OLDBOY: Remastered, Restored And Returning to Hit People With Hammers And Hard Truths This August

The most prolific of three known incarnations, Park Chan-wook’s 2003 thriller, Oldboy, has stood the test of time. That said, NEON, now twenty years after its initial release, is prepared to release its remastered and restored version of the dramatic psych action thriller featuring Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae and Kang Hye-jung.

Oldboy continues its reign to this day as one of the biggest emerging successes of the early 2000s Asia Extreme era of cinema. Based on the work of manga creators Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi, the movie tells of a businessman thrust into a nightmare world of mystery and danger after being kidnapped and given only a week to find his captors. What ensues is a series of shocking reveals that elevates the film’s unnerving tension, all violently boiling up to a conclusion rife with chilling fervor.

Par for the course with one of the most memorable one-take action sequences to this day placing South Korea squarely on the map for fans of modern action, Oldboy signifies only the kind of storytelling that’s earned Park and his cast the accolades and fanfare they’ve received in the twenty years since, with Park since going on to direct his latest festival fave, Decision To Leave. For this, and with theatrical release date set for August 16, I’d totally get why a return to Park’s old “Vengeance Trilogy” would be in order until then. My advice? Go ham!… Or dumpling… or live-octopus. Or whatever you fancy.

Lee B. Golden III

filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com | Web

Native New Yorker. Lover of all things pizza, chocolate, pets, and good friends. Karaoke hero. Left of center. Survivor. Fond supporter of cult, obscure and independent cinema - especially fond of Asian movies and global action cinema. Author of the bi-weekly Hit List. Founder and editor of Film Combat Syndicate. Still, very much, only human.