Oldboy | AccessAtlanta

'Oldboy': Deep-down tragedy and screaming emotions
by Bob Townsend

A hallucinogenic thriller that relentlessly heaps taboos on top of images of extreme brutality, "Oldboy" is surely not for the squeamish. In one scene, the protagonist eagerly chows down on a live octopus, its lubricious tentacles wriggling between his lips. In another scene, he uses the claw end of a hammer to tear out the teeth of one of his tormentors. But taken on its own twisted terms, this latest film by Korean director Park Chanwook is a visually beguiling trip that keeps pulling you along and keeps you wondering what fresh hell could possibly come next. And that makes it considerably more compelling than a lot of the latest from Hollywood. Read the full review

TO SUM UP
After being kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years, Oh Dae-Su is suddenly released from a mysterious prison and given five days to find his captor and figure out why he was put away &m#151; or else something even more horrific will happen.

FILM FACTS ...

Tartan Films

'Oldboy'

Director: Chan-wook Park
Starring: Choi Min-sik, Gang Hye-jung, Yoo Ji-Tae
Run time: 120 minutes
Release date: April 29, 2005
Rating: R for strong violence including scenes of torture, sexuality and pervasive language.

On the web
Official movie site
View the trailer
Trailers require Quicktime