OLDBOY

Oh Dae-Su one evening is kidnapped and imprisoned in an apartment without knowing by whom and why: his only link to the outside world is a television through which he learns of his wife's murder, of which he is also accused. After fifteen years, suddenly and inexplicably, he is released and his primary objective is revenge. After meeting Mido, a young waitress with whom he begins a relationship, in a restaurant, Oh Dae-Su is contacted by his kidnapper who proposes a game: five days to discover who kidnapped him and why. If he succeeds, his kidnapper promises to take his own life; if he fails, he will kill Mido. Central chapter of a trilogy about revenge begun by the same director with "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" (and which will conclude with "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance"), "Old boy" is certainly not a horror film, but it shows a lot of horror: the physical horror of tortured bodies and the psychological horror of minds disturbed by revenge and loneliness. This film, uncategorizable in a specific genre and rich in symbolism, certainly lends itself to a multitude of different interpretations, but among the most interesting aspects, in addition to the original and unpredictable story, there is an excellent construction of the main characters, each of whom hides some secret, even unconsciously, that has irreparably marked him in the soul. Thus, we meet a protagonist initially drunk and childish who, during the fifteen years of imprisonment, will grow, both in psyche and body, until he becomes a mature man, an "old boy" (it is curious to see the two adversaries of the film, who should be contemporaries but Oh Dae-Su is visibly older); and his nemesis, the tormentor, who in his mad project highlights a life spent in resentment and guilt; to finish with Mido, a lonely girl, who seems more mature than the age she shows and who is haunted by disgusting visions of loneliness in which she sees giant ants, and also a carrier of a shocking and fundamental secret to the resolution of the plot. There are numerous memorable scenes in the film, but among the most memorable is certainly the beginning of the protagonist's hallucinated revenge, who goes to the palace where he was imprisoned and first tortures a guard by pulling out all his teeth with a hammer and then uses that same hammer to face a horde of enraged guards, in a highly spectacular sequence that partly reminds a side-scrolling beat 'em up. "Old boy" is advantaged, in addition to a solid screenplay, by a sure and inspired direction of Park Chan-wook, one of the mainstays of the modern Eastern cinematic landscape, and it has a cast of convincing and particularly identified actors in their role, above all the protagonist played by Choi Min-sik. In conclusion, "Old boy" is one of the best products imported from the Far East in recent years. A film that manages to involve the viewer thanks to an original story and a series of unpredictable twists; moreover, although not strictly belonging to the horror genre, it can be appreciated by the sector audience thanks to some sequences of extreme violence and sadomasochism. Highly recommended. Curiosity: The film in question is inspired by the eponymous comic of 1997, composed of eight volumes, created by Tsuchiya Garon and Minegishi Nobuaki. "Old boy" received in 2004 the "Grand Prix of the Jury" at Cannes (the president of the jury was Quentin Tarantino) as well as a multitude of awards in festivals around the world.