Old Boy

Old Boy.

Key Cast: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Samuel L Jackson.
Director: Spike Lee
Writer: Garon Tsuchiya
Genre: Mystery Drama
Themes: Love, Family, Confinement, lies, deceit
Release: November 2013
Budget: $30,000,000

Key Scenes:
A key scene within this film is at the beginning of the film where we meet Joe and find out what his personality is like. From the first couple of scenes we find out that he is an alcoholic and a father but he is not very family oriented. When he becomes imprisoned, we see that he is determined to make a change. At this point the audience knows that his daughter is the only thing keeping him from giving up. Through his imprisonment he writes letters to his daughter, explaining how he is going to be a better father. The audience then wants Joe to succeed and get his daughter. This is what makes the audience connects with Joe and feel sympathy for hime that he has ended up in the situation.
Another key scene within this film is towards the very end of the film when the audience comes to realise why the protagonist, Joe, was put in the situation he was in and why it happened. Joe becomes face to face with his enemy and everything is explained to him. The end scene exceeds the audiences expectations as the plot twist in the end of the film is completely unexpected. This is a key scene as the audience is in the same position as the protagonist as they too are unaware of why Joe has been targeted. The end scene is used to both answer the audiences questions but to also shock them.

Micro-Features:
An important micro-feature in this film is editing. Because the film is set over a long period of time (20 years) the film makers need to show the changes both physical and mental over this period of time. The editing is important because through out the film the audience can see how his experience and treatment has changed him. His hair and beard gets longer and dirtier, he starts to lose weight and he decides to stop drinking alcohol. The editing enables the audience to understand how determined he is to get out and change his life and do right by his daughter.
Another important micro-feature is mise-en-scene. Because it takes place in a single room for the majority of the film the mise-en-scene needs to show the conditions that he is has lived in for 20 years. The colours are dull (browns and beige) the window is a cycle of pictures that show up on a canvas and only the basics are provided. The mise-en-scene is used to show how his descent into darkness as he starts to hallucinate people in his room that are just images on a poster. The mise-en-scene is important because it makes the audience feel as if they are too, trapped in the room with him.

Comparables:
This film could be compared to The film 'Room' (directed by Lenny Abrahamson 2015). The majority of this film is also set in a room and mise-en-scene is important as well. The use of dull colours in the films shows to the audience the tedious experience of seeing the same thing every day. Although they have both have different themes and genre to one another, they still both use the same techniques to create the sense of being trapped and enclosed. Even thought they are a completely different genre of film they still make the audience feel sympathy for the characters within the film and make the audience want them to succeed.