Oldboy

Despite the massive amounts of praise being heaped on Oldboy by folks like Quentin Tarantino and Ain’t It Cool’s Harry Knowles, the simple fact is that the movie just isn’t that good. It’s not bad, exactly, but it’s certainly not deserving of all the extremely positive buzz that’s been going around. Part of the problem is that director Park Chan-wook complicates what should have been a simple story with an emphasis on a mystery that isn’t terribly interesting. The plot concerns Dae-su (Min-sik Choi), a businessman held against his will for 15 years by a shadowy force. Upon his release, Dae-su embarks on a quest of revenge – eventually making his way to the person responsible for his imprisonment. It’s impossible to deny the fact that Park is a tremendously talented filmmaker; there are some sequences here that are absolutely spellbinding (particularly one that finds Dae-su dispatching a dozen assailants with a hammer – all in one long take). Ultimately, though, Park spends far too much time on Dae-su’s investigation – something that becomes increasingly noticeable as we’re presented with fairly dull flashbacks of Dae-su’s youth. Admittedly, these elements do come into play as the movie draws to a close – but the damage has already been done. Still, the film’s often astounding visuals and Choi’s gritty performance makes it easy enough to recommend Oldboy.

**1/2 out of ****