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Oldboy 
Actors : Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong Kang, Dae-han Ji, Dal-su Oh
Director : Chan-wook Park
Studio : Tartan Video
by Tartan Video
Brand : OLDBOY
Release Date : 2005-08-23
Publisher : Tartan Video
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 0842498030042
UPC : 842498030042
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 176 reviews)
List Price : $22.95
Our Price : $15.71
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Description |
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Oh Dae-su is an ordinary Seoul businessman with a wife and little daughter who, after a drunken night on the town, is abducted and locked up in a strange, private prison. No one will tell him why hes there and who his jailer is and his fury builds to a single-minded focus of revenge. 15 years later, he is unexpectedly freed, given a new suit, a cell-phone and 5 days to discover the mysterious enemy who had him imprisoned. Seeking vengeance on all those involved, he soon finds that his enemys tortures are just beginning. |
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Americancivilwar.com |
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In the realm of revenge thrillers, you'd be hard pressed to find more ultra-violent vengeance and psycho thrills than in the creepy story of Oldboy. This Korean import made a pop splash at the Cannes Film Festival and during its limited theatrical run thanks to the imprimatur of Quentin Tarantino, who raved about it and its visionary director, Chan-wook Park, to anyone who would listen. It's easy to see why QT fell in love with the grindhouse attitude, fast-paced action, violent imagery, and icy-black humor, but it's a disservice to think of Oldboy as another Tarantino homage or knockoff. The darkly existential undercurrent in the themes that Oldboy traces over its life-long narrative arc is much more complex and deeply disturbing than anything of its kind. The movie's tagline is, "15 years of imprisonment... 5 days of vengeance." The imprisonee is Oh Dae-Su, an ordinary Joe who is snatched off a Seoul street corner and locked away in a dank, windowless fleabag hotel room for the aforementioned 15 years. Just as abruptly he is released, and thus the five days begin. Why did this happen to Oh Dae-Su? Ah, but that would be telling, and in fact we don't know ourselves until the final wrenching scenes. Oldboy breaks into a classic three-act saga, the first of which details the hallucinatory period of imprisonment in which Oh Dae-Su wades from mild insanity to outright psychosis in the hands of unseen yet attentive captors. Act 2 is the revenge, when an entirely different tone takes over and Oh Dae-Su moves with single-minded purpose and clarity. It's this section that has gained the most notoriety, primarily for the claw-hammer dentistry scene, the one-man-army tracking shot, and the wriggling octopus that Oh Dae-Su consumes in a sushi bar (he's been dead so long he simply needs life back inside him in any way possible). In act 3, answers finally start to emerge and the sinister atmosphere grows even more profound--not without a healthy dose of extra bloodletting, of course. Oldboy is an undeniably poetic masterpiece of tension, fury, and dynamic craft. Ultimately, its epic cycle of tragedy is of the sort that mankind has been inflicting upon itself for all time. Some of the images may be gruesome, but all converge into a kind of beauty. It's in the telling of this lurid tale that these details become one and the memories of pain ultimately heal. --Ted Fry |
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Totally Sweet |
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the best revenge movie i've seen. watch it with subtitles though, the whole english dubbing ruines it in my opinion |
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Amazing |
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This is the true Oldboy HD experience! A story of this magnitude should only be experienced in the best quality possible. I have watched this movie nearly 3 times in one day! |
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makes you think how everyday actions effect your future |
why was this man kept prisoner for 15 years? it does not matter if he can not get out. well one day he gets his freedom. he has five days to find out why he was put there and to get revenge on the people that did it to him. straight to the point, easy plot right? yes and no. revenge is a hard thing to do.
graphic is the best word to describe this movie and the ending will probably result in you picking your jaw off of the floor. |
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Oldboy - Crime Drama, Thriller, Horror - Whatever Category, This Movie Is Great |
Oldboy is a movie that defies classification. This movie could easily be sliced and diced into three or four genres and be in the upper echelon of any of them. In fact, even writing a review of this movie is a challenge. Basic plot synopses will not give you a sense of how original and well made this movie is. This is the rare gem; you can either watch it simply for enjoyment, or peel back the layers like an onion and study each one.
There are a few warnings however. This film is not for the squeamish. After lulling you in with some slow segments, the movie can turn very violent and gruesome in an instant. The film also touches upon some controversial topics, so it is not for the judgmental or the easily offended. An important aspect to remember when watching this movie is that many of the social norms of Korean culture, and Asian culture in general, are so different from our own that it may be hard for some people to understand why characters make the choices they do. If you are open-minded and study the film carefully, there is a lot of depth and meaning in that too.
The movie really occurs in several unique sections that are tied together at the end. The basic formula has been described as a "revenge thriller" but the story changes in such a way to make that category inadequate.
Dae-Su (Min-Sik Choi) is an unfortunate man who gets drunk and kidnapped. He is held captive in a cheap motel room for a very long time, with no real understanding of who is holding him or why. All attempts to escape or find out why he is there result in nothing.
The story then takes a turn as Dae su is released under mysterious circumstances. He vows revenge against his captors.
Dae Su seems to have a loose grip on reality after years of captivity and we see him slip further into madness as he seeks his tormentors. As we follow his search for his captors and his difficult integration back into society, small clues start to emerge about Dae Su's past and who might have been behind his imprisonment. There is more than just one twist to the story, and each plot element adds a new layer.
He befriends a woman in a sushi bar and they develop a quick relationship. As all the plot elements collide, we see that nobody in the story is exactly who we think they are.
The end results in a very thought-provoking dilemma which questions the fundamental nature of many of life's basic human relationships. Love, hate, revenge; they are all put under the microscope in this movie.
The film is shot beautifully and has many beautiful scenes. Colors and shadows are used to create and foreshadow emotion.
The DVD extras include standard fare, such as interviews, deleted scenes, trailers and a commentary track.
Conclusion
This movie is a must-see if you enjoy psychological horror, as long as you can set aside your squeamishness. If you like psychological drama, horror, or thrillers this may be the best movie you've seen recently in any of those categories. Watch it with an open mind and avoid plot spoilers. Once you've seen it, you'll probably want to see it again.
Enjoy.
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Dark secrets and revenge |
After 15 yrs of being in prisioned Oh Dae-Su is mysteriously released. His one priority is finding out who did this to him, why he was in prisoned and paying the guy back for robbing him of 15 yrs of his life and the loss of his family.
A great story about revenge with a horrifying twist ending that will leave you in disbeleif.
This 3 disk set comes with the manga and a collectors tin. This is also the only Tartan Extreme title to provide a dub track. |
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