but a three-minute fight in one uninterrupted shot, a close-up of teeth being pulled and a live octopus being eaten don't make a memorable film. First and foremost, it's about the story, and the story here – told in a somewhat incomprehensible way for my taste – couldn't quite reach me, as well as the twist and emotional outpourings in the last twenty minutes. I can't help it, Oldboy is overrated in my eyes, which is not to say it's not worth watching. (27.06.2005)

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)

Eine extreme Variation der klassischen Edipo Re - Bett der Gewalt Materie, wo das Schicksal das Motiv der Rache ersetzt? Warum denn nicht, besonders sofern wenn alles in einem hervorragend leichtfüßigen Stil gedreht, von ein paar "Stimmen" dahinerzählt und in einem luxuriösen visuellen Paket abgeliefert wird ... Meines Erachtens ist die Weitsicht sowie die natürliche Oszillation zwischen schwarzem Humor und Drama der Höhepunkt des Old Boy. Überraschenderweise sieht die Brutalität einiger Passagen nicht selbstzweckgerichtet aus und passt gut in den asiatischen Trend der "verkrüppelten" Helden hinein. Tolle Musik. Eine famose Schauspielperformance von Dae Su ... eine perfekte und unerwartete abschließende Wendung, welche derart systematisch in die Struktur des Films eingebettet ist, dass ich das gleiche Gericht gerne noch einmal genießen werde. Die formale Kälte, die hier aus dem aller größten Teil des Films ausgeht, stört mich ein wenig, jedoch am Ende verwandelt sie sich in existenzielle Hitze. Kein vollends reißerisches Stück, jedoch ein unvergesslicher Film. (08.04.2007)

If I was a spoiling asshole, I’d write that this film is an ancient drama in a Korean coat. But since I am not a spoiling asshole, I’m still writing that this film is an ancient drama in a Korean coat. ♫ OST review: 5/5 (06.03.2005)

Asian miracle, which didn't affect me. The music accompaniment is flawless, but visually, even the highly praised scenes reach the limit of mediocrity. If there is something brilliant, it's the punchline, too bad that right after it, director Park "adds blood" and loses me again on the way to the climax. I understand everyone who was moved by the last minute or captivated by the film as a whole. I understand them, but I will never belong with them. (29.12.2005)

Revenge can take many forms. It can be cold-blooded, sadistic, brutal, chaotic or even systematic. For South Korean director Park Chan-wook, it is mainly problematic on every possible level, from its conceptual and moral aspects, to the pleasure of carrying it out. In a gripping stylised form, Park maps the protagonist’s bloody odyssey to uncover the sense of his long imprisonment and the person who orchestrated it. In the ingeniously constructed story, the viewer is in the same position as the tragic hero, whose ideas about the course and further development of his revenge are constantly frustrated by his nemesis. At the time of its release, much attention was focused on the extreme scenes, but it has already been forgotten that Oldboy brilliantly combines excess, tense emotions, coolness, pathos, wrenching catharsis and humorous exaggeration, all of which work superbly here. In addition to that, Park goes much deeper in his screenplay and revenge thus becomes only a McGuffin in a wrenching treatise on anger and its ability to blind the one feeling it, the toxic nature of machismo, and the painful journey toward seeing the light. Here, the epiphany has the meaning of both transcending one’s own egocentric point of view and seeing what one has done to others, as well as the utterly devastating impact that it has on one’s own conscience and personal happiness, which can then be found only in oblivion. ____ Oldboy was Park’s first collaboration with Jung Jung-hoon, who subsequently became Park’s court cinematographer, and their symbiotic ambition, manifested in outrageous camera compositions and staging challenges, pushed the film, Park’s filmography and even international cinema to a new level. After all, it is no coincidence that many years later Edgar Wright chose Jung to shoot Last Night in Soho, which features incredible camerawork, where two versions of one character alternate in one shot without the use of digital effects, but thanks solely to the choreography of the actors and the movement of the camera. (20.08.2022)

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)

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)

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%. (28.03.2009)

Emotionally very cold as usual, with totally hysterical actors (I wonder what that dog ending was supposed to mean, no wonder the person laughed), and what was supposed to shock emotionally was rather funny. The highly praised visuals were also not groundbreaking, we’ve seen bigger camera flourishes before Park. As usual, the gratuitous violence isn’t missing, which is again gratuitous. I don't see what is so extraordinary here. And the plot? Chaos and confusion. In the end, you don’t know who is who and what is what. A considerably foolish and cumbersome project. Apparently, I didn't understand it all. Or maybe there is nothing to understand and it truly is just an ordinary and narratively muddled mix of violence and revenge. Could it be rated so highly for its somewhat “exotic” touch? That is the only thing undeniably present. It truly is something unusual. (07.06.2007)

Eine im Grunde genommen durchschnittliche und klassische Geschichte, die aber überdurchschnittlich dargestellt ist. Die Kamera, die Musik und ihre Kooperation – das ist die größte Stärke von Oldboy. Gleich danach kommen die Schauspielleistungen. So wie bei manchen anderen Filmen habe ich mich auch hier darüber aufgeregt (woran liegt es, verdammt nochmal?), dass ich eine der Wendungen im Finale schon in der Mitte des Films erraten habe. Das Finale war aber trotzdem sehr intensiv. An den Kampf in dem Korridor vor den Aufzügen und das Ziehen der Zähne mit dem Hammer werde ich mich noch lange erinnern. Die Szene mit dem Auffressen des Kraken würde ich am liebsten vergessen! Liebe Freunde, es war wirklich eklig! Mir wurde schlecht und ich habe die Augen zugemacht! (26.11.2009)

After a long time I was looking forward to an Asian film, which I usually avoid. Old Boy, however, lured me in with its vision of combining Asian candour in its depiction of violence with an imaginative story that is unmatched anywhere else in the world. Well, so much for expectations, and now for the negative, i.e. the audience experience: despite all the stylishness, the original concept of the narrative and the final twist, it was absolutely zero. The first half is pretty cool and the 2 stars are solely for it, but the final part and the main character's revenge felt like a parody of itself, and in the rush of seriousness and unrealistic twists I felt completely out of place and the expected overlay in the form of well-served violence somehow didn't come, so I didn't really have anything to watch. It was all topped off by the overly spectacular finale, but I had already suffered through it and the emotions had passed me by in a mile-long arc. My apologies to everyone who has Old Boy enshrined as a legend, but I just can't do otherwise just yet. At least next time I won't stick my nose somewhere I obviously don't like. (24.07.2013)

Here are so many scenes that knocked me out the first time. I will never forget the octopus scene. But the scene that gets to me the most is when the main character stands against his captor, knows who he is, and wants to kill him, but in reality, he can't do either because he wants to know the truth, he wants to know why he lost 15 years of his life. Incredibly powerful, it reaches deep into the marrow of the bones. (31.03.2015)