‘Oldboy’ 20th Anniversary Review – The Past, Present, And Future Of Action Cinema

Watching Oldboy is watching the last 20 years of the action genre in one film.

That might not seem impressive if Oldboy were a film of today. It isn’t. The South Korean film is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and American distributor Neon is marking the occasion with a restoration and theatrical re-release. As such, Oldboy is the progenitor of our current action cinema rather than its culmination. The connections between this film and blockbusters released even this year are so frequent and tangible that it can be overwhelming to contemplate. And yet, despite massive advancements in cinematic technique and technology, few films, if any, achieve Park Chan-wook’s brazen, boundless creativity.

The brazen, boundless film in question follows Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), a businessman kidnapped off the street in 1988 and imprisoned for nearly two decades. Dae-su’s unknown captors torture him with news footage of his wife’s murder, which they have framed him for, and a world moving on without him. He spends his time in captivity shadowboxing and digging a tunnel to escape, seeking vengeance against his captors. When he is finally set free with no rhyme or reason in the new millennium, Dae-su embarks on a mission to find his captors. Along the way, he meets and eventually develops a romance with Mi-do (Kang Hye-jung), a young chef at a sushi restaurant. Dae-su’s bloody quest for vengeance is more complex and diabolical than he realizes, curdling into a depraved game that one simply must see to believe.

If you haven’t seen Oldboy before, going in with as much knowledge as what’s written above is best. Knowing the full details doesn’t precisely spoil the experience, a concern that has, for better or worse, recently reshaped how audiences perceive movies. However, there is something special in beholding Park’s storytelling’s sheer, pure audacity. His narrative is unsparingly brutal in its story beats and efficiency in exposing humanity’s darkest impulses. Where it leads is undeniably shocking, but that’s not where its power lies. Instead, the third-act reveal and its staggering inevitability as the film’s pieces fall into place is a blunt instrument of internal reflection. The depravity forces you to ponder your appetite for revenge and cruelty before you need to dissociate. Hollywood rarely approaches those conversations, not in 2003 or today, which only emboldens this film’s modern sensibility.

Of course, the narrative is only part of the package. Since its initial release, critics and cinephiles have revered the film as the peak of action-oriented cinema. They celebrate its unvarnished brutality, drum-tight choreography, and visceral filmmaking techniques. The 4K restoration refreshes Chan-wook’s razor-sharp direction and bolsters Chung Chung-hoon’s bold cinematography. It also emphasizes how well Park’s choices hold up against and exceed modern movie standards. It isn’t hyperbole or exaggeration to note how much Hollywood owes to his foundational work. For instance, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 borrows this film’s centerpiece hallway battle for its own climactic third-act battle. However, Oldboy’s successors never achieve the bloody, bone-shattering efficiency of Dae-su’s damned hammer. In a cinematic landscape that feels increasingly weightless, Chan-wook’s depiction of violence lands with shockingly heavy blows. Even amidst unvarnished death, the film is thrillingly alive.

Oldboy’s cast is equally committed to delivering a ferocious experience. Choi Min-sik’s steely, mechanical brutalism is easy to underestimate, considering how much it has influenced subsequent performances. Make no mistake, though: he commands every scene. His unwavering control eventually shatters upon the climax, resulting in a performance that is extraordinary in its gonzo fearlessness. Yoo Ji-tae, who plays the man responsible for Dae-su’s torment, is similarly fantastic. He treats Dae-su’s quest like a children’s game, with a near-permanent adolescent smirk that belies the grave nature of his motivations. The men’s face-off, captured in wildly inventive framing, is a masterclass of protagonist-antagonist interaction.

Depending on who you ask, Oldboy’s release is either a stinging indictment of Hollywood’s embarrassing fecklessness or the incredible invention of South Korean art. It likely is both. Whatever its place in the zeitgeist, Park Chan-wook’s revenge masterpiece is one of the year’s most vital theatrical experiences. The film demands to be seen, seen again, and obsessed over long after the credits roll. It is action cinema’s past, present, and future in 120 glorious, vicious minutes. You will never be the same after watching it.

The 4K restoration of Oldboy is currently playing in theaters courtesy of Neon. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAaBkFChaRg]