Oldboy (2003)
8.245 /10
9373 Reviews
Rate This Movie:
With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors.
Videos & Photos
cast
... Oh Dae-Su
... Lee Woo-jin
... Mi-do
... Mr. Han
... No Joo-hwan
User reviews
I’m sure that all of you can always spot a film with good acting, superb plot and great cinematography easily but when it comes to a thriller that possesses all those above quality, it would be such a rarity. OldBoy here, second installment from The Vengeance Trilogy directed by Park Chan-wook (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, OldBoy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance) really have them all, good story, powerful acting and the most horrifying and clever end twist if not genius. In fact no matter how many times you see this, the twist would still be awesome. The theme of revenge here is taken to the next level, to its supremacy for it’s really carefully-planned. OldBoy has a mind-bending assortment of drama, thriller, romance and beautifully spiced up with sadistic plot, shocking elements, ultra violence and clever psychological twist. Imagine yourself captured, locked in a room for 15 years, not knowing why and who did it and when you finally escaped and thought it’s all over, you were wrong and here’s the punching line, the direct punch to your stomach. Min-sik Choi as Oh Dae su really acted well, he really got us carried away by dragging us into the mystery that surrounds his life, into the depression he’s been feeling and into the deep well of his curiosity. Once again, OldBoy is a way too remarkable, when “revenge” isn’t merely knife-chopping or gun-battling. Enough said.
Director:
Writer:
Hwang Jo-yoon (Screenplay)
Lim Joon-hyung (Screenplay)
Park Chan-wook (Screenplay)
Garon Tsuchiya (Comic Book)
Nobuaki Minegishi (Comic Book)
Release Date:
2003-11-21
Run Time:
120 min
MMPA Rating:
R
Reviews of
Oldboy
I’m sure that all of you can always spot a film with good acting, superb plot and great cinematography easily but when it comes to a thriller that possesses all those above quality, it would be such a rarity. OldBoy here, second installment from The Vengeance Trilogy directed by Park Chan-wook (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, OldBoy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance) really have them all, good story, powerful acting and the most horrifying and clever end twist if not genius. In fact no matter how many times you see this, the twist would still be awesome. The theme of revenge here is taken to the next level, to its supremacy for it’s really carefully-planned. OldBoy has a mind-bending assortment of drama, thriller, romance and beautifully spiced up with sadistic plot, shocking elements, ultra violence and clever psychological twist. Imagine yourself captured, locked in a room for 15 years, not knowing why and who did it and when you finally escaped and thought it’s all over, you were wrong and here’s the punching line, the direct punch to your stomach. Min-sik Choi as Oh Dae su really acted well, he really got us carried away by dragging us into the mystery that surrounds his life, into the depression he’s been feeling and into the deep well of his curiosity. Once again, OldBoy is a way too remarkable, when “revenge” isn’t merely knife-chopping or gun-battling. Enough said.
This is definitely one of the films to see before you die. It's seat-squirmingly unsettling, shocking and very violent.
It's a journey into a truly disturbed mind; a mind, which - like yours will be - is unable to cope with what it discovers.
This film is brilliantly twisted. It has a thread of the most wonderful, blackest humour running through it, a sense of complete disorientation and enough plot twists and turns to sustain your interest.
Not one of the best revenge thrillers I've seen - simply THE best!
Just about everyone I’d spoken to about this film recommended it to me.
I watched this film with the original Korean-language soundtrack, with English subtitles.
Oh Dae-su (Chi Min-sik) is a bit of a flirt (whether he is a womaniser is not made clear) with a wife and young child, who has turned two years old on the day we start the film. Dae-su is in a prison waiting room having insulted a woman he was flirting with. A friend comes and eventually gets him out, but while he’s making a call to his wife to explain he will be home soon, he is kidnapped.
Incarcerated in a small room, with only a TV for company, he is fed and looked after, but not allowed his freedom. He unsuccessfully attempts suicide several times. He keeps himself fit by doing exercise programmes he sees on TV and he starts to dig his way out with chopsticks. He sees a TV report that shows he’s been framed for the murder of his wife. Fifteen years later, without a word of explanation, he is released.
The rest of the film follows his attempts to find out why he was imprisoned, who did it, and where his daughter is.
The film is frenetic, highly charged, and very emotional on several levels. It is also bloody in places, but Dae-su’s obsession for seeking revenge on whomsoever imprisoned him and on finding out where his daughter is drives this film along. There are psychological aspects to the film as well, and the film does eventually resolve itself – it is not one of those open-ended “I wonder who did it” type films. Follow the film through and you will get all the answers.
I would recommend it, but I wouldn’t call it light entertainment.
Cast & Crew of
Oldboy
Cast
... Oh Dae-Su
... Lee Woo-jin
... Mi-do
... Mr. Han
... No Joo-hwan
... Park Cheol-woong
... Hypnotist
... Lee Soo-ah
... Young Dae-su
... Young Woo-jin
... Young Joo-hwan
... Clock Store Lady
... Elevator Lady
... Dental Nurse
... Night Teacher
... Nun Teacher
... Electronics Store Owner
... Woo-jin's Doctor
... Nurse
... Rude Man
... 1988 Guard
... 1988 Guard
... 1996 Guard
... 2003 Guard
... Woo-jin's Bodyguard
... Woo-jin's Bodyguard
... Cheol-woong's Gang
... Cheol-woong's Gang
... Cheol-woong's Gang
... Cheol-woong's Gang
... Cheol-woong's Gang
... Cheol-woong's Gang
... Cheol-woong's Gang
... Cheol-woong's Gang
... Cheol-woong's Gang
... Cheol-woong's Gang
... Cheol-woong's Gang
... Cheol-woong's Gang
... Cigarette Thug
... Cigarette Thug
... Cigarette Thug
... Cigarette Thug
... Cigarette Thug
... Dae-su's Wife
... Young Mi-do
... Young Mi-do
... Stunts
... Stunts
... Suicidal Man
... Beggar
... Young-ja
... Chief Secretary
... Delivery Man
... Cheol-woong’s gang member
Crew
... Director of Photography
... Screenplay
... Screenplay
... Editor
... Screenplay
... Original Music Composer
... Art Designer
... Production Sound Mixer
... Costume Designer
... Editor
... Props
... Stunts
... Stunts
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Costume Design
... Production Design
... Set Decoration
... Comic Book
... Comic Book
... Sound Supervisor
... Line Producer
... Producer
... Original Music Composer
... Executive Producer
... Assistant Director
... Assistant Director
... Camera Operator
... Camera Operator
... Assistant Director
... Executive Producer
... Makeup & Hair
... Assistant Director
... Original Music Composer
... Colorist
... Colorist
... Production Manager
... VFX Supervisor
... Director
... Lighting Director
... Fight Choreographer
... Visual Effects Director
... Title Designer
... Stunts
... Dolly Grip
... Music
... Special Effects Supervisor
... Executive Producer
![Original Trailer [Subtitled]](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hBNBpNcuQHI/mqdefault.jpg)
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