BIG'S BIG MOVIE LIST

The idea of “cult film” entered the zeitgeist some time around the middle of the 20th century. Over time, instead of being lost in obscurity, select films maintain what you might call an “underground popularity” by keeping a passionate and dedicated fan base. Nowadays, cult film has bled onto (among other things) T-Shirts and bumper stickers like gang signs of the cult world that fans use to telegraph their preferences to other fans (I myself have a “Venture Industries” decal on my car that is only truly identifiable by members of the cult following of the show Venture Brothers.) Cult films typically break social taboos in the form of excessive or unconventional displays of violence, gore, sexuality, and/or profanity. The Korean mystery thriller, Park Chan-wook's “Oldboy”, certainly falls under the umbrella of cult, a film that pushes the envelope and rattles a few controversial cages, while staying beloved by a discerning population of fans.

 

[I did things a little different with this movie. I watched Park Chan-wook's “Oldboy” (2003), followed immediately by Spike Lee's “Oldboy” (2013). This is a review of Chan-wook's “Oldboy”, as it is the source material for Lee's remake and ultimately the superior film (Lee's rendition is not without its charm, though, which is why I'll mention it briefly)]

 

Our main character, Oh Dae-su (Min-sik Choi), is an alcoholic businessman who is suddenly and inexplicably abducted off the street. He wakes up in a room--much like a hotel room-- and is imprisoned there against his will, with no explanation or human contact, for fifteen years. He is fed meals through a hatch in the bottom of his cell door, and is drugged with gas when his jailers need to cut his hair or maintain his room. In his solitude, Oh Dae-su nearly goes mad trying to determine what could have brought him to this place-- what person he could have wronged, and just when he is finally ready to make good on an escape plan...he is released, as suddenly and inexplicably as he was initially abducted. Loose on the streets of Seoul, Dae-su must now put the pieces together, identify his tormentors, and exact his revenge.

 

This was a film that I had only heard good things about prior to viewing for the first time. It is primal.. at times its downright brutal (those of you who have seen the film may recall the sushi bar scene). Our main character unleashes fifteen years of repressed rage on any and all thugs unlucky enough to be in his line of sight—the fight scenes are choreographed street brawls with sparse ad hoc CGI that all comes together very nicely. This film earns its cult status: there's no skimping on the blood and gore. The mystery behind Oh Dae-su's imprisonment is captivating (even if it is a bit heavy-handed) and the story's ultimate twist had me on the edge of my seat shouting my trademark interjection “Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude!!”. If you are a cult film fan, you really should see this one.

 

Spike Lee's “Oldboy” (2013) takes some of the rougher unpolished elements of the Park Chan-wook “Oldboy” and gives them a good buff—unfortunately, it does little to help what is essentially a cookie-cutter rehashing of the already outstanding 2003 version. While the story is not 1:1 with Chan-wook's, all of the motifs, images, and central plot points are the same (with some minor variations). Strong performances by Samuel L Jackson, Sharlto Copley (District 9, Elysium), and Michael Imperioli (aka Chris Moltesanti from Sopranos) add a surprising amount of flavor to the story, but ultimately can't save our main character Joe Doucett (Josh Brolin) from being an unremarkable boulder of a man. He's mean and tough, sure, but he lacks the sickening allure of Oh Dae-su's threadbare sanity and crooked grin that was such a selling point in the first film