Yet, the film has a second layer lurking beneath it.
On the surface,Oldboyis a highly stylized, beautifully choreographed film full of blood and gore.
The iconic hallway fight scene is easily one of the most influential pieces of cinema of the 21st century.
This is actually a fairly common path for many filmmakers.
This leads to an approach to filmmaking that is heavily focused on subtext.
WithOldboy,that can be a little bit tricky.
Image via Neon
Oh Dae-Su, played byChoi Min-sik, operates in the standard trappings of a revenge film protagonist.
It is very easy to see whyOldboycan be viewed as college film student fodder by many people.
On a second watch, things start to become more apparent.
Image via Show East
Once you know the twist, cracks start to appear in the first read you had on the film.
Oh Dae-Su is explicitly depicted as an uncaring, awful person in every scene of the film.
You root for him because you’re supposed to.
That’s how a revenge film works.
The one seeking vengeance will always be the hero.
But what is vengeance really?
What do you gain from it?
Not emancipation from your past.
Nothing is ever cleansed.
This is not an uncommon idea in cinema,The SearchersbyJohn Forddiscussed similar themes in 1956.
When you watch it, you aren’t told how to feel.
You may feel pushed in a certain way, but Park is aware of that.
The seduction inherent to cinema will always push you to root for Oh Dae-Su, so he pushes back.
When you get to that third act, you don’t want to see him win anymore.
You just want the film to be over.
There is no happiness in revenge.
And if there is no happiness, why do we clamor to watch it.
Why are we all obsessed with seeing bloody violence on-screen, so someone can right a wrong?
The horror ofOldboyis not the content itself, but that you have to watch it.
What do we get from watching the cinematic equivalent of a car crashing into a wall for 2 hours?
Oldboyis a masterpiece, made by one of the true modern masters in Park Chan-wook.
