Lee Woo-jin is one of my all time favorite villains. Not only was he able to create an unstoppable force in Oh Dae-su, but he was then able to reduce him to a whimpering dog at the very end. A masterful villian in a masterpiece of a film!
Before parasite, there was Oldboy and many more. The final act is absolutely wild. Park Chan wook is one of the best directors working today, I highly recommend the handmaiden and decision to leave
Before Parasite....there were 100s of Korean masterpieces, Old Boy was just one of them. When Parasite won the Oscar, I was like "finally" what took so long? Everyone was surprised yet Korean cinema has been magnificent for 20 years. Even Parasite filmmaker "Bong Joon ho" earlier film "memories of murder" was even better than Parasite but got little attention in America.
After having seen a bunch of Korean films before ever seeing Parasite, I thought Parasite was simply standard Korean-fare. Nothing oscar worthy but bot bad. It also followed the Korean idea where the ending goes bashit crazy.
Oldboy and Memories of Murder are two of my favorite Korean films ever. Both from 2003, you guys must watch Memories of Murder as well. It is as brilliant as Oldboy if not more.
This story is based on the Japanese Manga series "OldBoy" and is a pretty loose adaptation with a lot of creative freedom. The Director Park Chan-Wook said they wanted to make the story unique in their own way and during a lunch meeting with the producer, it hit him what the screenplay lacked. "It's not why Oh Dae Su was locked up. It's why he was freed that was vital to the story". And he said that moment came to him while taking a piss during that lunch meeting. The original manga had no incest plot in it. It was a straight story of a guy locked up for "talking too much". Park also wanted to make this a greek tragedy and took inspiration from "Oedipus". Oh Dae-Su's name being a Korean play on Oedipus' name. Our protagonist here voluntarily cuts off his tongue much like Oedipus with his eyes after finding out he had slept with his mother. The recurring theme of our villain Lee Woo-Jin being a staple of greek chorus during plays. His theme plays as the melody while the gas puts Oh Dae-Su to sleep for 15 years, it being the ringtone of the flip phone given to Oh Dae-Su, and of course at the end when he's directing Dae-Su to the gift box with the green laser pointer. As well as playing during various moments throughout the movie regarding Lee Woo-Jin.
The ending of the movie can be even darker than you think The woman says the hypnosis could be flawed, and by Oh Dae-su's uncomfortable grin in the final shot we're kinda made to believe that it in fact didn't work, It goes back to that phrase the man with the dog says to him at the top of the building "Even though I'm no more than a monster, Don't I too have the right to live?" If you think about it, That's kind of the philosophy of the antagonist, Both him and his sister knew what they were doing was wrong, But by what we see in the movie, they did really love each other, If not by outside pressure and judgment they would've kept living by their sinful desires So in the end, The antagonist wouldn't just have had his revenge, He would've also put Oh Dae-su in the same exact place he found himself Oh Dae-su, even if by the fault of hypnosis is in love with his own daughter, she's the only thing he has left in the world So by choosing to stay by her side even if hes aware of the context, even if he knows what he's doing is wrong He too makes the phrase "Even though I'm no more than a monster, don't I too have the right to live?" his own philosophy
Also, Another thing to back this up is the fact that he learned to make that grin as a form of coping mechanism when he became obsessed with that painting in the wall of his prison And the painting states: "Laugh and the world laugh's with you, Weep and you'll weep alone" Everytime he smiles like that in the movie he does it to shelter himself from bad emotions or physical pain, Which makes his forceful and uncomfortable smile in the end of the movie one more clue to his situation
If you think that's dark, there's a theory that the therapist isn't really there in the end. He was so desperate to return to the only happiness he had that he sort of self hypnotized and created a delusion that she made him forget. Then as he held his daughter the self denial failed but he had no where else to turn and resigned himself to being the "monster" A lot of the theory was based on patterns in the snow, the therapist disappearing after the act of hypnosis itself and I'm sure quite a bit I'm forgetting. Although I personally don't like that interpretation I do think it's interesting and they made a pretty good case for it.
@@0lyge0 Interesting! my take on the ending was the director left is open for us to decide whether the hypnosis worked or not. His smile is hard to read at this point cos we know he formed the habit to smile so the "world smile with him" and may still be hypnotised to love his daughter but at the same time it looks like a fake smile to cover up the fact he is a "monster" and CHOOSES to be with her willingly. It is too messed up lol
@@0lyge0Or the hypnosis happened, but he woke up and found himself to be the monster. Sort of like how Hugh Jackman's character in the Prestige finds himself in the water tank every time he does his grand trick.
That corridor fight scene is so iconic. It's honestly the best fight choreography in all of cinema. I'm not exaggerating. One take, average guys in a street fight gassing out after throwing 10 punches, misjudging range, being both emboldened by their numbers and afraid to make the first move, not to mention the damage that they take in the fight comes to play at later moments of the fight, like the guy who got his foot smashed in tries to throw an uppercut while shifting his weight onto his damaged foot just collapses to the floor in pain from putting weight on it.
@@mapesdhs597 The Raid and especially the sequel are imo the greatest action movies ever made and the fight scenes are incredible as is the camera work, the car chase in the sequel is god tier level.
@@evilsmurf2k8 Indeed, though as it happens I've seen The Raid but the sequel is still unopened on my shelf, waiting for a rainy day. Anyway, the reason I asked is because both jpa and isaac (what *is* it with YT putting numbers after everyone's names now??) mentioned realism as being well presented in The Old Boy, ie. the coreography in The Raid is superb, but I've no idea whether the fighting as depicted is 'realistic', eg. a bit like the way the action in Hard Boiled is visually amazing, but what's actually happening is kinda absurd. It certainly "looks" realistic in The Raid, but is it? I need to watch it again, only seen it once so far, way back when I first bought the BR. Although still tame by comparison, the closest Wesertn movie I can think of that's anything like The Raid is Dredd (the one with Carl Urban), but still nowhere near. It just struck me that fight scenes & suchlike in movies can be brutal in their presentation, but not necessarily realistic, and are also a product of their time, dancing with audience sensibilities, eg. I'm sure the fighting in Enter the Dragon was considered pretty hard core when the film first came out, but now it looks quite tame. It's interesting though that western studios in general do not make such gritty films, in part perhaps because local mainstream audiences are not used to it, so alternatives from elsewhere can be quite the gut punch. A typical example would be Leon, which is regarded as being pretty in your face at times, but the less well known original version of Nikita (the Luc Besson production) is a far grater visual hammer blow.
I hope these two see this comment, because it is in praise, once again, of their intelligence and insightful commentary. When TBR Schmitt and Samantha actually begin speaking about the PROVERB from the movie, about the stone and grain of rice, they are REFERRING directly from the movie and source to do their analysis. This is brilliant and far rare in the entire TH-cam reaction community. All I hear from other reactors about this movie are, “Oh my god! That’s so surprising!” Or, “What a twist!” But these two refer to the actual movie, comment on theme, and provide actual synthesis. THIS IS AMAZING. I love this channel very much, as it seems like FINALLY there are some insightful, unique commentaries on something. Thank to you both for providing fun insight that so many others cannot do.🎉❤
I love Train to Busan, and Parasite is a masterpiece, but Oldboy is just another level of brilliance. Definitely a movie you don't want to go in having it spoilt. That OMFG at the reveal is such a moment.
Absolutely my favourite Foreign movie still to this day. I never clicked on a thumbnail so fast, had to make this the first time I really commented. Been watching you for years and love you both. One day I'll hit the patreon up just as a thank you for all the entertainment you've given me. Thanks for everything.
Park Chan-Wook and Bong Joon-Ho are masters of cinema. Would absolutely recommend: - Joint Security Area (2000) by Park Chan-Wook. His first big film. Very... ballsy concept. - Memories of Murder (2003) - The Host (2006) - Snowpiercer (2013) - Parasite (2019) All 4 by Bong Joon-Ho. Parasite is probably the best one. Won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival.
Great movie, glad y'all enjoyed it. Lots of fantastic Korean movies out there. Park Chan-wook: The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Lady Vengeance, Stoker Bong Joon-ho: Parasite, Mother, Memories of Murder Lee Chang-dong: Poetry, Oasis, Secret Sunshine, Burning, Peppermint Candy Of those, if I had to pick just three movies to strongly recommend, I'd be tempted to gush forth exclusively with Lee Chang-dong recommendations... but picking one from each director, I'd go with Poetry, Parasite, and The Handmaiden (in that order).
Don't forget Kim Jee Won's filmography : I saw the devil, the good the bad the weird and a bittersweet life.... personally I saw the devil is one of my all time favorites
Oldboy is a pretty great (and pretty disturbing) movie! I highly recommend Lady Vengance by the same filmmaker. As you imagine, that one is a bit rough as well (not a spoiler because it gets to it in the first 5 minutes, but the movie deals with child murder, so, fair warning). The central performance by Lee Yeong-ae is absolutely incredible. The movie is more emotionally affecting than oldboy for me. Also, Choi Min-Sik (person who plays Oh Dae-Su in Oldboy) is in it. Anyway, it's a great movie
@@jackmeowmeowmeow2177 👍yes, thanks. I hope they, or some reading this, see the others. Another take on revenge, is not like oldboy (action and stuff), but all with great stories.
19:24 The look on Daniel's face 😂😂😂 Great job holding it down til the end, though "So what'd you think?" "Uhhhhh....." Yeah, me too. Lol Definitely check out Sleepers. My top revenge movie🤘
Ok. I haven't watched the reaction. I just saw the thumbnail and said to myself out loud "OH. NO. THEY. DIDN'T." and started laughing maniacally. 😁 I'm gonna press play now. 🙏🏼
YES! A Lot of TH-camrs saw the movie and were shocked by the twist ending. Also, don't watch the remake with Josh Brolin, and from director Spike Lee, it's not that good. Also, Hollywood has gone on strike after executives failed to sign a new contract.
Man, this film blew my mind back in the mid-2000s. I was importing a ton of Korean DVDs back then and having my eyes opened to how good their film industry was/is. The first part of the Vengeance trilogy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, is also amazing.
14:24 this scene was one of the most influential scenes in modern cinema. The singe take fight scene was then expanded on a dozen times internationally including in the Daredevil series and the movie Birdman.
Oh...you're going there. Nice! Brutal, but an excellent film. Park Chan Wook is a master. HIGHLY recommend DECISION TO LEAVE. Absolutely beautiful. My favorite film of 2022.
As many are saying, you guys should really really watch Lady Vengeance by the same director. You will like it, guaranteed!! Artfully shot, clever story, really enjoyable.
this has been one of my favorite movies for the past 20 years after i first saw it, the soundtrack and visuals were so great. and such a sad twisted story.
Oh Dae-su's actor is a vegetarian Buddhist. He apologized to and said prayers for each octopus he ate for the sushi scene. They had to do *four* takes to get it perfect!
Yes indeed and obviously, the theme of the 1ncest is the keystone of this movie ; this being said, there is so much more greatness about this movie... And this theme has for it that it makes everyone talk and think... And about the outcome of the movie, first you can eventually make the choice to think that Oh Dae-Su did something to his genitals similar to what he did to his tongue, in order not to innately use it... Or perhaps was it included in his hypn0sis not to have any sexual activity ever... Because Oh Dae-Su's main intention clearly is not to inflict any additional pain or trauma to Mi-Do (his daughter) while staying in his life for good. We must not forget that the guy has been isolated and deprived of any human warmth for 15 years, he missed his loved ones during all this time and everything he has now is his daughter... My take is that he wants to be there for her all along her life moving forward, while never unwillingly or unconsciously creating any additional damage into Mi-Do's life... Reason why he instinctively makes the first move to cut his tongue. And and the reason why he doesn't break-up with her sentimentally is because she wouldn't understand why he cares so much about her sake (she doesn't know what's inside the package but believes he saved her life or something of this range, by telling her not to open it) but then would just break-up and leave her forever ??... First, it would shatter her heart ; not as much as if she knew the truth, but still would make some impactful damages ; and most importantly, she then would very probably never want to see him again ! Which would break both of them's hearts... And philosophically, by having them forever separated and afar from each other, it would technically make Woo Ji-Tae win even more than he already has... So yeah... The 1ncest theme is some heavy stuff, for sure... But my nature always pushes me to take things like case by case scenario while trying to see the bigger picture... Because things in life aren't just one piece but are subject to interpretation regarding a specific context. So... We can say and repeat thousands of time "it's 1ncest and it's disgusting", and it won't change the fact that it's 1ncest and it's disgusting ; the same way we can say and repeat that "war is something extremely horrible",...etc. Or we can talk about things and analyze every small bit and have a conversation about all the whys and hows. 👍
I cant believe you guys are watching this. One of my all time favorite films. This is part a Vengeance Trilogy directed by Park Chan-wook, comprising films of "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance", "Oldboy" and "Lady Vengeance"
So glad you guys watched this, even if Schmidt unfortunately already knew the main twist 🥲 Other Korean films I’d recommend if you’re interested and haven’t seen them yet (heads-up, I am a big Park Chan-wook fan): I Saw the Devil, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, Joint Security Area, The Handmaiden, Memories of Murder, Decision to Leave, and Midnight Runners (that last one’s a bit more of a lighthearted action film that’s a lot of fun).
Korean thrillers are on a whole another level. Might wanna check out 'Memories of Murder', 'Mother', 'I Saw The Devil', '3-Iron', 'The Chaser', 'A Tale of Two Sisters', 'Joint Security Area', 'A Bittersweet Life', 'Bedevilled', 'The Wailing', A Hard Day', 'Pieta', 'The Villainess', 'A Dirty Carnival', 'Breathless' Eh I could go on! 😅😅
Great film. Lots of good recommendations for you guys here. Definitely, "l saw the devil", "Memories of murder" and more. I'd like to add "The Chaser" to this list for you two.
This is Part 2 of the Park Chan Wook Revenge Series. The first film was Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and then the last film was Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.
That hammer in the hallway scene is iconic. The American remake pales. While zombie stuff is so way played out but if you want to see a great zombie movie, Train to Busan is Korean and great.
I swear on a stack of bibles after this finished I sat legitimately open mouthed with my head in my hands for about 10 minutes straight. I love this movies so much. It is a work of genius and one of my perfect films.
The movie was inspired in part by the Sophocles play Oedipus Rex, perhaps the original tragedy about...that. In that play Oedipus pokes out his eyes when he learns the truth, so he cannot look upon he trouble he caused (much as Og Dae-sue cuts out his tongue) and the play has a traditional tragic ending, where nothing in the plot is "resolved" in any positive way.
This is the middle movie of the Vengeance Trilogy, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance is the first movie and Lady Vengeance is the 3rd. In my opinion Sympathy for Mr Vengeance is actually the best of the 3. The Chaser is a great Korean thriller also. And my favorite Korean horror movie, and favorite Asian horror movie is A Tale of Two Sisters. If you have a chance to watch those you should, they are very good. Lady Vengeance is the weakest of the Vengeance Trilogy, but if you have a chance to watch it, it isn’t a total waste of time, just not as strong as the other 2.
I remember as a kid I was briefly watching some program where different actors, directors were talking about foreign films. Since I was a kid, I wasnt paying attention to names of movies or whatever they were talking about but I just remembered they showed a man either scraggly hair cutting his own tongue out with a small pair of scissors. Years later I turn on my kindle put on Netflix and watch "Oldboy" for the first time ever, chills.
47:41 - “… she will never know, and he won’t be able to tell her because he doesn’t remember, either.” Welllllll… that look on Oh Dae-su‘s face at 32:04 doesn’t exactly project blissful ignorance. As the hypnotist said, the process may not work as intended. Park Chan-Wook specifically wanted an ambiguous ending, leaving open the question of whether Oh Dae-su‘s knowledge of Mi-Do’s true identity was destroyed.
Another Korean movie I WARMLY recommend and which might just be one of the finest films of the 21st century is the second feature from Bong Joon-Ho (of Parasite and Snowpiercer fame), Memories of Murder. The film is an absolute masterpiece in every way. Based on the true story of the first documented case of a serial killer in modern Korean history, the murders started in 1986, when South Korea was still a military dictature. At the time of the making of the movie in 2003, the killer had not yet being caught and if there is an American film that you can compare it to, it's Zodiac by David Fincher which might very well have been influenced by this one. The investigation (or the butchery of it) will make your blood boil but I strongly, strongly suggest you watch it.
I want to give you some information The criminal's name is Lee Choonjae Arrested in 2019 I'll link you to the details He's a terrible guy.. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Choon-jae
I don’t think the ending is all that ambiguous. My take is that he 100% lives on knowing Mido is his daughter. I’ll do my best to explain; During the hypnosis, “the monster” knows the truth, and the other side is ignorant to it. The hypnotist instructs “the monster” to WALK away and die, hoping that would eliminate the memory. BUT she did say the hypnosis could go wrong. When Oh Dae Su awakes, we find that he WALKED up and away from the chairs, collapsing into the snow. We then see the camera pan to follow his footsteps leading back to the chair-which on first viewing might seem like a strange thing to linger on, but that’s because it’s very significant. All this would heavily suggest that he came away from it as “the monster”-knowing the the truth. He then sees Mido, and of course he’s happy, but we see his smile morph into despair as he realizes the memory of his daughter remained. He still loves Mido, just… not the same way as before… & he could never tell her the truth An absolutely twisted yet incredible ending to the film.
Here are some recommendations for really amazing Korean films: Silmido, Tae Guk Gi, JSA, Shiri, A Tale of Two Sisters, Spring Summer Fall Winter Spring, 3-Iron, Untold Scandal, The Good The Bad and The Weird, and My Sassy Girl. (The last one is a rom-com in case you want something lighter...)
Oldboy was one movie that i go out of the theater, go to take coffe still dizzy and realize: "f**k, they did it! I just see a modern anciant greek tragedy!", all elements are in this. Is fantastic. Thank you guys!
Oh dang, I had no idea you recorded THAT way! If you guys ever need help finding digital copies of anything TV/ film-wise, post something on your YT community thing, like the bat signal, and I will see it and reach out with... let's say... advice/ guidance. I can usually help out this type of problem 😀
Please do more Korean movies. To name a few: No Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Memories of Murder, The Chaser, I Saw the Devil, The Wailing, The Yellow Sea, New World, Asura: The City of Madness, The Man from Nowhere.
I lived in Korea when this film came out. I've always liked the fact that I had the same cell phone as Oh Dae-su. South Korea is the most wired country in the word. I daresay it would be a challenge to find a place, even on top of a mountain or in the middle of nowhere, where you cannot get a cell phone signal. Contrast that with New York City, where you lose signal as soon as you enter the subway. There are too things that South Korea has a ton of. These are cell phone stores and Internet Cafes. The largest chain of cell phone stores is SK Telecom. There are some streets that have SK Telecom stores as far as the eye can see. Many stores right next door to each other. It's bonkers. Likewise, if you are walking through the city, you can stop virtually anywhere and do a 360 turn and you have a 90% chance of seeing an Internet Cafe within 300 feet. These are open 24/7 and many look pretty much identical to the Internet Cafe in the film. This was before Smart Phones so the many Internet Cafes made it convenient if you needed to stop somewhere and check your email, kill time or whatever.
In terms of fantastic movies that's difficult to watch more than once, I'd put it on the same level as Requiem fro a Dream. Oldboy is absolutely incredible!
Hey, Schmitts! The ending image of Dae-Su smiling is a callback to the picture in his room on which was written the phrase "Smile and the world smiles with you, weep and you weep alone." He adopted that as a coping mechanism throughout the film smiling in uncomfortable situations. When he embraces his daughter at the end, he smiles in the exact same way leaving the audience with a sense of ambiguity about whether or not the hypnosis to forget actually worked! The daughter is oblivious but he may not be! Originally, this was a multi-volume Japanese manga written by Garon Tsuchiya and illustrated by Nobuaki Minegishi. It was also remade as an Indian film called "Zinda". The American remake was directed by Spike Lee and starred Josh Brolin as Dae-Su, Elizabeth Olsen as Mido, Sharlto Copley as Lee Woo-jin and Samuel L. Jackson as the jailer! Park Chanwook is known for the Vengeance Trilogy which also includes "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" and "Lady Vengeance". He also directed "Thirst" and "The Handmaiden".
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the way you plan revenge... 😅 Lee Woo-jin elevated the "Revenge is a dish best served cold" saying to a whole new level: he literally kept on living after his sister's death only with the intent of exacting revenge. As soon as he completed his mission, he committed suicide. And this is the most interesting part of the movie to me: for the whole length of the movie Daesu believes he is the one trying to get vengeance while instead he is the target of the revenge plan of another man.
There is a clue right in the title , if you know the expression. "Old boy" is a word occasionally used in some places outside the USA that is a synonym for "alumnus" or "graduate".
Going into this movie, i kinda knew the big twist. Still... That reveal scene and rhe build-up to it left a damn pit in my stomach. Park Chan-wook's direction and Choi Min-Sik + the villain's performance is just too good. The emotion of that moment is so fucking vile that its strangely difficult to comprehend fully. But they fully convey the sheer horror of it all so well
Not a lot of people react to this movie..it's phenomenal I'm glad two people who appreciate movies did...do yourself a favor never never never watch the remake ugh
I can't watch this yet because I haven't seen this movie but I love Choi Min sik! First saw him in the Scarlett Johansen film "Lucy". Loved him so much in the movie, I watched "I Saw the Devil" right after it. Put those two movies on your list. I'm going to make a point to watch Oldboy this weekend.
Choi Min-Sik, who plays Oh Dae Su, is one of the most respected actors in South Korea right along with actors like Lee Jung Jae (Squid Game) and he was absolutely mesmerizing in this movie. By the way there is an American remake of this from 2013 starring Josh Brolin and Elisabeth Olsen, but I’m told it’s not very good.
Spike Lee clearly hates anything he doesn’t write and produce and direct. Dude is also a disgusting doxxer who got an elderly couple harassed all over twitter.
When I lived with me folks, they had gotten me a tablet, the one technically meant for books forget its name. Anyway, youtube and Netflix apps were also on this tablet and I remember watching so many films, first "I saw the devil" and then "Oldboy" in my upstairs attic living area bedroom sweating me arse off but being mesmerized, goot times!
![[ENGSUB] UNPRODUCTIVE DAY ใช้ชีวิต (เปื่อยๆ) ด้วยกัน 1 วัน! | OUROAD CLOSEFRiEND SS2 EP.9](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pyYKZ3kra9w/mqdefault.jpg)
Lee Woo-jin is one of my all time favorite villains.
Not only was he able to create an unstoppable force in Oh Dae-su, but he was then able to reduce him to a whimpering dog at the very end.
A masterful villian in a masterpiece of a film!
Yeah, his only weakness was not getting past his own trauma, which ultimately did him in at the end.
Yeah, that actor made the biggest impact on me. What a great performance.
One of the few movies of the 2000s where the antagonist wins in the end too.
Before parasite, there was Oldboy and many more. The final act is absolutely wild. Park Chan wook is one of the best directors working today, I highly recommend the handmaiden and decision to leave
And before Oldboy there was.......young...dude?
I suck at this
Before Parasite....there were 100s of Korean masterpieces, Old Boy was just one of them. When Parasite won the Oscar, I was like "finally" what took so long? Everyone was surprised yet Korean cinema has been magnificent for 20 years. Even Parasite filmmaker "Bong Joon ho" earlier film "memories of murder" was even better than Parasite but got little attention in America.
After having seen a bunch of Korean films before ever seeing Parasite, I thought Parasite was simply standard Korean-fare. Nothing oscar worthy but bot bad. It also followed the Korean idea where the ending goes bashit crazy.
Cool, disregard years of Korean cinema.
@@lalalarose8197 I didn’t mean it like that, everybody takin it the wrong way
Oldboy and Memories of Murder are two of my favorite Korean films ever. Both from 2003, you guys must watch Memories of Murder as well. It is as brilliant as Oldboy if not more.
Memories of Murder is an incredible film I hope they will do it.
A bittersweet Life, New World, I Saw the Devil, JSA, Sympathie for Mr Vengeance, The Chaser ....
Watched Memories of Murder last month. Amazing movie!
Memories of Murder, a great movie
Memories Of Murder is a masterpiece.
This story is based on the Japanese Manga series "OldBoy" and is a pretty loose adaptation with a lot of creative freedom. The Director Park Chan-Wook said they wanted to make the story unique in their own way and during a lunch meeting with the producer, it hit him what the screenplay lacked. "It's not why Oh Dae Su was locked up. It's why he was freed that was vital to the story". And he said that moment came to him while taking a piss during that lunch meeting. The original manga had no incest plot in it. It was a straight story of a guy locked up for "talking too much".
Park also wanted to make this a greek tragedy and took inspiration from "Oedipus". Oh Dae-Su's name being a Korean play on Oedipus' name. Our protagonist here voluntarily cuts off his tongue much like Oedipus with his eyes after finding out he had slept with his mother. The recurring theme of our villain Lee Woo-Jin being a staple of greek chorus during plays. His theme plays as the melody while the gas puts Oh Dae-Su to sleep for 15 years, it being the ringtone of the flip phone given to Oh Dae-Su, and of course at the end when he's directing Dae-Su to the gift box with the green laser pointer. As well as playing during various moments throughout the movie regarding Lee Woo-Jin.
The ending of the movie can be even darker than you think
The woman says the hypnosis could be flawed, and by Oh Dae-su's uncomfortable grin in the final shot we're kinda made to believe that it in fact didn't work, It goes back to that phrase the man with the dog says to him at the top of the building
"Even though I'm no more than a monster, Don't I too have the right to live?"
If you think about it, That's kind of the philosophy of the antagonist, Both him and his sister knew what they were doing was wrong, But by what we see in the movie, they did really love each other, If not by outside pressure and judgment they would've kept living by their sinful desires
So in the end, The antagonist wouldn't just have had his revenge, He would've also put Oh Dae-su in the same exact place he found himself
Oh Dae-su, even if by the fault of hypnosis is in love with his own daughter, she's the only thing he has left in the world
So by choosing to stay by her side even if hes aware of the context, even if he knows what he's doing is wrong He too makes the phrase "Even though I'm no more than a monster, don't I too have the right to live?" his own philosophy
Also, Another thing to back this up is the fact that he learned to make that grin as a form of coping mechanism when he became obsessed with that painting in the wall of his prison
And the painting states: "Laugh and the world laugh's with you, Weep and you'll weep alone" Everytime he smiles like that in the movie he does it to shelter himself from bad emotions or physical pain, Which makes his forceful and uncomfortable smile in the end of the movie one more clue to his situation
If you think that's dark, there's a theory that the therapist isn't really there in the end. He was so desperate to return to the only happiness he had that he sort of self hypnotized and created a delusion that she made him forget. Then as he held his daughter the self denial failed but he had no where else to turn and resigned himself to being the "monster"
A lot of the theory was based on patterns in the snow, the therapist disappearing after the act of hypnosis itself and I'm sure quite a bit I'm forgetting. Although I personally don't like that interpretation I do think it's interesting and they made a pretty good case for it.
@@0lyge0 Interesting! my take on the ending was the director left is open for us to decide whether the hypnosis worked or not. His smile is hard to read at this point cos we know he formed the habit to smile so the "world smile with him" and may still be hypnotised to love his daughter but at the same time it looks like a fake smile to cover up the fact he is a "monster" and CHOOSES to be with her willingly.
It is too messed up lol
@@0lyge0Or the hypnosis happened, but he woke up and found himself to be the monster. Sort of like how Hugh Jackman's character in the Prestige finds himself in the water tank every time he does his grand trick.
@@jalfredprufrock620that was my thought since she said the monster would walk away and he woke up away from the chair.
That corridor fight scene is so iconic. It's honestly the best fight choreography in all of cinema. I'm not exaggerating. One take, average guys in a street fight gassing out after throwing 10 punches, misjudging range, being both emboldened by their numbers and afraid to make the first move, not to mention the damage that they take in the fight comes to play at later moments of the fight, like the guy who got his foot smashed in tries to throw an uppercut while shifting his weight onto his damaged foot just collapses to the floor in pain from putting weight on it.
Fr, I love seeing realistic getting tired time lol. People don’t realize how hard fighting actually is.
@@davidbowman2001 Just curious, what do you think of, "The Raid"?
@@mapesdhs597 The Raid and especially the sequel are imo the greatest action movies ever made and the fight scenes are incredible as is the camera work, the car chase in the sequel is god tier level.
@@evilsmurf2k8 Indeed, though as it happens I've seen The Raid but the sequel is still unopened on my shelf, waiting for a rainy day. Anyway, the reason I asked is because both jpa and isaac (what *is* it with YT putting numbers after everyone's names now??) mentioned realism as being well presented in The Old Boy, ie. the coreography in The Raid is superb, but I've no idea whether the fighting as depicted is 'realistic', eg. a bit like the way the action in Hard Boiled is visually amazing, but what's actually happening is kinda absurd. It certainly "looks" realistic in The Raid, but is it? I need to watch it again, only seen it once so far, way back when I first bought the BR.
Although still tame by comparison, the closest Wesertn movie I can think of that's anything like The Raid is Dredd (the one with Carl Urban), but still nowhere near.
It just struck me that fight scenes & suchlike in movies can be brutal in their presentation, but not necessarily realistic, and are also a product of their time, dancing with audience sensibilities, eg. I'm sure the fighting in Enter the Dragon was considered pretty hard core when the film first came out, but now it looks quite tame. It's interesting though that western studios in general do not make such gritty films, in part perhaps because local mainstream audiences are not used to it, so alternatives from elsewhere can be quite the gut punch. A typical example would be Leon, which is regarded as being pretty in your face at times, but the less well known original version of Nikita (the Luc Besson production) is a far grater visual hammer blow.
Second behind the Legend of the Drunken Master 2 for me, either mid movie or final fight!
Samantha’s reaction, right after the movie ended was hilarious. I had the same reaction when I first watched this.
"Uhhh....."
I hope these two see this comment, because it is in praise, once again, of their intelligence and insightful commentary. When TBR Schmitt and Samantha actually begin speaking about the PROVERB from the movie, about the stone and grain of rice, they are REFERRING directly from the movie and source to do their analysis. This is brilliant and far rare in the entire TH-cam reaction community. All I hear from other reactors about this movie are, “Oh my god! That’s so surprising!” Or, “What a twist!” But these two refer to the actual movie, comment on theme, and provide actual synthesis. THIS IS AMAZING. I love this channel very much, as it seems like FINALLY there are some insightful, unique commentaries on something. Thank to you both for providing fun insight that so many others cannot do.🎉❤
Wow, thank you so much!
And one of the most messed up versions of the old quote,
"If you don't have anything nice to say, DON'T SAY NOTHING AT ALL."
The fight scene is phenomenal!
I think the hallway fight scene also inspired DareDevil TV show.
@@stsolomon618 Yup they definitely said the Daredevil hallway scene was inspired by Oldboy but not a direct `1-to-1 homage.
.
@@UrbanAnywhere such an iconic scene
@@stsolomon618 +Kingsman (2014)
I love Train to Busan, and Parasite is a masterpiece, but Oldboy is just another level of brilliance. Definitely a movie you don't want to go in having it spoilt. That OMFG at the reveal is such a moment.
If you liked those I highly recommend these two; “The Wailing” & “Burning”
I’m surprised to see you two are watching this movie. Hope you enjoy it, hope you have nerves of steel. Take care Mr. and Mrs. Schmitt
Absolutely my favourite Foreign movie still to this day. I never clicked on a thumbnail so fast, had to make this the first time I really commented. Been watching you for years and love you both. One day I'll hit the patreon up just as a thank you for all the entertainment you've given me. Thanks for everything.
*stops everything for the reaction*
. . . Hammer time!
I have seen this movie 3 times. When I was 16 , 25, 38. This movies give me different feeling whenever I watch.
Park Chan-Wook and Bong Joon-Ho are masters of cinema.
Would absolutely recommend:
- Joint Security Area (2000) by Park Chan-Wook. His first big film. Very... ballsy concept.
- Memories of Murder (2003)
- The Host (2006)
- Snowpiercer (2013)
- Parasite (2019)
All 4 by Bong Joon-Ho.
Parasite is probably the best one. Won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival.
JSA *might* still be my favourite Park Chan Wook film after all these years. Maybe. It's so damn good.
Uhhhh... Parasite also happened to win Best Picture at the Oscar's that year.
I watched this movie in 2004 with my uncle we were so shocked but at the same so impressed of the movie just an unforgettable movie
Great reaction. Thank you!! Send love from Incheon, South Korea ❤ Sorry for bad English.
Absolutely love Oldboy, my second favourite movie behind The Thing 🤘
A film that forever changed cinema
That is the perfect thumbnail for this reaction. Everyone knows that moment lol
Great movie, glad y'all enjoyed it. Lots of fantastic Korean movies out there.
Park Chan-wook: The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Lady Vengeance, Stoker
Bong Joon-ho: Parasite, Mother, Memories of Murder
Lee Chang-dong: Poetry, Oasis, Secret Sunshine, Burning, Peppermint Candy
Of those, if I had to pick just three movies to strongly recommend, I'd be tempted to gush forth exclusively with Lee Chang-dong recommendations... but picking one from each director, I'd go with Poetry, Parasite, and The Handmaiden (in that order).
Also, the whole Kim-Ki-Duk filmography, but especially: 'Bad Guy', 'Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring', '3-Iron'
Peppermint Candy was soul-crushing. Pretty much the history of modern South Korea told through one person's eyes...
Don't forget Kim Jee Won's filmography : I saw the devil, the good the bad the weird and a bittersweet life.... personally I saw the devil is one of my all time favorites
What a masterpiece, the movie Tarantino wish he could have made and that direction, that fight scene is so iconic
Is that a quote from Tarantino because he’s made several films better than this one.
@@minato808 yeah that's a quote, and your take is arguable tbh
WhilebTarantino is a huge Park Chan Wook fan, the movie he's referring to in that quote is "Battle Royale."
@@sebastianwiton2907he lives in your mind rent free doesn't he?
Oldboy is a pretty great (and pretty disturbing) movie! I highly recommend Lady Vengance by the same filmmaker. As you imagine, that one is a bit rough as well (not a spoiler because it gets to it in the first 5 minutes, but the movie deals with child murder, so, fair warning). The central performance by Lee Yeong-ae is absolutely incredible. The movie is more emotionally affecting than oldboy for me. Also, Choi Min-Sik (person who plays Oh Dae-Su in Oldboy) is in it. Anyway, it's a great movie
Yes!
Is another of the trilogy about revenge. Don't remember the name of other one but all are great.
@@vlr78mr vengeance and oldboy are the other two
@@jackmeowmeowmeow2177 👍yes, thanks. I hope they, or some reading this, see the others. Another take on revenge, is not like oldboy (action and stuff), but all with great stories.
@jackmeowmeowmeow2177 The first film is actually called "Sympathy for Mr Vengeance."
@@riffgroove correct, same with Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, technically the shortened version of the title is also acceptable.
19:24 The look on Daniel's face 😂😂😂 Great job holding it down til the end, though
"So what'd you think?"
"Uhhhhh....." Yeah, me too. Lol
Definitely check out Sleepers. My top revenge movie🤘
'Whatcha think?'
*the woman was too stunned to speak*
I have this film on DVD. One of my favorite films.
Ok. I haven't watched the reaction. I just saw the thumbnail and said to myself out loud "OH. NO. THEY. DIDN'T." and started laughing maniacally. 😁 I'm gonna press play now. 🙏🏼
The fight was epic and awesome
Love your reaction and your wife as well
I SAW THE DEVIL is another Korean classic that needs to be watched by everyone. Also with the main star from OLDBOY.
YES!
A Lot of TH-camrs saw the movie and were shocked by the twist ending.
Also, don't watch the remake with Josh Brolin, and from director Spike Lee, it's not that good.
Also, Hollywood has gone on strike after executives failed to sign a new contract.
Man, this film blew my mind back in the mid-2000s. I was importing a ton of Korean DVDs back then and having my eyes opened to how good their film industry was/is. The first part of the Vengeance trilogy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, is also amazing.
14:24 this scene was one of the most influential scenes in modern cinema. The singe take fight scene was then expanded on a dozen times internationally including in the Daredevil series and the movie Birdman.
Oh...you're going there. Nice! Brutal, but an excellent film. Park Chan Wook is a master. HIGHLY recommend DECISION TO LEAVE. Absolutely beautiful. My favorite film of 2022.
As many are saying, you guys should really really watch Lady Vengeance by the same director. You will like it, guaranteed!! Artfully shot, clever story, really enjoyable.
My personal favorite our of the Vengeance Trilogy.
But not even close to his best film.
Cool reaction as always Schmitt & Samantha, you both have a good night
this has been one of my favorite movies for the past 20 years after i first saw it, the soundtrack and visuals were so great. and such a sad twisted story.
I watched this when I was like 13. I was definitely too young, but it made me interested in the wider world of films.
Oh Dae-su's actor is a vegetarian Buddhist. He apologized to and said prayers for each octopus he ate for the sushi scene. They had to do *four* takes to get it perfect!
Lest Go! Love you 4 this reaction ! You are the best
bro! I never clicked on one of y’all’s videos so fast
Great to see you venture into South Korean cinema again. Or as you found out with Train to Busan, "a 1000 ways to send an audience home depressed" 😅
I would absolutely die for an "I Saw The Devil" reaction.
I concur
I agree. And The Man from Nowhere
@@AmericanArrogance Hardcore stuff. Excellent.
One of the best along with Chaser, The Yellow Sea and The Wailing
That film is disturbing to me.
After this, you two have earned a nice silly comedy.
Keep watching this director's movies, they are gold!!
Thanks for uploading! Greetings from Sweden
Yes indeed and obviously, the theme of the 1ncest is the keystone of this movie ; this being said, there is so much more greatness about this movie...
And this theme has for it that it makes everyone talk and think...
And about the outcome of the movie, first you can eventually make the choice to think that Oh Dae-Su did something to his genitals similar to what he did to his tongue, in order not to innately use it... Or perhaps was it included in his hypn0sis not to have any sexual activity ever...
Because Oh Dae-Su's main intention clearly is not to inflict any additional pain or trauma to Mi-Do (his daughter) while staying in his life for good. We must not forget that the guy has been isolated and deprived of any human warmth for 15 years, he missed his loved ones during all this time and everything he has now is his daughter... My take is that he wants to be there for her all along her life moving forward, while never unwillingly or unconsciously creating any additional damage into Mi-Do's life... Reason why he instinctively makes the first move to cut his tongue. And and the reason why he doesn't break-up with her sentimentally is because she wouldn't understand why he cares so much about her sake (she doesn't know what's inside the package but believes he saved her life or something of this range, by telling her not to open it) but then would just break-up and leave her forever ??... First, it would shatter her heart ; not as much as if she knew the truth, but still would make some impactful damages ; and most importantly, she then would very probably never want to see him again ! Which would break both of them's hearts... And philosophically, by having them forever separated and afar from each other, it would technically make Woo Ji-Tae win even more than he already has...
So yeah... The 1ncest theme is some heavy stuff, for sure... But my nature always pushes me to take things like case by case scenario while trying to see the bigger picture... Because things in life aren't just one piece but are subject to interpretation regarding a specific context. So... We can say and repeat thousands of time "it's 1ncest and it's disgusting", and it won't change the fact that it's 1ncest and it's disgusting ; the same way we can say and repeat that "war is something extremely horrible",...etc. Or we can talk about things and analyze every small bit and have a conversation about all the whys and hows. 👍
I cant believe you guys are watching this. One of my all time favorite films. This is part a Vengeance Trilogy directed by Park Chan-wook, comprising films of "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance", "Oldboy" and "Lady Vengeance"
Can't wait to see the remaster in August.
"You can't have a completely broken person and then release them..." Yes, you can...it's called Los Angeles.
And that look at 19:22...priceless!
'City of God' would be a great movie to react to.
So glad you guys watched this, even if Schmidt unfortunately already knew the main twist 🥲 Other Korean films I’d recommend if you’re interested and haven’t seen them yet (heads-up, I am a big Park Chan-wook fan): I Saw the Devil, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, Joint Security Area, The Handmaiden, Memories of Murder, Decision to Leave, and Midnight Runners (that last one’s a bit more of a lighthearted action film that’s a lot of fun).
Korean thrillers are on a whole another level. Might wanna check out 'Memories of Murder', 'Mother', 'I Saw The Devil', '3-Iron', 'The Chaser', 'A Tale of Two Sisters', 'Joint Security Area', 'A Bittersweet Life', 'Bedevilled', 'The Wailing', A Hard Day', 'Pieta', 'The Villainess', 'A Dirty Carnival', 'Breathless'
Eh I could go on! 😅😅
No way! No flippin way, Old Boy, the proper original movie! I can't wait 2 watch this reaction from U guys 🤩
Great film. Lots of good recommendations for you guys here. Definitely, "l saw the devil", "Memories of murder" and more. I'd like to add "The Chaser" to this list for you two.
Excellent recommendations
This is Part 2 of the Park Chan Wook Revenge Series. The first film was Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and then the last film was Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.
That hammer in the hallway scene is iconic. The American remake pales. While zombie stuff is so way played out but if you want to see a great zombie movie, Train to Busan is Korean and great.
The commitment by the lead here has always blown me away. That octopus eating…my god.
One of the best mysteries ever. That reveal…whoa.
Incredible film, and what a performance by the lead. His grinning desperation while incarcerated always gets me.
I swear on a stack of bibles after this finished I sat legitimately open mouthed with my head in my hands for about 10 minutes straight. I love this movies so much. It is a work of genius and one of my perfect films.
Old Boy! Yes! Good choice you two (three 😊 )
I had forgotten the octopus... that actor is a vegetarian... he did it for the art... and that is probably the least messed up thing in this film
If you draw a venn diagram with Taxi Driver, Oldboy and Ringu, in the middle section you got Seven.
You need to watch I saw the devil, another great movie with Choi Min-sik, marvelous actor.
Definitely, and one of my favorites.
The movie was inspired in part by the Sophocles play Oedipus Rex, perhaps the original tragedy about...that. In that play Oedipus pokes out his eyes when he learns the truth, so he cannot look upon he trouble he caused (much as Og Dae-sue cuts out his tongue) and the play has a traditional tragic ending, where nothing in the plot is "resolved" in any positive way.
This is the middle movie of the Vengeance Trilogy, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance is the first movie and Lady Vengeance is the 3rd. In my opinion Sympathy for Mr Vengeance is actually the best of the 3. The Chaser is a great Korean thriller also. And my favorite Korean horror movie, and favorite Asian horror movie is A Tale of Two Sisters. If you have a chance to watch those you should, they are very good. Lady Vengeance is the weakest of the Vengeance Trilogy, but if you have a chance to watch it, it isn’t a total waste of time, just not as strong as the other 2.
That hallway fight scene was so iconic that it inspired an entire series where it’s just that but nonstop. It’s called John Wick
I remember as a kid I was briefly watching some program where different actors, directors were talking about foreign films. Since I was a kid, I wasnt paying attention to names of movies or whatever they were talking about but I just remembered they showed a man either scraggly hair cutting his own tongue out with a small pair of scissors. Years later I turn on my kindle put on Netflix and watch "Oldboy" for the first time ever, chills.
If you like this, you've GOT to watch the director's amazing follow-up, "Sympathy For Lady Vengeance."
Always in my top 3 movies of all time. Love that they took the risk of offending the audience multiple times. Hollywood needs more balls like this.
47:41 - “… she will never know, and he won’t be able to tell her because he doesn’t remember, either.”
Welllllll… that look on Oh Dae-su‘s face at 32:04 doesn’t exactly project blissful ignorance. As the hypnotist said, the process may not work as intended. Park Chan-Wook specifically wanted an ambiguous ending, leaving open the question of whether Oh Dae-su‘s knowledge of Mi-Do’s true identity was destroyed.
Another Korean movie I WARMLY recommend and which might just be one of the finest films of the 21st century is the second feature from Bong Joon-Ho (of Parasite and Snowpiercer fame), Memories of Murder.
The film is an absolute masterpiece in every way.
Based on the true story of the first documented case of a serial killer in modern Korean history, the murders started in 1986, when South Korea was still a military dictature.
At the time of the making of the movie in 2003, the killer had not yet being caught and if there is an American film that you can compare it to, it's Zodiac by David Fincher which might very well have been influenced by this one.
The investigation (or the butchery of it) will make your blood boil but I strongly, strongly suggest you watch it.
I want to give you some information
The criminal's name is Lee Choonjae
Arrested in 2019
I'll link you to the details
He's a terrible guy..
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Choon-jae
@user-vn5ms3vi8s
Not sure where you go with your rant. 🤔
Consider the Korean thriller I SAW THE DEVIL...a masterpiece of suspense and brutality.
Such an amazing film.
I don’t think the ending is all that ambiguous. My take is that he 100% lives on knowing Mido is his daughter. I’ll do my best to explain;
During the hypnosis, “the monster” knows the truth, and the other side is ignorant to it. The hypnotist instructs “the monster” to WALK away and die, hoping that would eliminate the memory. BUT she did say the hypnosis could go wrong.
When Oh Dae Su awakes, we find that he WALKED up and away from the chairs, collapsing into the snow. We then see the camera pan to follow his footsteps leading back to the chair-which on first viewing might seem like a strange thing to linger on, but that’s because it’s very significant. All this would heavily suggest that he came away from it as “the monster”-knowing the the truth.
He then sees Mido, and of course he’s happy, but we see his smile morph into despair as he realizes the memory of his daughter remained.
He still loves Mido, just… not the same way as before… & he could never tell her the truth
An absolutely twisted yet incredible ending to the film.
Here are some recommendations for really amazing Korean films: Silmido, Tae Guk Gi, JSA, Shiri, A Tale of Two Sisters, Spring Summer Fall Winter Spring, 3-Iron, Untold Scandal, The Good The Bad and The Weird, and My Sassy Girl. (The last one is a rom-com in case you want something lighter...)
Oldboy was one movie that i go out of the theater, go to take coffe still dizzy and realize: "f**k, they did it! I just see a modern anciant greek tragedy!", all elements are in this. Is fantastic. Thank you guys!
Major props for reacting to this film. Especially the original and not the awful, terrible, dumb, silly, completely unnecessary remake by Spike Lee!
This is the best version.
This is the only version.
By FAR
Oh dang, I had no idea you recorded THAT way! If you guys ever need help finding digital copies of anything TV/ film-wise, post something on your YT community thing, like the bat signal, and I will see it and reach out with... let's say... advice/ guidance. I can usually help out this type of problem 😀
Please do more Korean movies. To name a few:
No Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Memories of Murder, The Chaser, I Saw the Devil, The Wailing, The Yellow Sea, New World, Asura: The City of Madness, The Man from Nowhere.
You have to watch *"The Handmaden (2016)"*
It is the best Korean movie ever the cinematography the plot twist and story it's beautiful.
Hahaha your facial expression to the camera during THAT scene sent me 😅😂
I've been waiting for this one for a long time
I lived in Korea when this film came out. I've always liked the fact that I had the same cell phone as Oh Dae-su. South Korea is the most wired country in the word. I daresay it would be a challenge to find a place, even on top of a mountain or in the middle of nowhere, where you cannot get a cell phone signal. Contrast that with New York City, where you lose signal as soon as you enter the subway. There are too things that South Korea has a ton of. These are cell phone stores and Internet Cafes. The largest chain of cell phone stores is SK Telecom. There are some streets that have SK Telecom stores as far as the eye can see. Many stores right next door to each other. It's bonkers. Likewise, if you are walking through the city, you can stop virtually anywhere and do a 360 turn and you have a 90% chance of seeing an Internet Cafe within 300 feet. These are open 24/7 and many look pretty much identical to the Internet Cafe in the film. This was before Smart Phones so the many Internet Cafes made it convenient if you needed to stop somewhere and check your email, kill time or whatever.
Fun fact: Choi Min-Sik ate those live octopus for real, but he's also a Buddhist, so he gave each animal a prayer before doing a take.
In terms of fantastic movies that's difficult to watch more than once, I'd put it on the same level as Requiem fro a Dream.
Oldboy is absolutely incredible!
Lady Vengeance another Park Chan-wook film. The most phenomenal ending. True Justice.
Hey, Schmitts! The ending image of Dae-Su smiling is a callback to the picture in his room on which was written the phrase "Smile and the world smiles with you, weep and you weep alone." He adopted that as a coping mechanism throughout the film smiling in uncomfortable situations. When he embraces his daughter at the end, he smiles in the exact same way leaving the audience with a sense of ambiguity about whether or not the hypnosis to forget actually worked! The daughter is oblivious but he may not be!
Originally, this was a multi-volume Japanese manga written by Garon Tsuchiya and illustrated by Nobuaki Minegishi.
It was also remade as an Indian film called "Zinda".
The American remake was directed by Spike Lee and starred Josh Brolin as Dae-Su, Elizabeth Olsen as Mido, Sharlto Copley as Lee Woo-jin and Samuel L. Jackson as the jailer!
Park Chanwook is known for the Vengeance Trilogy which also includes "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" and "Lady Vengeance". He also directed "Thirst" and "The Handmaiden".
The Spike Lee version is atrocious and one of the worst remakes in history. Not worth anyone’s time.
Oldboy is getting a 20th anniversary theater release and I'm ridiculously excited to go to the theater to see a film I've seen at least ten times.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the way you plan revenge... 😅
Lee Woo-jin elevated the "Revenge is a dish best served cold" saying to a whole new level: he literally kept on living after his sister's death only with the intent of exacting revenge. As soon as he completed his mission, he committed suicide. And this is the most interesting part of the movie to me: for the whole length of the movie Daesu believes he is the one trying to get vengeance while instead he is the target of the revenge plan of another man.
There is a clue right in the title , if you know the expression. "Old boy" is a word occasionally used in some places outside the USA that is a synonym for "alumnus" or "graduate".
It took me a while to compute what had happened. The shock was great and I was left speechless.
Saw this on the big screen, masterpiece 👍
Going into this movie, i kinda knew the big twist. Still... That reveal scene and rhe build-up to it left a damn pit in my stomach. Park Chan-wook's direction and Choi Min-Sik + the villain's performance is just too good. The emotion of that moment is so fucking vile that its strangely difficult to comprehend fully. But they fully convey the sheer horror of it all so well
Nice reaction to this iconic Korean movie
32:07 "What the fuck......that was 'Old Boy'...what did you think?:
"Uhhhhh 🤨" yea sounds about right 😅
See " I Saw the Devil "
Not a lot of people react to this movie..it's phenomenal I'm glad two people who appreciate movies did...do yourself a favor never never never watch the remake ugh
I can't watch this yet because I haven't seen this movie but I love Choi Min sik! First saw him in the Scarlett Johansen film "Lucy". Loved him so much in the movie, I watched "I Saw the Devil" right after it. Put those two movies on your list. I'm going to make a point to watch Oldboy this weekend.
Choi Min-Sik, who plays Oh Dae Su, is one of the most respected actors in South Korea right along with actors like Lee Jung Jae (Squid Game) and he was absolutely mesmerizing in this movie.
By the way there is an American remake of this from 2013 starring Josh Brolin and Elisabeth Olsen, but I’m told it’s not very good.
Oh... it's terrible.
How did Spike Lee make a movie with Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen so wretched?
Spike Lee clearly hates anything he doesn’t write and produce and direct. Dude is also a disgusting doxxer who got an elderly couple harassed all over twitter.
When I lived with me folks, they had gotten me a tablet, the one technically meant for books forget its name. Anyway, youtube and Netflix apps were also on this tablet and I remember watching so many films, first "I saw the devil" and then "Oldboy" in my upstairs attic living area bedroom sweating me arse off but being mesmerized, goot times!
danggg. oldboy, huh? one of my favorite korean films ever. choi minsoo is such an amazing actor...
cant wait to see more korean film reactions. :)