Oldboy (2003)

“Even though I’m no more than a monster, don’t I too have the right to live?”

I knew I was in a fucked up place when I woke up one sunny Sunday morning thinking “I should rewatch Oldboy 🤗” and then did exactly that. Park Chan-wook’s infamous neo-noir revenge thriller remains one of the most unsettling, violent, tragic stories ever committed to film. The story follows one man’s quest to understand why his life has taken such a torturous path. Every sequence is increasingly foreboding, a feeling that is encouraged by the colour pallet of sickly greens, orangey-reds, and vibrant, terrifying purple accents. Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung, who would go on to collaborate with Chan-wook many times, creates the most incredible, memorable sequences, including the most epic 1-shot action sequence that many have tried (and failed) to replicate.

Despite all the physical violence, it’s the emotional brutality that sets this movie apart from other revenge thrillers. There’s an intense loneliness that motivates every character, it’s what drives them to act but also what leaves them vulnerable to each other’s attacks. Chan-wook included many references to a certain infamous Greek tragedy to structure the story, and left the ending purposely ambiguous. He asks us to consider the malleability of our identities, and how our memories shape the lies we tell ourselves. What do you think, does the protagonist smile at the end, or cry? And why?
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