Oldboy

A simple story told in a needlessly incomprehensible way. The visual aspect is captivating, the music is amazing and the actors are great, but the story itself, particularly its conclusion, left me cold. The Asians are simply different, as they express themselves differently and perceive things differently – and with Oldboy, whose story otherwise has something to it, I didn’t experience what the individual dramatically escalated scenes were trying to tell me. But I’m very curious about the American remake. (24/10/2004)

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)

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)

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)