Oldboy

Oldboy (2004)

  • 81% of critics liked it
    (132 reviews)

  • 94% of users liked it
    (114,838 ratings)

South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook directed this violent and offbeat story of punishment and vengeance. Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) is a husband and father whose reputation for womanizing is well known. One day, for reasons he doesn't understand, Oh Dae-su finds himself locked up in a prison… More

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R,
Directed By
Written By
Chan Wook Park
Genres
Mystery & Suspense, Drama
In Theaters
Mar 25, 2005 Wide
Tartan Films

Critic Reviews

  • Jami Bernard, New York Daily News

    Both brutal and lyrical, writer-director Park Chan-wook's existential nail-biter has torture scenes that will have you avoiding dentists, sushi bars and badly appointed hotel rooms.

  • Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

    Shakespearean in its violence, Oldboy also calls up nightmare images of spiritual and physical isolation that are worthy of Samuel Beckett or Dostoyevsky.

  • J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

    There's a lot less here than meets the eye.

  • Trevor Johnston, Time Out

    Quite an achievement then, and well worthy of its Cannes prize.

  • Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

    It's mesmerizing and discomfiting, engaging the viewer on a visceral and an intellectual level.

Read all 20 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Jeff "


    Oldboy is the sequel to Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and is a well thought out movie that ranks up there as one of the greatest revenge films ever made. Although a Korean movie, this is nonetheless a superb piece of cinema a, one that ever serious film fan should definitely check out.… More

  • Chris W


    I'm exhausted. This is easily one of the more emotionally grueling films I've watched in a while. Part two of his so-called 'vengeance trilogy', this is Park Chan-wook's offbeat and violent story of vengeance and punishment about a businessman who is… More

  • Al S


    A guilty pleasure in the most disturbing, savage and grotesque way. A deranged, twisted, disturbingly mind-blowing revenge tale that will make you want to vomit when you get to the finale twist. Even when you have it figured out, you still have a serious kick to the head afterwards… More

  • Emil K


    Shocking, bloody, brutal, violent and still oddly beautiful film. This is the second film in Chan Wook Park's revenge-trilogy and stands still as his most accomplished work to date. Oldboy is not without it's flaws, at times it has tendency to go way over the top when… More

  • Albert K


    What an incredibly disturbing but impeccably well-made masterpiece. Min-sik Choi, who plays as Oh Dae-su, the main character, was absolutely mesmerizing. Because this movie is a South-Korean movie, the plot unravels in a way that is very unfamiliar to American audiences. Everything is… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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