Oldboy (2004)

81% of critics liked it
(126 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 cell,… More 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 cell, with no idea of what his crime was or whom his jailers may be. With a small television as his only link to the outside world and a daily ration of fried dumplings as his only sustenance, Oh Dae-su struggles to keep his mind and body intact, but when he learns through a news report that his wife has been killed, he begins a long and difficult project of digging an escape tunnel with a pair of chopsticks. Before he can finish -- and after 15 years behind bars -- Oh Dae-su is released, with as little explanation as when he was locked up, and he's soon given a wad of money and a cellular phone by a bum on the street. Emotionally stunted but physically strong after 15 years in jail, Oh Dae-su struggles to unravel the secret of who is responsible for locking him up, what happened to his wife and daughter, and how to best get revenge against his captors. Oldeuboi was screened in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and won the coveted Grand Prix. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 58 min.
Directed By: Chan Wook Park
Written By: Chan Wook Park
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Mar 25, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Aug 23, 2005
Studio: Tartan Films

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
There's a lot less here than meets the eye.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
It's mesmerizing and discomfiting, engaging the viewer on a visceral and an intellectual level.
Bob Townsend, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A visually beguiling trip that keeps pulling you along and keeps you wondering what fresh hell could possibly come next.
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
Its magnificence is that it takes itself dead serious. It's not entertainment, but it's sure a piece of toughness.
Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic
Combining the sinister suspense of Alfred Hitchcock with the unrepentant violence of Quentin Tarantino, South Korean director Park Chan-wook delivers a revenge tale as shocking as it is thought-provoking.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
While one might argue that it loses credibility and impact as it reaches further along the ledge of outrageous, tummy churning plot developments, there's no denying the turbulence it creates.
Nick Rogers, Suite101.com
Banzai-violence kin to "Cast Away" about a man at time's cruel whim, "Oldboy"is an endurance test worth taking. Its conclusion is the most sadistic and destructively wrathful since "Seven," and the point of no return has rarely shocked this much.
, Film4
Intense and dark but also humorous and moving, this is an ambitious film that fulfils its promise, despite an arguably overly protracted denouement. Excellent.
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
... a revenge thriller set in a cinematic neverland one zip-code away from Seven and Saw.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
One of the best imports I've seen in a while...
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Vengeance, says director Chan-wook Park, is the most dramatic subject in the world. The problem with that view driving his filmmaking is that it seems to override his creative judgement, presenting us with cruelty as the vehicle for his cinematic jollies.
Joe Lozito, Big Picture Big Sound
Director Chan-wook Park keeps the suspense going for as long as possible.
Beth Accomando, KPBS.org
As played by Choi Min-shik, Dae-su attains tragic stature. He's like a shaggy King Lear undone by his own foolishness.
Enrique Buchichio, Uruguay Total
Definitivamente no para todos los gustos, esta violenta y asombrosa película coreana promete convertirse en una de las verdaderas sorpresas del año.
Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review
Park has a strong visual style and a near-surrealistic noir touch, but unraveling the mystery scarcely repays sitting through his relentless rounds of gut-wrenching violence.
, Empire Magazine
Not to everyone's tastes, but if you have a strong stomach, OldBoy is sure to impress.
Trevor Johnston, Time Out
Quite an achievement then, and well worthy of its Cannes prize.
Philippa Hawker, Sydney Morning Herald
Oldboy is a delirious, confronting ride, a movie full of visceral shocks and aesthetic pleasures: it has an explosive immediacy and a persistent afterlife, a lingering impact that is hard to shake.
Nathaniel Rogers, Film Experience
Be amazed at my cruel virility. Feel the pain. Oh yeah.
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
Its tentacles are still wriggling in my memory, as if I just ate something that should never have been served in the first place.

Read all 22 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

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
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 so well crafted but the real winner of this movie is the plot. A must watch... but it is absolutely not a movie for those who are under 17.
Melvin W

Dae-su Oh: Even though I'm no more than a monster - don't I, too, have the right to live? "15 years of imprisonment, 5 days of vengeance." Oldboy is the second film in Chan-Wook Park's revenge trilogy and it is widely regarded as the best in the trilogy.… More
Dae-su Oh: Even though I'm no more than a monster - don't I, too, have the right to live? "15 years of imprisonment, 5 days of vengeance." Oldboy is the second film in Chan-Wook Park's revenge trilogy and it is widely regarded as the best in the trilogy. Even if you don't like violent movie, which I do, there is no denying just how well made Oldboy is. The film is put together magnificently well on every level. It looks great, it's well acted, the score is tremendous. There's nothing about it that isn't top notch. I really enjoyed the movie, but I don't feel like it is one of the best movies ever like many. Dae-su Oh is taken prisoner for 15 years. While locked up, he eats only one thing for 15 years and his only entertainment is a television. One day he wakes up freed and begins to seek revenge on the people responsible for his being prisoner for 15 years and also for the death of his wife, which everyone believes he did. The movie isn't your standard revenge film where something is done to a guy, so he seeks revenge and that's all there really is. This has much more depth than the standard revenge film has. The movie is violent and bloody, but not nearly as disgusting as I was led to believe. The violence isn't overdone, in my opinion. In fact, I kind of expected more. It's also not only done for pure shock value or to just gross out the audience. Everything works together to get the movie where Park wants to take it and maybe everyone doesn't enjoy watching what he's showing, but he's going to show it nonetheless.
Conner R

I liked Oldboy's main concept and original visual style, but ultimately it just didn't have the effect on me that it has on so many others. From the beginning it felt a lot like Brian De Palma's Obsession and as the movie progressed it just became more and more similar.… More
I liked Oldboy's main concept and original visual style, but ultimately it just didn't have the effect on me that it has on so many others. From the beginning it felt a lot like Brian De Palma's Obsession and as the movie progressed it just became more and more similar. Take away the violence and it's essentially the same idea. Now it's not so directly similar that it's call it a rip-off, but the entire ending is completely ruined when you can see it coming a mile away. Like most people would agree, it's hard not to address the completely bizarre elements here. The goofy characters and execution is so out of the ordinary that sometimes this feels like the inner mind of an insane person. Maybe i'm just not a fan of the style and/or storytelling. I can appreciate the movie and I realize the huge fanbase it has, but I just don't see why it's so undeniably great and perfect. To me, it was nothing all that new and a lot of the time it just seemed to be trying to hard to be strange and push the limit of social taboos. Maybe if the ending was as much of a surprise to me as others, I would appreciate it more. However, it just seemed so obvious to me about what was going to happen. In fact, I would've been surprised if it didn't end the way it did.
xGary X

Daesu Oh is a drunk and a philanderer, but otherwise a fairly typical husband and father. That is until one day he is kidnapped and imprisoned in a cell for 15 years with only a TV set for company and no word of explanation. One day he wakes up on the outside with only a wallet and a… More
Daesu Oh is a drunk and a philanderer, but otherwise a fairly typical husband and father. That is until one day he is kidnapped and imprisoned in a cell for 15 years with only a TV set for company and no word of explanation. One day he wakes up on the outside with only a wallet and a phone, and he sets out on a single-minded quest to find out why he was imprisoned and extract bloody vengeance on those responsible. The second part of the Vengeance Trilogy by Chan-wook Park, Oldboy is a bizarre and brilliant film. It constantly wrong foots you and messes with your perceptions, and contains the kind of revelation that makes the kind of so-called plot "twists" of most films look gimmicky and inane. This is the kind of film that blows you away and makes you realise you've been watching the WHOLE THING from the wrong standpoint. As for Min-sik Choi's performance, astonishing is the only word for it...the way such intense emotions and motivations are constantly shifting without ever feeling contrived or forced is just spellbinding. It combines art and extreme violence in a way that reminded me of A Clockwork Orange, but BETTER. It's also stylistically on the same level as Fight Club and is absolutely riveting from beginning to end. A totally flawless modern masterpiece.
Coxxie M

i think i've seen three asian films this year and two of them involve a man cutting off his own tongue. i was thinking of seeing some Takashi Miike or John Woo or something but fuck, i should leave my mushroom and ham pizza alone while im watching i guess.
Ariuza k

Old Boy is one of my favourite films. As far as I can see, no amount of superlatives could explain quite how much I love it. After my first viewing, (all on my lonesome) I realised I probably hadn't blinked during its entirety and I could quite possibly have been burgled during… More
Old Boy is one of my favourite films. As far as I can see, no amount of superlatives could explain quite how much I love it. After my first viewing, (all on my lonesome) I realised I probably hadn't blinked during its entirety and I could quite possibly have been burgled during its course and been none the wiser, such was the extent to which I found it totally and utterly engrossing. Obviously a review consisting of very little other than me spewing praise would be a fairly dull read which was why I never bothered to review Old Boy until after my second viewing, with my Po'. My father being the eternal sceptic that he is turned out to be an extremely worthy person to watch the film with, and his response to it opened my eyes a little as to why I love it that much. The plot itself is as follows. The protagonist Oh Dae-Su is one day captured and finds himself locked up in a makeshift prison. After a brief spell of anger and spewing hatred for his captors, he resigns himself to his fate, and after 15 years of shadow boxing and suicide attempts he wakes up from a gas induced coma on top of a tower block where he was initially seized. He then proceeds to try and find out who did this and why, and the film basically charts this quest. The first word that springs to mind when thinking about this film has to be graphic. There are certain scenes which will make those of nervous disposition recoil until they are firmly wedged between the back and seat of their sofa, and they are likely to spend much of the film there as violence is frequent. In most of the extreme cases it is simply the implication of violence and the viewer's imagination when left to its own devices like this will cause its own disgust. This hurdle was a huge thing problem for my dad, who considered some of the violence to be gratuitous, which I can somewhat agree with, although certain scenes are completely integral to the plot. The best way I can justify these scenes is simple. It is all about sending a message, and these do just that. If you can cope with this then you will break down the initial barrier the film leaves lying in the way of your enjoyment. Many of the themes you will pick up on and the method of direction is very synonymous with Quentin Tarantino. There are devices used in this film which have obviously taken inspiration from Tarantino's works, in particular the Pulp Fiction- esquire use of camera angles, and the famous dotted line sequence. However, Tarantino is himself a huge fan of Old Boy, being its main advocate to win the 2003 Palme d'Or (where it eventually lost out to Fahrenheit 9/11) and has stated Park Chan-Wook as an influence for his directing style on the Kill Bill series, as well as on his later grindhouse works Death Proof and Planet Terror. Chan-Wook takes on a policy of "trust the director", and leaves many questions throughout the film which gives it a somewhat disorientating feel at times. This method of directing can seem quite inaccessible, however all loose ends are tied up very satisfactorily in the enthralling and shocking climax. This is an ending to rival the classic Kaiser Sozé twist in the tail of The Usual Suspects. What really separated and elevates Chan-Wook's work above and beyond Tarantino's however is very simple. Much of Tarantino's work is undertaken as an exercise in direction and film making, and therefore his work can therefore feel shallow. Old Boy however is a film which assesses the deepest corners of the human heart. The middle of three films which make up Chan-Wook's Vengeance Trilogy it is undoubtedly the masterpiece, with a more powerful message than Lady Vengeance and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. This film has power because of the depths to which it explores the flaws and forces the human heart possesses, stronger and more destructive than any wisdom can overcome. The performances of the main cast and most importantly the director to send this message to the viewer leave this film as about as close to perfection as I can see any film getting.
Randy T

I had heard that Oldboy was violent and gory. I suppose that is true, but it's relative to your point of reference. Yes it has violence, but most of it is so over-the-top that it is actually comic. Yes it has gore but, much like Hitchcock's… More
I had heard that Oldboy was violent and gory. I suppose that is true, but it's relative to your point of reference. Yes it has violence, but most of it is so over-the-top that it is actually comic. Yes it has gore but, much like Hitchcock's Psycho, good editing tricks you into 'seeing' more than you actually do. Plus, like I've said many times before, I don't mind a little blood and guts if it advances the story and isn't just for shock value. This is smart horror done right. A well written, fantastically constructed film that, no doubt, is destined to be poorly imitated by some profit-driven Hollywood studio in the very near future.
Thomas B

Disturbing, twisted, violent, beautiful, haunting. And you thought Kick-Ass was a dark comic book movie. Full review later.
Aditya G

Based on a Japanese 'manga', 'Oldboy', this South Korean shock-thriller of the same name is one of the most powerful stories of vengeance I have ever come across. Oh Dae-Su mysteriously disappears one night from a phone booth as he speaks to his family, inspite… More
Based on a Japanese 'manga', 'Oldboy', this South Korean shock-thriller of the same name is one of the most powerful stories of vengeance I have ever come across. Oh Dae-Su mysteriously disappears one night from a phone booth as he speaks to his family, inspite of his friend Joo-Hwan being with him when the incident occurs. Dae-Su finds himself in confinement in a room. Dae-Su is not given any explanation as to why he is locked up, no one ever speaks to him. They only keep feeding him with fried dumplings which are given to him through a narrow opening in the locked door. All he has for company is a television set! Little does he know what's in store for him, when one day, he is suddenly set free by his captors, after a whole 15 years, again without any explanation. He is slowly presented with clues which lead him to his kidnapper, who does reveal himself, but does not provide any explanation as to why he did what he did to Dae-Su. The kidnapper then goes on to present Dae-Su with the challenge of finding out why Dae-Su was imprisoned. He threatens him and states that he has to do this task of unraveling the mystery in just five days. What follows next is Dae-Su's quest for discovering the shocking truth and the kidnapper's motives forms the major crux of this shattering story in all of the second half. This is not your ordinary, run of the mill Asian action movie. Although it may seem to be so in the first half; as the mystery begins to unravel, you realize that this is something totally out of the box, extraordinary and unique! The complete package comes as a brutal, disturbing but gripping tale of revenge that is bound to haunt you for a long long time after the movie ends. Min-sik Choi delivers an outsanding performance as Oh Dae-Su; Yu Ji-Tae as the antagonist, Woo-jin does a great job as well. Chung-hoon Chung's cinematography is brilliant, so is the editing by Sang-Beom Kim. The original music by Hyun-jung Shim is mesmerizing to say the least! Chan-wook Park is already an acclaimed director and he does a brilliant job of directing this film and packs the kind of punch that is required for this kind of story. This movie is certainly not for the squeamish or the faint of heart. But if you do have the stomach for some no-holds-barred violence, then go rent it or own it! It is an intense experience, not to be missed! 9/10.
Spencer S

I watched the first half in Korean with subtitles, and the seond half in dubbed English, so I have mixed emotions. Overall, this film changed my entire persona. I felt things unreal and unsettling, which has not happened with a viewing in some time. I can't say that I knew what… More
I watched the first half in Korean with subtitles, and the seond half in dubbed English, so I have mixed emotions. Overall, this film changed my entire persona. I felt things unreal and unsettling, which has not happened with a viewing in some time. I can't say that I knew what was going to happen next, or what the plot was always trying to convey, or who the characters really were under their strange shells. Yet, this is just one of those films that grabs you, shakes you, and plants you back to Earth.
Aaron N

Dae-su Oh: Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone. I guess flixster messed up and erased everyone's Oldboy reviews, so here it is again... Dae-su Oh: If they had told me it was going to be fifteen years, would it have been easier to endure? The… More
Dae-su Oh: Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone. I guess flixster messed up and erased everyone's Oldboy reviews, so here it is again... Dae-su Oh: If they had told me it was going to be fifteen years, would it have been easier to endure? The second part of Chan-Wook Park's vengeance trilogy, this film centers on Oh Dae-su, played by Min-sik Choi. We are first introduced to him as a man in a police station, drunk, and babbling. Probably not a bad guy, but in some trouble. After being bailed out by his friend, Oh Dae-su is suddenly kidnapped and put in a prison designed to look like a cheap motel room. Od Dae-su is forced to stay in this room for 15 years. During that time he learns that his wife has been murdered, and his daughter has been given to a family in Europe. Oh Dae-su goes understandably a little crazy during his time spent in this room, learning how to fight through shadow boxing, dying to get revenge if he is ever released. Woo-jin Lee: Remember this: "Be it a rock or a grain of sand, in water they sink as the same." Once Oh Dae-su is released, he has plans for revenge, but the games is not over for him, as his capture soon meets up with him, and gives him 5 days to find out the real reason why he was imprisoned. This leads to the reveal of questionable pasts and the truth of certain matters. Dae-su Oh: Even though I'm no more than a monster - don't I, too, have the right to live? This film is impeccably made. Skillfully crafted. Wonderfully acted. Beautifully scored. And has an awesome story. Park's direction is wonderful. The film is not paced slow per se, but the plot is revealed over time. The visual style is completely fitting and works well with set ups for each character. And the score is wonderfully appropriate and classy. Dae-su Oh: Revenge is good for your health, but pain will find you again. Min-sik Choi as Oh Dae-su is amazing. He completely embodies this character, giving it his all to create a tour de force performance. Then you have some of the stunning and memorable scenes. One involving a live octopus and the other involving a single take of an excellently executed fight scene. The story is also very layered, making it perfect for repeated viewings, and giving the viewer multiple ways to interpret things. Dae-su Oh: Can the imaginary training of fifteen years be put to use? Dae-su Oh: [Dae-su beats up his assailants] Yes. It can. It also helps that there is a sweet cool vibe running throughout this wonderful story that combines a Hitchcock setup, sweet visuals, and some unruly violence to make an awesome film overall. Dae-su Oh: [after a very messy beating] Anyone here with an AB blood type, raise your hand.
Leigh R

I felt as if the film needed to watched while on mind-altering drugs. I may have enjoyed it a bit more. It wasn't bad to watch, but just a little out there for me. It was alright with an interesting story.
Anthony L

The second film in Chan-wook Park's vengeance trilogy is an explosive one. There are so many layers to pull back in this one that you'd be excused if you feel a little dizzy before the end. Hollywood wishes it was this good, so they will remake it and pass it off as their… More
The second film in Chan-wook Park's vengeance trilogy is an explosive one. There are so many layers to pull back in this one that you'd be excused if you feel a little dizzy before the end. Hollywood wishes it was this good, so they will remake it and pass it off as their idea no doubt!
Dean !

A good Korean film, if quite odd at times. However it is a great tale of revenge with some surprising twists. Well worth checking out.
Lorenzo v

"15 years of imprisonment, five days of vengeance" After being kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in 5 days. <center>"15 years of imprisonment, five days of vengeance" After being kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in 5 days. <center>REVIEW</center> I thought this was one of the best films I have ever seen, a remarkably imagined and executed tour de force where every scene is a masterpiece. Acting from all three leads was not just good, but tremendous and the direction is unbelievable - visceral, imaginative, original, energetic, and yet sensitive and touching. Special mention has to go to the score - which is one of the best I have ever heard. This was a movie that was very, very exciting, but even more so, very, very moving. I have yet to see a movie that explores the pointlessness of revenge and the burden of memories and the past so thoughtfully. Personally I enjoyed Kill Bill but whereas that was great, if shallow, fun, this is something else entirely. It is a stunning movie that succeeds both as an action thriller and as a powerful, affecting tragedy. It is not an easy film to watch besides the frequently brutal violence, it reaches climaxes of extreme emotional intensity. However it established Chanwook Park as a major talent in world cinema.
Jason S

The movie starts strong but as it goes on it weakens until the so so ending that just didn't do it for me. I loved the way the movie was put together. Editing and cinematography worked well. I can see why this movie gets such high praise but I don't think it lived up to the… More
The movie starts strong but as it goes on it weakens until the so so ending that just didn't do it for me. I loved the way the movie was put together. Editing and cinematography worked well. I can see why this movie gets such high praise but I don't think it lived up to the hype. The main character was great through most of the movie but dropped badly at the end. The breakdown was mostly silly and didn't have an emotional effect on me. Other than that the mystery surrounding his imprisonment was well drawn out but the conclusion was lacking.
Jennifer D

Not something I can watch every day... or even every year, but something that permanently scars you... for the better, I swear.
Josh L

The twist was a disappointment for me after such a build up. It's also a sick and twisted movie that is still entertaining until I started shaking my head in disbelief that they could go in such an awful direction.
Jennifer X

I liked this WAY MORE than I thought I would. You can tell this was so influenced by Tarantino and Rodriguez and the like - it's that kind of neo-noir Asian revenge flick similarly popularized by Battle Royale. Gory not only moves the story along but also you learn to take pride… More
I liked this WAY MORE than I thought I would. You can tell this was so influenced by Tarantino and Rodriguez and the like - it's that kind of neo-noir Asian revenge flick similarly popularized by Battle Royale. Gory not only moves the story along but also you learn to take pride in all the gory's glory.
familiar s

An excellent vengeance movie which would have been much better had they preferred to skip that hypnotism stuff.