Oldboy

What it is

Oldboy is a thriller following a man who, after being confined and then released, sets out to find out why. It opened in 2003 and became internationally known after winning the Grand Prix at Cannes the following year. It is frequently cited when discussing how Korean cinema came to be handled by international festivals and distributors. Choi Min-sik's lead performance is, alongside the direction, the element most often raised in discussions of the film, praised for conveying the weight of the time his character has endured through his body and face.

Where it inverts the revenge structure

Revenge stories usually make it clear who owes what to whom. This film is discussed because it destabilises that direction partway through. As the object of the pursuit changes, the audience re-examines the premise it has been following. It adjusts genre expectation through when information is given. Because it stays close to the protagonist's point of view throughout, the audience follows along not knowing what he does not know.

Why the images stay with people

Much of why this film is quoted comes down to how specific sequences were shot. An action scene followed sideways without cutting builds not editorial speed but weight and exhaustion through duration itself. It chooses a tiring body over polished choreography, and imitations of that sequence kept appearing afterwards.

• Unbroken takes create the weight of elapsed time
• Colour and space shift with the character's state
• Music is used for distance rather than to explain emotion
• Information arrives late, bending genre expectation

A film that carries arguments with it

Opinion divided from release over the level of violence and how the material is handled. Whether the intensity is proportionate to the story is judged differently by different viewers, and that argument is part of why the film keeps being mentioned. Readings of the ending also do not converge, so several interpretations coexist. It is also a film where reading other people's interpretations afterwards is part of the pleasure — though most of those pieces assume you know the ending, so save them for after watching.

Source material and the people behind it

The source is a Japanese manga written by Garon Tsuchiya and drawn by Nobuaki Minegishi. Park Chan-wook directed, with Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae and Kang Hye-jung in the lead roles. Cinematography is by Chung Chung-hoon and the score by Jo Yeong-wook, both of whom went on to work on several more of Park's films. An American remake directed by Spike Lee followed in 2013.

Within the Vengeance Trilogy

The film is commonly grouped with Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance as Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy. The three share no characters or storyline, but each asks from a different angle what the act of revenge leaves behind in the person who carries it out. Their tones differ considerably, so liking one is no guarantee you will like the other two.

• Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002): dry and cold in tone
• Oldboy (2003): built around mystery and pursuit
• Lady Vengeance (2005): strongly stylised direction

What to watch for the first time

Avoiding information about the ending matters more than anything. Many articles mention the ending alongside the title, so if you plan to watch, search as little as possible. While watching, notice what the protagonist knows and does not know, and whether the audience is ahead of or behind him — that reveals how the film handles information. Moments where the colour of a space or the music deliberately runs against the emotion of the scene are also worth watching for.

Worth knowing before watching

Depictions of violence and disturbing scenes are substantial, so checking the rating first is advisable. Information about the ending is also widely circulated, and knowing it beforehand changes the experience considerably. A manga original exists and the film restructured much of it, so treating them as separate choices rather than one story works better. It is a film that stays with you longer when you have someone to talk it over with afterwards, rather than watching alone and moving on.