Director: Park Chan-wook.
In my recent review of Tár I said I liked it although I hated its ending. I didn't like Oldboy although I liked its ending.
The final act, and ending of a movie is the most important part, it's what most people remember and judge a film by.
- Can a mediocre film become a "masterpiece" just because of 2 scenes at the end?
- Can a great film become rubbish because of a bad ending?
Yes and Yes.
I'm not going to argue against the importance of a good ending. In my own films the endings are as strong as I can make them, but I try to build up towards it, not to over compensate - in the case of Oldboy, over bad writing and directing of the 2nd act.
Verdict: 3 / 5 ★ - Not as good as I was expected it to be.
