Twenty Years Later, ‘Oldboy’ Is Still as Stylish as Ever

Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy will ceaselessly be a type of movies the place you’ll at all times keep in mind your first time seeing it—I watched it with my movie bro faculty boyfriend at his residence and was each horrified and totally mesmerized. That sentiment holds up watching the movie 20 years later, with a restored and remastered model launched by indie movie distributor Neon this week.

The movie follows the tragic story of native drunk Dae-su Oh (Choi Min-sik) who’s captured after which imprisoned in a cell for 15 years with out figuring out the hows or whys of his captivity, and his subsequent quest for revenge upon his mysterious launch. Alongside the way in which, he falls in love with a younger sushi chef, Mi-do (Kang Hye-jeong), who complicates his journey. Upon its preliminary launch, Oldboy obtained a lot important acclaim, successful the Grand Prix on the 2004 Cannes Movie Pageant and placing Chan-wook on the auteur path, which led to subsequent, equally celebrated movies like 2016’s The Handmaiden and final yr’s Choice to Depart. Oldboy has been on quite a few greatest movies of all time lists, had each unauthorized (a Hindi model) and licensed (Spike Lee’s 2013 American model) diversifications, and was the second movie in Chan-wook’s now notorious Vengeance trilogy.

It nonetheless manages to shock despite the fact that lots of its surprises on the time—particularly that nauseating twist ending—have turn out to be popular culture staples. However along with Chan-wook’s phenomenal course, Min-sik’s powerhouse efficiency, and that thrilling motion choreography, Oldboy’s enduring legacy additionally lies in its costuming. Dae-su’s pinstripe vengeance swimsuit is oh-so-chic, villain Woo-jin Lee (Yoo Ji-tae) wears a bucket hat relatively enviably, and Mi-do is swathed in brightly coloured, patterned mesh shirts which don’t look terribly not like what you see out in Brooklyn on a Friday night time. (Hers are higher).

Jo Sang-gyeong, the girl behind the timeless matches of Oldboy, has now labored with Chan-wook on lots of his different movies, finished over 50 tasks in her personal storied profession together with Netflix’s 2021 smash hit Squid Sport, and has been nominated for and gained many awards. Sang-gyeong spoke to GQ about beginning her costuming profession with Oldboy, making a timeless fashion, and her longtime collaboration with Park Chan-wook.

GQ: Oldboy was one of many first movies you costumed for—what’s it like wanting again at what a basic it has turn out to be and being part of that?

Jo Sang-gyeong: Pondering again on that point, personally talking, it was after I had simply had my child and was questioning whether or not I ought to stop my job and start specializing in childcare. So, when the job provide got here in, I accepted it instantly. If I hadn’t finished Oldboy on the time, I might be dwelling a really completely different life at the moment. It was a chance for me to be taught many components about filmmaking that I had not identified earlier than, so I’m very grateful.

How did you go about costuming Dae-su Oh (Min-sik) from his preliminary introduction as a drunk loser to a trapped sufferer after which right into a vengeful killer?

This was again after I wasn’t skilled in movie, so I analyzed the script as I’d analyze a play. I believed in regards to the mise-en-scène of the entire thing from the opening scene fifteen years in the past all the way in which to the ending. The script was very clear on what it wished to be. I requested Director Park inquiries to be taught his intentions and labored out the whole idea as if I have been piecing collectively a puzzle. As an example, when Dae-su Oh is launched, the script particularly talked about the model Gucci. I requested Director Park if it needed to be Gucci, and he answered that it simply must be a luxurious model that individuals know of as a result of Woo-jin gave it to Dae-su. After we truly filmed it, we used the model Dupont, which we used to replenish Woo-jin’s closet. After we have been at Cannes, Dupont actually beloved that.

I labored round Dae-su Oh and his relationships with different characters, touchdown on the concept for a pink shirt for the ending, however as a result of there was a flight delay after we filmed overseas, we couldn’t get the deliberate costume in time. As an alternative, we had to make use of a raincoat that we present in New Zealand. This was truly the primary set expertise that taught me that movie productions typically don’t go as deliberate. That additionally jogs my memory that the costume for when Dae-su was locked up used to have a blue and beige khaki tone, however as soon as I noticed the wall tone on set, it felt too tone-on-tone, so I dyed the costume pink.