Oldboy 4K Blu-ray Review & Comments

[Casimir Harlow]

Just a few months after their tremendous Blu-ray package, Arrow upgrade Oldboy to full fat native 4K Dolby Vision and, perhaps frustratingly, deliver a must-have package.
Read the review.

Write your own review for Oldboy

 

[mb3195]

Thanks Cas.

Great film.

VERY tough watch!!!

No idea how you managed to watch it twice in such a short time frame, its been years since I watched it and would still struggle to sit through it again even now!!

 

[untouchableno1]

Great review of a great film. This was Xmas day viewing with my kids, just gone, and they were shocked. They are adults BTW ! I watched the German 4k release and I have this Arrow release on order, which may be better in terms of overall PQ - can't wait to see again. The fight scene is literally knockout.

 

[2001will]

Pre-ordered this and cannot wait to watch it again. Wish someone would take the time to do a great transfer of A Bittersweet Life.

 

[Robothamster]

Ah man, I've already got this on DVD, Bluray, 4k iTunes and now you're making me buy it on 4K disc as well?!?

 

[Casimir Harlow]

Ah man, I've already got this on DVD, Bluray, 4k iTunes and now you're making me buy it on 4K disc as well?!?

Yes, it's very cheeky, the Arrow sets were only out Oct 2020.

But I guess we should be grateful that they listened and properly got on the 4K bandwagon. There are so many tremendous BD releases Arrow have done I really can't wait for them to start trawling back through their catalogue. It's almost more exciting than the prospect of Criterion going 4K with their catalogue (which I'm still shocked has not happened yet).

The Thing, Big Trouble, Thief, Children of Men, Donnie Darko, Candyman, Videodrome, Live and Die in LA, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, Long Goodbye, Bound, 12 Monkeys... Criterion often have more 'worthy' films, but there are some gems here that I'd lap up in 4K.

 

[muljao]

Without giving anything away, I seen this movie when it was originally released. Can it be enjoyed a second time given its unexpected ending??

 

[Robothamster]

Without giving anything away, I seen this movie when it was originally released. Can it be enjoyed a second time given its unexpected ending??

I think so, I've seen it numerous times.

 

[Donnacha]

Thanks for the review....been years since seeing it, was quite disturbing from memory, let alone that octopus

 

[featherhall]

Wonderful. Great review and can’t wait to get this. Classic

 

[Don Rogers Tash]

Grear review as per usual, Cas.
Only thing I hate about this film is the eating of the octopus/octopi.

 

[Russ 66]

I remember watching this on its first release on DVD, fabulous movie. The hammer fight scene is amazing and the ending..... Best one of the vengeance trilogy for me.

 

[Clem_Dye]

Pre-ordered this and cannot wait to watch it again. Wish someone would take the time to do a great transfer of A Bittersweet Life.

I can’t find A Bittersweet Life on BR anywhere. I have the original R3 DVD Director’s Cut, but when I tried to watch it recently, the NTSC picture was just too poor to persevere with. I have the R2 standard DVD edition, but it really does need a decent BR/4K BR release. As for the 4K Oldboy, I feel the need to flex the plastic!

 

[kenshingintoki]

This disc and film is awesome

 

[zubeir]

One of my all time fave films. The twist at the end

 

[Ftorek]

Ahh Old Boy - such a great film. The whole Vengeance Trilogy is highly recommended - Old Boy is the middle one i think? It sits pretty well between them both.

And while the hammer fight is an obvious highlight - i think the one that stayed with me for longer was the octopus eating one

f.

 

[VGzilla]

Great movie and review, and thanks for the nod to Marathon Man.

 

[Roohster]

I only bought The Vengeance Trilogy last year, I'm not buy.... oh who am I kidding? Ordered!

 

[Tim2049]

That single take corridor fight, whilst ambitious and commendable, looks utterly ridiculous. It's more like ballet class at an asylum.

Hordes of bad guys lining up taking it in turns to get hit. It's well choreographed, I suppose, but it never looks even remotely convincing...

Classic film though! That octopus' acting is particularly method...

 

[Tim2049]

Grear review as per usual, Cas.
Only thing I hate about this film is the eating of the octopus/octopi.

Koreans probably feel the same watching us eating weetabix..

 

[Don Rogers Tash]

Koreans probably feel the same watching us eating weetabix..

Weetabix haven't got eyes though.
Or any moving parts.
And I bet Weetabix tastes better with milk and sugar on it than octopus.

 

[VGzilla]

Weetabix have lots of eyes, just leave the box on the shelf long enough.

 

[Casimir Harlow]

That single take corridor fight, whilst ambitious and commendable, looks utterly ridiculous. It's more like ballet class at an asylum.

Hordes of bad guys lining up taking it in turns to get hit. It's well choreographed, I suppose, but it never looks even remotely convincing...

Classic film though! That octopus' acting is particularly method...

I've watched it maybe a dozen times in the last 3 months, it's utterly iconic.

I personally don't find it ridiculous in the least bit.

It's in a corridor, of course people are going to be lined up, and who wants to be the first to get hit by a hammer?!

Spoiler

Even so he repeatedly gets set upon throughout the fight and has to shove them all back, which he can do because they are in... yes, a corridor.

It's only towards the end where he gets behind them all and can take them as they come to him and, even then, they get past him and he has to move pretty quickly whilst also looking understandably and realistically exhausted.

Perhaps it's just the fact that nobody shoots corridor scenes like this that makes it look unusual.

 

[Tim2049]

I've watched it maybe a dozen times in the last 3 months, it's utterly iconic.

I personally don't find it ridiculous in the least bit.

It's in a corridor, of course people are going to be lined up, and who wants to be the first to get hit by a hammer?!

Spoiler

Even so he repeatedly gets set upon throughout the fight and has to shove them all back, which he can do because they are in... yes, a corridor.

It's only towards the end where he gets behind them all and can take them as they come to him and, even then, they get past him and he has to move pretty quickly whilst also looking understandably and realistically exhausted.

Perhaps it's just the fact that nobody shoots corridor scenes like this that makes it look unusual.

Lined up waiting to be hit from both sides though...(?) Anyway, fair enough, I wish I could see ithroigh your eyes. When I watched it again last year I was just surprised at how 'naff' it looked. Admirable in its ambition though, no arguing there.

As an aside, 'iconic' doesn't mean it has to hold up to scrutiny of course. Plenty of iconic movie scenes haven't aged particularly well. Alien's chest bursting scene is the first that springs to mind. That used to be terrifying, both conceptually and visually. It's still an icky idea of course, but the alien looks like a comedy dildo. It's no less iconic for it...

 

[simonblue]

Thanks for the review Cas,will upgrade here,but why couldn't Arrow released it in 4K first time