Korean cinema in 2023 is more popular than ever. With its roots of success in the early 2000s, as suggested by the IMDB list of top Korean films of which none appear to go any further back than the turn of the millennium, the trajectory of this cultural output has been made clear. Considering the rapid, global successes of Squid Game in 2021, Parasite’s Academy Award of 2022, and the further sponsorships of Korean films by Netflix, which has a well-furnished Korean Movies category on their service, both novel and classic Korean films are getting greater attention in the west. It is all the more pertinent, then, to give a retrospective on one of these classics on its twentieth-century anniversary: Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy of 2003.

In terms of the UK, one of the initial avenues for East Asian movies to enter the Western market was via the UK-based film distributor Tartan Films, which released anthologies of these under the “Asia Extreme” moniker. Unavoidably, part of this idea matched the unfiltered and often gory nature of these films with their ‘exotic’ origins, allowing them some novelty to viewers at the time. Do not let this label deceive, however, as many of these offerings, especially that of Oldboy, were of far more value cinematically than this description suggested.

Oldboy follows the bizarre experiences of Oh Dae-su, a drunk businessman and inadequate father figure to his four-year-old daughter, who becomes incarcerated by an unknown captor for fifteen years. As a result of this, Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), alienated from his former life and family, becomes consumed by his desire for vengeance, but not enough to overcome his curiosity for answers to his imprisonment; allowing Woo-jin (Yoo Ji-Tae), his now mysterious nemesis, to manipulate Dae-su further. Along the way, he falls in love with Mi-do (Kang Hye-jeong), a chef, who becomes entangled in the conspiracy that confounds him.

Whilst Oldboy is known for its intensity and extremity; from the consumption of an entire live octopus and the violent removal of teeth with a hammer, to the immoral sexual behaviour that underlies the plot, it is the pure exposure of the human mind that elevates it above others. Take, for example, the popularity of a more recent revenge-action trilogy, John Wick. Whereas the eponymous character goes to great lengths to right the wrongs done to him; the exploration of this topic is vacuous compared to Chan-wook’s masterpiece. Not only is the final twist of Oldboy especially shocking and hard-hitting, but it is the final descent into extreme desperation of Dae-su, and the resignation of Woo-jin following their confrontation that really gets at the heart of how the blind pursuit of revenge results in bitterness, despair, and exhaustion.

For Chan-wook, his subsequent directed films have certainly evolved but maintained the dark humour, close exploration of human emotional experience, and the clever utilisation of editing and chronology to guide his narratives. The Handmaiden (2016) is perhaps his next most significant motion picture; a story that takes a more optimistic view on revenge, as this aspect stems from the desire for two women to share their love uninhibited; unlike Oh Dae-su, to whom vengeance was the only goal. Then, the addiction explored in Oh Dae-su’s alcoholism, which ironically transforms into his hell-bent search for answers, is also present in The Handmaiden in terms of sex which similarly acts as a key motivator of the plot. Although Park has departed from the action-paced nature of Oldboy and delivered more gradually emergent narratives – mature in their introspective nature – the psychological twists and fair share of violent themes are still characteristic of his films.

Another throughline of his regards a clever and creative editing style, matching the twists in the plot with non-linear chronologies and the suspension of reality to reflect the experiences of the characters more closely. The result of this is pure immersion, as it compliments score, performance, and narrative so effectively, drawing the viewer in and leading their intrigue, to which Decision to Leave (2022) represents its most refined incarnation.

Nonetheless, Oldboy retains its classic status, as it delivers a gripping narrative, exciting action, twisting psychological thrills, and challenging moral dilemmas that his subsequent films have not quite synthesised as conclusively. And while it may be the horrifying and expertly delivered twist that gave Oldboy its must-see status, it is important to note the consistent expertise in filmmaking that Chan-wook demonstrates in all his major works, and this was just as much the case in 2003 as it is in 2023.

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