OldBoy Review

Group Review of "OldBoy"

Angelena R. Schapiro Review

Favorite Character: Dea-su

1)The Character I most identified with was Dea-su. I know this isn't by coinsidence as he was the main character and the protagonist. However, I feel like Chan-Wook Park did a good job of making the audience feel they were experiencing the same things along with Dae-su. For me this caused a connection with Dae-su and made him someone I could sympathize with.I also think the main character reacted to the circumstance in his life as anyone would else would be compelled to. This also made the character more tangible, which was a plus coming from a viewer.

Least Liked Character: Woo-jin Lee



2)The character I least like again was by no coincidence. The antagonist was a strange character who really had a way to get under the viewer's skin. The way the antagonist could thrive with enjoyment while others were in pain was incredibly eery and disturbing.



Name a cinematic device that you deem as the most important or stood out to you the most?
3)Flashbacks were a useful device in this movie. I felt they were necessary to get the needed background information to complete the plot of the movie. The way they reveiled the truth amongst all the lies being told in the movie was clever and helpful.

What did you think the plot was of this film?
4)The plot of the film told a story about revenge, as this is part two of a revenge triology. What the viewer may be surprised by however is that in this movie and the first, revenge is seen by both the antagonist and protagonist. One would expect only the protagonist to get their revenge, because that makes a happy ending. In these movies however both characters get their revenge.
5)Other comments? This movie was both intriguing and disturbing. The movie showed scenes of incest which was hard to take in but it also had an ending that I personally was not expecting.

Ben Rinehart's Review

Favorite Character: Oh Dae-su

How come? : Oh Dae-su is a complex character. Caught in a web of conspiracy he is whisked off to a prison/hotel where he spends the next 15 years. The rest of the movie shows him first being bent on revenge, followed immediately by the horrible realization of what he has done. This leads to an enormous repentance by cutting out his tongue which he realizes has hurt so many. I find Oh Dae-su’s extremeness in actions invigorating and very psychologically interesting.

Most Dislike Character: Mi-do




How come? : Though she is an important character, I often found myself hating her whiney personality. That’s really the only reason that I don’t like her character though.



Name a cinematic device that you deem as the most important or stood out to you the most?

I think that the cinematic device which was the most important were the two faces of Oh Dae-su. At certain parts of the movie, we see Oh Dae-su’s face contort to one of two personas, Oh Dae-su or The Monster. *Spoiler Alert* (At the end, if you look closely, you’ll see The Monster’s face re-emerge even though it is supposed to be dormant, thus signaling that the woman’s hypnosis did not work to suppress The Monster.)

What did you think the plot was of this film?

The plot was about a man bent on revenge for years lost to him, and another man’s revenge for what he had lost. Ultimately we realize in the end, that revenge leads to nothing but death and destruction. It is definitely a tragedy.

Other comment:

This movie is perhaps my favorite movie because it so accurately portrays many facets of the human psyche. It delves deeply into the darkness that can so easily overcome humanity and also speaks to the kindness of humanity in the person of Mi-do. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Sylvia DeMarco's Review

Favorite Character: None

How come? : I could not relate to any of these characters. I found them all frustrating and unreasonable.

Most Dislike Character: Woo-jin Lee
How come? : He was unfair man that held a grudge far too long. The Dae-su was young teenager gossiping to his brother about some interesting event that he happened to witness. He did not have some devious plan to harm the Woo-jin Lee and his sister. Also, it was injustice that he destroyed the daughter’s life when she did nothing to him. However, I did find it respectable that he did spare the daughter from knowing the true. I will give him credit for this act of kindness.

Name a cinematic device that you deem as the most important or stood out to you the most?
The repetition of going back to the same locations was a curial visual trope. It created many emotions throughout the film. For example, the room that Dae-su was held captive for fifteen years. Whenever, the movie came back to this location one would automatically feel resentment and apprehension. Then there was the daughter’s apartment. It gave a sense of freedom, yet; at the same time entrapped. This was attained through the effect that audience knew the kidnapper was watching him and knew the daughter.

What did you think the plot was of this film?
One should be careful of what one lets slip from one’s mouth. One never knows how it can come back with sweet twisted vengeance.

Other comment:
This movie is definitely not for people of the faint of heart or who do not like horror movies.

Dishon Kamwesa's Review

Favorite Character: Dae su


How come? : I like Dae su’s character the most in this film, for several different reasons. Dae su is both a likeable and despicable character. His personality traits evoke both sympathy and disgust, because of how he lives his life and how completely lost he is in trying to find out about himself. Dae su lives his life in a reckless fashion up to the point when he is kidnapped. Although he has a wife and child, he seems to take them for granted, getting drunk and coming home late. He has a past history in which he was a trouble-maker at school and a “ladies-man.” This past eludes him during the time that he is “imprisoned.” Oh Dae su is not a hero, but he is not a villain either, he is just a man who has lost a part of himself.

Least favorite character: Woo Jin-lee

How come? : There are many reasons for disliking Woo Jin-lee, who is the antagonist character in this film but honestly there are several reasons for liking him as well. Woo Jin-lee is similar to Dae su, in that they are both living in the past, and both seeking vengeance. Whereas Oh Dae su is seeking vengeance for a past he does not remember, Woo Jin-lee is orchestrating vengeance for a past he cannot forget. Jin-lee was in love with his sister when they were younger, which lead to a sexual encounter between the two siblings. Oh Dae su witnessed this encounter and told his friend. Eventually the story got out of hand and turned into a flagrant rumor about Woo Jin-lee’s sister being pregnant. This all culminates in the sister’s suicide and Jin-lee’s life-long torment. The reason I really don’t like this character is because he spends his life trying to torment other people in order to find satisfaction and avoid his guilt. I can empathize with his grief at the loss of someone he loved dearly, but I feel that he uses that as a crutch for the rest of his life and becomes a sadist in the name of “social experimentation.”

Name a cinematic device that you deem as the most important or stood out to you the most?

The cinematic device that I felt was most important to understanding this film was the time shifting. Park uses the time shifts in order to provide the viewer with a different perspective about a certain character’s current situation. For example, when Oh Dae su is out of captivity and trying to find his captor, the film makes several different time shifts into his past. This technique can at times be a little bit manipulative because it makes you think through the characters context and not necessarily from an outside observers view.

What did you think the plot was of this film?

Basically the plot centered around two characters, Oh Dae su and Woo Jin-lee. These two characters have crossed paths in the past and an event has happened that has bound their lives together forever. Oh Dae su is a ladies-man, a drunk and someone who lives his life with a bit of recklessness. Woo jin-lee is a wealthy successful man who has spent his life studying human misery and performing “social experiments” on humans, by imprisoning them for long periods of time. In their childhood Woo jin-lee was in love with his own sister, this love led to a sexual encounter which was witnessed by Oh Dae su. Oh Dae su shared this secret with his friend who shares it with another friend and eventually this secret turns out to be a vicious rumor about the sister being pregnant. The looseness of Oh Dae su’s tongue leads to Jin-lee’s sister’s suicide and a lifelong burden of grief. As the story unfolds, we learn that the person who kidnapped Oh dae su, imprisoned him and tortured him is Woo Jin-lee. We also see Oh Dae su vigilantly pursuing his tormentor without any thought as to who he destroys along the way. Eventually, after finding out Woo Jin-lee’s involvement in his life, we are presented with the conflict of both characters. Woo Jin-lee has been waiting his entire life to repay Oh Dae su back with the revenge for his sister’s death, and Oh Dae su wants to tear Woo Jin-lee apart for taking his family and 15 years of his life. The plot becomes more complex when we Oh Dae su learns that the 18 year old girl he has fallen in love with and slept with, is indeed his own daughter. Woo Jin-lee has orchestrated the lives of both Oh Dae su and his daughter for the past 15 years, so that Oh Dae su can feel Woo Jin-lee’s pain. When Dae su finds out that he has slept with his daughter he begs Jin lee to keep it a secret, even going so far as to cut off his own tongue in order to show that he will never speak again. Woo Jin-lee is satisfied and considers killing both Oh Dae su and himself, but decides to let Dae su live. The movie ends with Woo Jin-lee killing himself, and Oh Dae su going to a hypnotist to have his memory erased. The last scene is Oh Dae su’s “vengous monster personality” walking away, and Oh Dae su being re-united with his daughter.

Other comment:

In the end, the pursuit of vengeance brings about only death, and grief for both characters. Instead of getting the satisfaction they both so dearly craved, they instead only reap sorrow and loneliness.

Nicole Mosley 's Review

Favorite Character: Mi-do

How come? : Mi-do represented a second chance for Dae-su. She gave Dae-su love and a home. She was helpful to Dae-su in finding his daughter; although not knowing that she was infact his daughter at the time. She helped Dae-su to find the clues and his captor. She stood by Dae-su’s side even when he doubted her and mistrusted her. When one of Dae su’s thugs arrived at her home and tortured her in front of Dae-su, she never left his side. Her sweetness, her genuine love for Dae-su and her innocence was refreshing to watch, since the film was centered on darkness and vengeance. Dae-su started to unravel the truth about why he was held captive, when he went back to their childhood. He remembered that he witnessed Woo-jin having sexual relations with his own sister. It was at this point that I came to realize the truth. I had hoped that my theory was wrong about Mi-do being Dae-su’s daughter. However, at the climax of the film, Woo-jin reveals this secret to Dae su.


Most Dislike Character: Woo-Jin

How come? : He was EVIL!!! Dae-su saw Woo-jin having sexual relations with his own sister, who later committed suicide because Dae-su told his best friend Ja-woon. From this secret came a rumor about the sister being pregnant and led to her death. Woo-jin blamed Dae-su for his sister’s death. As a result he plotted for years to seek out the most horrific vengeance on Dae-su. He killed his wife, took Dae-su’s daughter, raised her and hypnotized her, then strategically setup the two of them meeting and falling in love, which resulted in incest. At the very end, Dae-su begs Woo-jin not to tell Mi-do the secret while Woo-jin joyfully watches Dae-su bark like a dog and even cut his own tongue off. Woo-jin decides not to kill Dae-su when he has the chance. He thinks by keeping Dae-su alive he can have the best revenge. Woo-Jin ends up killing himself over the grief of his sister, and it is clear that he has not acquired the satisfaction he was seeking in destroying Dae su’s life.


Name a cinematic device that you deem as the most important or stood out to you the most?

The cinematic device that stood out for me was the way the director used the close-up shots during the torture scenes. This device made you think he going to show the entire shot of torture (Dae-su pulling out the thug’s teeth) with end of the hammer; the director then zooms in on the falling bloody teeth instead.

Another device that stood out was the use of a split screen shot. At ending of the film Dae-su hired a hypnotist to erase his memory. During this hypnosis, he was transported back to Woo-jin’s apartment and as he watched himself from the window, being split into. You see Dae-su’s reflection in the window and then at the same time you see the “beast” (keeper of the secret) walk away to death. I thought that was great example of a visual trope.


What did you think the plot was of this film?
Vengeance vs. Vengeance! Woo-jin sought his revenge on Dae-su because of a childhood rumor which resulted in the death of his sister, whom he was in love with. Then Dae-su sought revenge against his kidnapper who stole fifteen years of his life, which later revealed a connection between the two men and their dark secrets. In the end, Woo-jin killed himself to forget and Dae-su killed his memory to forget; in the attempt to re-start his life over again with the woman he loves, Mi-do even though she is his own daughter.

Brynt Werntz's Review

Favorite Character: Oh Dae-su
How come? : He is the film's main character, and he has been imprisoned for around 15 years and is the main storyline.

Most Dislike Character: Lee Woo Jin
How come? :He kidnapped Oh Dae-su

Name a cinematic device that you deem as the most important or stood out to you the most?
The film had a very unclear ending, but I believe it was meant to be that way on purpose. I was left with many questions after the movie was over like, how much time passed through the film, if the hypnotist meeting with Dae-Su took place, and if he kept his relationship with Mi-do.

What did you think the plot was of this film?
The Husband and father, Oh Dae-Su, is locked in away in prison with out a clear understanding of what he did do deserve prison time. He had a small T.V. in his room which was his only way of knowing what was going on in the world outside of the cell. While watching a news segment, he finds out his wife has been killed, and begins to dig a way out of his cell with chopsticks. After being in jail for 15 years, he is finally set free with no idea of why he was locked up in the first place. The rest of the film shows him figuring out why he was locked up, why his wife died, and what happened to his daughter. He then goes out to seek revenge on the people that have ruined his life and family.