Oldboy
5 Movies Like John Wick
Unapologetically weird and captivating the whole way, Oldboy is a triumph when you first view it, guiding you clumsily by the hand with all of the certainty and grace of the situation the titular protagonist finds himself in. It follows the strange life of Korean businessman Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), who is kidnapped and locked in a dingy hotel room for 15 years, discovering via a news report that his wife has been murdered, and that he is the prime suspect. With nothing to do other than train his body and keep his mind at least halfway stable, he plots his escape. Once he is unleashed on the unsuspecting world, nothing will stop him from avenging the atrocities that befell him.
Oldboy is compelling from start to finish, and instills a very deliberate sense of claustrophobia throughout. Without revealing too much, the most famous fight scene, shot in one continuous take against a horde of foes, is a perfect example: it is ugly and visceral, and you’re never far from the action. It, like the rest of the film, feels melancholy and wrong in such a gripping manner.
You’re left wondering ‘why’ the whole way through. But can you handle the truth when it’s revealed?
