NOTE: Please be aware that this DVD is a Korean import and is coded for Region 3 DVD players. In order to view this DVD, you'll have to have either a Region 3 coded or Region Free DVD player. [Recommended Region Free Players] It will not play in standard Region 1 North American DVD players.

Pak Chan-Wook's (director of Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance and JSA) latest film, Old Boy, teams him with Korean actor Choi Min-Sik (of Shiri and The Quiet Family), this time on an adaptation of the Japanese Manga of the same name by Tsuchiya Garon and Minegishi Nobuaki. The results are nothing short of amazing in one of those rare films that lives up to the hype surrounding it.

Oh Daesu (Choi Min-Sik) finds himself in a very unusual prison after waking up from a bender one night. He was on his way home to his wife and daughter, but never makes it there. No one will tell him where he is, why he's there, or how long he's expected to stay. While in prison, he's routinely subjected to gassings, and forced to eat the same meal everyday. All he has for companionship is his notebooks, which he fills with his confessions, and the television, which he uses to stay current with world events and news. It's through the local news one night that he hears of his wife's death, that she's been murdered, and that he is the police's prime suspect. He vows revenge against whoever set him up once he escapes, which he does, fifteen years later.

Once he's in the outside world, he sets about trying to piece his life back together and figure out what exactly happened. He revisits some old connections and, with the help of a young female sushi chef named Mido (Kang Hye-Jeong) that he meets seemingly be chance at a restaurant one night, begins to figure why he was setup and by whom. Or at least he thinks he does.

And I'm not going to go into anymore detail on the plot than that. Knowing anything else before going into the film would be a grave disservice to the viewer as it would be way too easy to spoil it for those who have yet to see this minor masterpiece.

Pak Chan-Wook does an excellent job of bringing this movie to life. If some of the elements sound implausible, once the movie gets going it's plenty easy to overlook them as the film pulls you deeper into it as it progresses. Some of the stylistic choices are slightly reminiscent of the look David Fincher conjured up for Fight Club but without the gratuitous morphing from scene to scene. Old Boy has a gritty, stylish look that suits the shocking, punctuating violence of the story quite appropriately. The grays and greens of the hallways contrast nicely against the reds of the cells during the prison scenes while the cool green and blue hues of the water stand out against the blacks of the finale.

The cinematography is also interesting, as are some of the techniques used in telling the story such as a DePalma-esque split screen effect and montage of events such as the World Trade Center attacks and the death of Prince Diana set aside footage of Oh Daesu in prison to show how much has happened in the world since he was locked up. Camera movements are very fluid and natural, but also slick and pleasant to watch, aided by some unusual computer graphics for a few of the scene transitions.

Choi Min-Sik is exceptional in the lead. He plays his part with equal amounts of pathos and intimidation, lending his jowled looks and unusual physical attributes to the role and creating a wonderful sense of menace. Seeing as he did all his own stunts for the film, the fight scenes have an air of believability to them lacking in a lot of modern films, and sadly for animal rights activists, so does the scene where he chows down on an all too real squid (though this isn't considered all to unusual in Korean culture). He's able to brilliantly portray all the physically and emotionally demanding aspects the script requires with realism, and he makes it look easy.

Make no mistake, Old Boy is a dark and depressing film that, although it has a few instances of effective black comedy, hits like a punch to the groin. It is also incredibly well made and extremely compelling.

Video:

The anamorphic 2.35.1 transfer looks very, very nice on this DVD release. Blacks are solid, colors are very well defined and flesh tones look lifelike and natural. Compression artifacts and edge enhancement are almost non-existent and there isn't a whole lot to complain about aside from the fact that there is a smattering of print damage noticeable throughout the film, which surprised me considering that it isn't very old. It's not terribly distracting, it won't suck you out of the film or anything like that, but if you look for it, it's definitely there. Other than that minor problem, this transfer is rock solid and looks great.