Chan Wook Park's Oldboy Stars Min Sik Choi

Steven Spielberg & Will Smith Remake to Differ from Korean Film

Feb 2, 2009 Lynette S.K. Webster

Vengeance trilogy puts bloodthirsty revenge onscreen. Part Two is superb in execution. Oh Dae Su finds the man who imprisoned him for 15 years with appalling consequences

Based on the Japanese manga series by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya, Oldboy is translated expertly to screen by Korean director Chan Wook Park. Famous for Joint Security Area, the enigmatic film about soldiers at the North & South Korea border, Chan Wook Park makes use of his creative licence to go where no directors have gone before. Blinding revenge, incest and torture are heavy themes that Park manages to pull off with flair, winning Oldboy the 2004 Grand Jury Prize at the Palme D’Or - Cannes Film Festival’s top honour. There is talk that Steven Spielberg and Will Smith plan to do a remake of Oldboy. Luckily in recent interviews they clarified that the graphic novels, not this Korean masterpiece, will be used as creative sources.

Oldboy Suspense similar to Greek Tragedy

Anyone who watches Chan Wook Park’s Vengeance trilogy should consider watching Oldboy first. Grabbing audiences straightaway, Oldboy tells the story of Oh Dae-Su, who is imprisoned for 15 years by a mysterious man, and finds his way out to wreak vengeance. Relentless in its storytelling, Oldboy embeds clues and hooks all through the film, from a dead schoolgirl to an amputated hand. Violence is used for suggestion and effect rather than the goal. What makes Oldboy unique from horror or violent films are the risks that are taken at every level – acting, set design, filmic shots, sound and choreography – plus a story with relationship and phobias as deep-seated as a Greek tragedy.

Music and Sound Are hauntingly effective

Oldboy kicks off with Oh Dae Su holding a suicidal case by his necktie, a step from jumping to his death. The music hits at full volume, preparing the audience for a suspenseful race to the end. A mix of classical, breakbeat and carousel tunes (think Amelie) delves into the loneliness of every character, and strengthens resolution, especially for characters Oh Dae Su, Mido (Hye Jeong Kang) and Woo Jin Lee (Ji Tae Yu). Asynchronous sound reflects characters’ thoughts in an eerie way.

Min Sik Choi Rises to the Challenge

No other acting challenge like Oh Dae Su exists in film history, and Min Sik Choi performs splendidly, shocking audiences around the world. Audacious in every aspect, Oldboy’s director Chan Wook Park puts Min Sik through several tests, simulating the tortures of Dae Su’s mystery prison. Watching Min Sik Choi play a debased drunk who transforms into a dark Count of Monte Cristo figure is heart-wrenching yet motivating. His debased character finds new meaning in vengeance, and his bloodthirstiness hits at full force when he eats an octopus live. One interview reveals that Min Sik Choi being Buddhist, took some persuading, offering prayers to each octopus before the take (of which there were four!).

A veteran theatrical actor, Choi also works hard at delivering action, his fight scene with Mr. Park’s henchmen is a parallel tracking shot that energises the choreography.

Supporting Cast: Hye Jeong Kang & Ji Tae Yu

Every actor in Oldboy does a great job. Oh Dae Su’s love interest Mido is played by an effervescent and fairylike Hye Jeong Kang. Her banshee singing echoes hauntingly through the rooms. Ji Tae Yu has a feminine quality which makes it touching even to see him, the villain, cry for his sister.

Directing, Lighting, Set & Props

Post-modern set designs, coloured lighting and live props create an alternative, underground feel. Chan Wook Park certainly deserves the title of auteur, having created a unique directorial style in Oldboy, combining a modern rhythm of editing with homage to German Surrealism, French New Wave, Japanese horror and even Greek theatre.

Sources

[1] Chan-Wook Park on Oldboy. Film4 Features, 2004.

[2] Will Smith’s Oldboy is Actually Based on the Graphic Novel. Firstshowing.net, 2008.

Oldboy
Director: Chan Wook Park
Writers: Garon Tsuchiya, Nobuaki Minegishi, Jo Yun Hwang, Chun Hyeong Lim, Joon Hyung Lim, Chan Wook Park
Actors: Min Sik Choi, Ji Tae Yu, Hye Jeong Kang, Dae Han Ji, Dal Su Oh, Jin Seo Yun, Byeong Ok Kim
Running time: 120 minutes

The copyright of the article Chan Wook Park's Oldboy Stars Min Sik Choi in Foreign Films is owned by Lynette S.K. Webster. Permission to republish Chan Wook Park's Oldboy Stars Min Sik Choi in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Min Sik Choi as Oh Dae Su