4 out of 5

Director: Chan-wook Park

First and foremost: this has to be one of the MOST satisfying “Why did this happen?” type of films I’ve ever seen. Many movies that hinge on discovery lose impact on a second viewing, or don’t hold up to the suspense they’ve managed to build, but after several viewings, Oldboy is still unbelievably effective in answering its main question – What would cause someone to imprison someone else for 15 years? I believe it maintains this power because it doesn’t base the film around the mystery, instead basing it around the development of its lead. Which fits in with Park’s “Vengeance trilogy” theme, as it’s meant to examine (according to the director) the effects of vengeful living. The film is very violent in spurts, funny in moments, and creatively pieced together. However, it is also somewhat sloppy, and this is where it loses a star. Park seems to have been massively influenced by Western cinema, which he applies fantastically in many scenes: interesting camera work, bright and imagined sets, and moody music. However, it is in stitching these individual pieces together that it shows that he might not fully be comfortable with this style. It’s jumpy, and certain scenes just cut off instead of flowing into another more smoothly. I have not seen his other full works, so I do not know if this is consistent with his style or something that’s developing. Regardless, if you can tolerate downer movies and a bit of blood, this is highly recommended.