Saw OLDBOY last night with my buddy Fenton. It has the best fight scene I’ve ever seen in a movie. Which is not to confuse it with the “best super-hero” fight scene, which is the fight at the end of RAVENOUS. This is the best “guy with a hammer fights ten other guys in a hall” fight scene . Ever.
The reveal towards the end of the movie is supposedly one of those “twist” endings that catches everyone offguard. I guess if you were one of the two or three people who didn’t know what was going on in THE VILLAGE, you might be surprised by OLDBOY (or if you were surprised by the “twist” ending in movies like RUDY… “Wow. The little gets to play football after all? Didn’t see that coming…”). The other 5 billion people on the planet will need to just be content with watching a incredibly well-done original film, beautifully shot and directed, with excellent acting.
The other problem I had with the “surprise” is that I’m apparently so jaded, I just shrug it off. Something that is supposedly so horrific to the characters jsut gets a shrug from me. So what. Move on, you bunch of drama queens.
That said, though, the movie’s great, and I’m sure I will buy it on DVD. Aside from featuring the best movie fight scene ever, the approach to filming and editing throughout the movie is so perfect in parts that it would be worth it for a few select scenes and cuts alone.
Go watch OLDBOY. No wait–If you’ve got issues with live food with tentacles, or do-it-yourself home dentistry, maybe you shouldn’t. Or at least be prepared to close your eyes for a couple of scenes.