SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains information on the film Oldboy's plot.

In American culture, the search for The Truth is usually a search that is rewarded not only with knowledge, but also an almost heroic status. So many of our movies where the main character purportedly “can’t handle the truth” demonstrate that not only can The Truth be handled, but it can also deliver retribution (accompanied by a satisfying amount of courtroom mutterings). A prize, of sorts, for the difficult task that was undertaken. Films like A Few Good Men or J.F.K. certainly show the pitfalls that a seeker of The Truth comes across during the gathering of information, but the “hero” is left in a fairly good light by movie’s end (even if the “real life” version fails to do so, as in J.F.K’s case). That is perhaps why a great example of a modern “Oedipus Rex” is so difficult to find. Sure, you can find your Scarfaces and your Revenge of the Siths, but they involve more of the anti-hero. We know from frame one that the main character is the baddie, so the downfall is acceptable. Almost palatable.

It’s because of this that I turn to the East. Korea, to be specific, and a happy little film, that has been titled Oldboy.

In a drunken stupor, Oh Dae-su was snatched off of the street one rainy evening. Imprisoned in a jail that looked remarkably like a run down hotel room, he had no knowledge as to why his confinement began, let alone that it would continue on for about 15 years. All he had was the television and his daily regiment of gassings, both of which were surprisingly of little solace. You see, his wife was murdered the day of his incarceration and the blame was conveniently pinned on him. After the aforementioned 15-year wait, Oh Dae-su was released, with no explanation for said release, and no explanation as to why he was even imprisoned in the first place. He now faced a mystery. The Truth was out there to be found for certain, but like Oedipus, it was a truth best left alone.

The parallels between Oh Dae-su and Oedipus are not only remarkable, but I firmly believe are also intentional. Both characters are driven by the search, no matter the cost. There is an honor to both of them. Oh Dae-su may start the film on the opposite side of the spectrum, being a loudmouthed drunkard, but the “actual” Oh Dae-su is not seen until the end of his confinement. That is the character we follow, not the boorish imbiber to which we are introduced. The methods he chooses to better himself with while in prison cement him as a hero to the viewer. We see the toil and the hardship and know that this is the type of guy that can get the job done, the kind of guy who will propel the story along. You see, the jail time he served was HIS triumph over the Sphinx. The proof we needed to know this fellow will carry us through to the bitter end, no matter how awful the end result might indeed be.

Both characters suffered their downfalls due to a past indiscretion that grew and grew into a present dilemma, a dilemma that could have been avoided had they paid more attention to how they lived their lives. Oedipus killed his father. Big social faux pas. In all honesty, due to the circumstances he faced, there was certainly no possible way he could have avoided what transpired. Sure, he could have been a little less exuberant with the killings and such, but you can’t blame a guy for letting loose once in a while. That one seemingly throwaway event, the murder of his father, is where everything would eventually spiral out of control. Oh Dae-su faced a similar problem. As a youngster he had no way of knowing what damage a rumor could cause, no matter how true it was. It was something that, as time pressed on, he would never have even given a second thought. A child’s tongue. Nothing more. However, this rumor, festering with whispers, gestating with guilt, consumed until lives were destroyed. Only a matter of time stood between Oh Dae-su and the consequences.

Naturally, I would be remiss to avoid the more obvious parallels between Oldboy and “Oedipus Rex.” The incestuous aspects of both stories are really the meat that everyone gnaws on clear to the bone, and it’s quite understandable. After all, Oedipus and his dear old mum made such an impact on society that we even went and named a complex after the poor guy. Obviously, the most misleading factor about this concept is that Oedipus had no clue he was sharing his bed with his own mother, thus rendering the term “Oedipus Complex” terribly inaccurate. Now, if one was to unknowingly kill his father, unknowingly marry his mother AND THEN find all this out later, well THAT would be a true “Oedipus Complex,” now wouldn’t it?

Following the same thinking, I surmise the coming years will bring us an “Oh Dae-su Complex.” It would simply be used as a clinical term for wanting to sleep with your own daughter, but it more accurately would be used to describe one that wrongs an old schoolmate, becomes part of a complex scheme for revenge, unknowingly falls in love and participates in some great sex with your own daughter AND THEN finds all this out later. Both events not only play key roles in both stories, but are also revealed to both characters as a punishment for trying to get too close to that Truth.

Where would a modern day version of “Oedipus Rex” be without some good old-fashioned self-mutilation? Now, as we all know, Oedipus chose to gouge out his own eyes as a gesture to all those who may have been offended (including himself) because he “could not look again upon the loved ones” he so wronged. This gesture is obviously not only a literal offer, for he most certainly would not be able to see after poking out his peepers, but also a figurative one. He could no longer be the person he was to his daughters and would certainly not be able to face them as a father. His role was forever changed.

Instead of his eyes, Oh Dae-su decided to remove the offending body part that led back to all of his troubles… his tongue. Again, this gesture was not only to be taken at face value, it was also symbolic. The promise not to speak ill of others and the actual slicing off of the transgressing organ are intertwined in the exact same way the removal of Oedipus’ eyes were.

It might seem unusual that the closest example of a modern day “Oedipus Rex” can be found in Eastern culture, but oddly when you look at it, 425 BC Greece has perhaps some unusual similarities to 2005 AD South Korea. At the time Sophocles wrote “Oedipus Rex,” Greece was at its greatest political and economic heights. The Persian Wars had finally come to an end, yet a new conflict between city-states was just beginning, sparking the Peloponnesian War. This unrest between Athens and Sparta could very well have been reflected in “Oedipus Rex” via the themes Sophocles presented. It was a thriving time, but also a time to be very aware of what came before so as not to let it be one’s downfall. Perhaps “Oldboy” exists to send the same message to South Korean society. At the time of this films release, Korea had been growing since the end of the Korean War, making great economic strides. However, the split that was forced upon Korea in the 1950s has grown wider and wider as well. At this point, North Korea and South Korea might as well be Athens and Sparta.

It’s certainly difficult to assume what Sophocles was really thinking while he was writing “Oedipus Rex.” Scholars can surmise and students can prattle on and on to fill a page, but who really knows? However, there is a reason why characters like Oedipus and Oh Dae-su pop up from time to time. Hubris. Pure and simple. Every once in a while, be it an individual, be it a society or be it a government, we all need to stop and reflect on our actions. Predestination or not, stopping for a moment to reflect might even prevent one from taking a course of action that could be construed as too drastic.

What’s that? The choice Oedipus made to gouge out his own eyes not considered to be “too drastic” you say? Bite your tongue.