Oldboy 2003 Subtitles Download
Denisha Cerniglia
I went to see it just yesterday, knowing very little about it, save for Dave's recommendation, and I'm...glad I saw it?? (Mostly??) It's one of those movies that has SO MUCH going on, and is SO AUDACIOUS in its direction and intricate plotting and over-the top operatic emotions and themes, and amazing action sequences, that I couldn't help but be impressed and dazzled by it. And yet...although I was discomfited by some elements of the film--and you know what they are--I came away from OLDBOY not *feeling* much about it. Reading some stuff afterward and knowing how influenced Park Chan-wook was by greek mythology, I think I might have enjoyed it more (if "enjoy" is the right word) if I had viewed it from the get-go as a fable. One thing I loved, though, without reservation, was its use of voiceover, which is always a dangerous device...it can either work beautifully (as in GOODFELLAS or TAXI DRIVER) or be a big annoyance (as IN INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE), but I can't imagine this vengeance-thriller/fable without the main character leading us along on the journey. Thanks, Dave, for pointing me to this unique and unusual cinematic experience.
Last night, I had a chance to see Park Chan-wook\u2019s film Oldboy at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian Theater in Seattle (it\u2019s playing in theaters around the country this weekend only). It\u2019s a great movie that I\u2019ve seen several times, but for years the only way I could watch it was via an old Tartan Asia Extreme Blu-Ray I purchased long ago. Recently, Neon acquired US distribution rights for Oldboy and is finally doing right by the title. Oldboy has received a full 4K remaster, a limited theatrical re-release, and it will be available via home video in the weeks to come.
Watching this film with an audience largely made up of many people who hadn\u2019t seen it before was an electrifying experience. There\u2019s a reason Oldboy is still so beloved and revered many years later: few films since have pushed the boundaries of what\u2019s possible in films, both technically and morally. Park\u2019s film tells the story of Oh Dae-su, an average, unassuming, kinda-shitty businessman who\u2019s suddenly kidnapped and locked up in a windowless prison for 15 years without any explanation. When he emerges, he\u2019s refined his body into a killing machine and seeks only vengeance against the man who put him there.
Oldboy is the second entry of Park\u2019s \u201CVengeance Trilogy\u201D and it explores the concept to an extreme. What pushes a man to want to go to outrageous measures to exact vengeance? How can the idea of vengeance come to dominate one\u2019s entire waking life? And what becomes of someone who has nothing else to live for? It\u2019s a deeply upsetting film that may show you things you wish you hadn\u2019t seen. But it remains compelling because it is so singular in its concept and execution (mediocre remakes notwithstanding).
I won\u2019t say any more about the film\u2019s plot since it contains many surprises and it\u2019s now old enough that some of you may have a chance to experience it for the first time. But I do want to talk a bit about some notable elements of the Neon remastered version.
The biggest difference, which I haven\u2019t seen many people mention, is the Neon version of Oldboy has an entirely new translation for the English subtitles. This new translation is, in my opinion, a revelation. It is a dramatic improvement over the previous translation that was included on the Tartan Blu-Ray or in the Arrow release. The language feels much more naturalistic; less like a stilted 1:1 translation and more poetic and lyrical. Honestly, it felt like watching an entirely new film. There were several key moments in the film that locked into place for me narratively in a way they never had before, and it was all because the subtitles were so much clearer this time around. Even if you\u2019ve seen Oldboy before, you owe it to experience this version of it.
In terms of the visuals, I found the 4K version to be\u2026fine? Overall the movie looks great \u2014 just as I remembered it \u2014 although a handful of shots show some evidence of significant processing. The visual effects have never been the strongest aspect of the movie for me and they are hit or miss in this version as well. In particular, there\u2019s a few shots of CG that look pretty rough, which is something I\u2019ve experienced in other older films that have effects that weren\u2019t originally intended for a 4K release.
Finally, the theatrical release is followed by a 13-minute conversation between Nicholas Winding Refn and Park Chan-wook. While I don\u2019t think it has any essential information, it\u2019s a really fun and enjoyable chat and contains a bunch of insights about why and how Park chose to make the film. I definitely didn\u2019t regret staying through it.
[Side note: I also loved the way the conversation was shot and formatted. Both Park and Refn are slightly illuminated against a black background. Refn asks questions in English and Park responds immediately in Korean with subtitles. It\u2019s a nice treat that I\u2019m guessing will be included in the home video release]
On Decoding TV, I\u2019m experimenting with creating a new bonus episode series with . For our first episode, we welcomed to the podcast to discuss this recent article about MovieTok in The New York Times. Listen to our conversation here and subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts.
I feel like most film lovers have a few movies they can point to as watersheds for themselves, the movies that opened the world up for them the way that Oldboy did for me. I hold Oldboy as close as I do because it may have opened the hardest and most important door of all. Most people are unwilling to put in the effort to watch films with subtitles. When I was younger this made me very angry. Now, I am simply grateful that I have all these wonderful movies in my life. When I was fifteen Oldboy changed my life, and because of that it will always hold a special place in my heart.
A critically-acclaimed Korean crime drama that won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2004, 'Oldboy' doesn't just push limits, it embraces entirely new cinematic taboos with twisted inhibition. Viewers with a history of heart trouble, migraines, neck or back trouble, or those who are pregnant should proceed with caution.
An ordinary businessman named Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) wakes up from a drunken stupor to discover that he's been placed inside an impenetrable cell; he has no direct contact with the outside world and has no idea why he's been imprisoned. For fifteen years, he rots away inside this strange dungeon, honing his body and training his mind until he becomes a grizzled warrior obsessed with revenge. When he's inexplicably freed, he hits the streets to find whoever was responsible for locking him away. As his search begins, he meets a young girl named Mi-do (Kang Hye-jeong) and develops an instant bond. When she's kidnapped by the man who imprisoned him, Oh Dae-su finally meets the object of his hatred -- a mysterious man named Woo-jin (Yu Ji-tae). Woo-jin tells Oh Dae-su he must discover the reasons behind his incarceration or Mi-do will die.
So begins one of the most abnormal and fantastic films I've ever encountered. As the second entry in director Park Chan-wook's "Revenge Trilogy," 'Oldboy' works well within the framework of its two bookends. While 'Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance' and 'Lady Vengeance' focus on singular revenge scenarios, 'Oldboy' examines the head-on collision between two types of rage -- Oh Dae-su is intentionally wronged by his unseen adversary and seeks immediate physical revenge, whereas Lee Woo-jin has been unintentionally wronged by Oh Dae-su and has exerted calculated psychological revenge. The two competing scenarios open up a complex set of themes and ideas for the director to explore -- the perseverance of anger, the illogical nature of our emotions, and the collateral damage that affects other people caught in the warpath of wrath.
'Oldboy' is probably best viewed as a violent morality tale in which the main characters are at the mercy of their disturbing obsessions. It isn't a revenge fantasy per se, but rather a warning about the nature of vengeance and its ability to warp a person's outlook. To this end, Chan-wook uses extreme imagery and manga-inspired gore to grab his audience's attention, while at the same time relying on a tight script and meticulous character development to sell the validity of a series of extraordinary events. Even "ordinary" scenes contain bizarre and often disturbing imagery, including swarming ants, gouged eyes, stark nudity, a nightmarish hotel room, incest, and the actual consumption of a living octopus.
The film itself is anchored by a group of unflinching (and arguably Oscar-worthy) performances. Min-sik Choi is particularly impressive as he transforms Oh Dae-su from a desperate drunkard into a hardened killing machine. His expressions are laced with subtle tics that reveal his character's thoughts long before he puts them into action. Likewise, Kang Hye-jeong doesn't just whimper through her role as the damsel in distress, she genuinely embraces the fear that would accompany the absurdity of her situation. In all, the performers sell what might otherwise be an absurd story at every level.
I should warn those who haven't yet seen 'Oldboy' to brace themselves for an unusal ending. The last confrontation has a logical climax, but takes a sharp turn that some viewers may not find satisfying. Likewise, Chan-wook has made it clear he wants his audience to determine the ending -- as such, the last scene is intentionally ambiguous and may leave some viewers shaking their heads. For my own part, I can't imagine a more perfect denouement to a film that so carefully balances sorrow, revenge and regret.
I could continue raving about 'Oldboy' until I fell asleep from exhaustion, but doing so would likely reveal too many of this film's secrets. Newcomers should have a chance to experience it all for the first time. I can't guarantee that you'll like 'Oldboy' as much as I did, but you'll undoubtedly experience something unlike anything you've seen before. Chan-wook's head-trip revenge epic is one of the most sinister, unique, and revelatory flicks ever committed to celluloid.
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