Oldboy

2003 Mystery & Suspense

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. more..

Director: Park Chan-wook

Starring: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-Tae, Gang Hye-Jung, Chi Dae-han, Oh Dal-su

Reviews

  • Oldboy is a powerful film not because of what it depicts, but because of the depths of the human heart which it strips bare.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    27 May 2013

  • It's a movie of such jaw-dropping violence, wild improbability and dazzling style it overpowers all resistance.

    Michael Wilmington - The Chicago Tribune

    27 May 2013

  • Park's direction is flawless and Jung Jung-hoon's cinematography is stunning.

    V.A. Musetto - New York Post

    27 May 2013

  • As always with Park Chanwook, you just hold on and let him rip.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    27 May 2013

  • His film is not for the weak of stomach or heart, but it's a stunner all the same.

    Joe Morgenstern - The Wall Street Journal

    27 May 2013

Awards

  • Best DVD Special Edition Release

    Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2007)

     
  • Min-sik Choi

    Asia-Pacific Film Festival (2004)

  • Best Foreign Film

    Austin Film Critics Association (2006)

  • Best Director

    Bangkok International Film Festival (2005)

  • Chan-wook Park

    Bergen International Film Festival (2004)