Perhaps the crown jewel of Korean cinema, Oldboy is a seminal work of not only modern East Asian cinema but also modern cinema in general. Park Chan-Wook’s 2003 masterpiece is undoubtedly influential, the film’s one-take hallway scene alone has inspired countless movies, and the dark revenge neo-noir has been essentially guaranteed a spot in film history due to its following among movie lovers and critics alike. So, for the film’s 20th anniversary, the American production company Neon has re-released it in theaters with a new 4K restoration befitting a film of this caliber. I have seen the film eight times now and I can honestly say that I had not experienced Oldboy to its fullest potential until I saw it in theaters this August.
For those unaware, Oldboy tells the story of Oh Dae-Su, an unremarkable alcoholic who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years. He is then suddenly released and given five days to learn who imprisoned him and why. It is an incredible film and one of my favorites to show people who’ve never seen it. This is actually a surprisingly difficult film to find in North America as it is on zero streaming services and the DVDs of it have become rarer over the years.
This is part of the beauty of this remaster. It gave U.S. audiences a chance to see the film outside of their friend’s standard definition DVD from 2010. However, what makes this remaster so incredible is not just the way it allows more people to experience the film. It’s the way that it takes everything perfect about the film and elevates it. The colors in the remake pop in a way that the previous versions never fully showed off, some scenes are color corrected to emphasize certain hues, and I adored most every choice. In addition to this, the translation for the subtitles are second to none. My DVD copy of the film has some clear liberties taken with translation and watching the remaster I was genuinely given a completely new experience. Yes, much of the dialogue was exactly the same, but the remaster picks up lines that were completely left out of the DVD version and a lot of the subtitles feel like genuine translations of the actors rather than approximations made by a localization team.
As much as people harbor a lot of disdain for the theatrical experience, especially post-Covid, I feel like this re-release of Oldboy shows off why theaters can make for such a remarkable viewing experience. The theater I went to for this was no IMAX, but seeing one of my favorite films of all time in a place built for viewing movies was truly a remarkable experience. The film is relentless and after revisiting it time and time again for the last several years, it has become a film where I can simply sit back and appreciate the pure artistry on display. Its visual style is gorgeous. The imagery on display is almost painterly, with some of the scenes actually being direct references to famous works of art. Similarly, the screenplay is excellent. I could name 30 quotable lines off the top of my head and that’s not even discussing how well the writing shapes the film’s pacing and structure.
On top of all the technical praise I’ve heaped on this film, it has some of the most compelling, beautiful, and disturbing performances I’ve ever seen. Choi Min-Sik gives a career defining performance as Oh Dae-Su and there really isn’t a single weak link in the whole cast. It is a relentless masterclass in filmmaking that I truly would recommend to anyone who’s willing to have a movie to thrill them, challenge them, and leave a pit in their stomach so large it might as well be a crater. All this to say: Oldboy is perfect. See it in theaters if you can.