Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Oldboy

Original title: Oldeuboi
  • 20032003
  • K-16K-16
  • 2h
IMDb RATING
8.4/10
577K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
431
12
Oldboy (2003)
Theatrical Trailer from Tartan Films
Play trailer1:35
3 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionDramaMystery

After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in five days.After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in five days.After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in five days.

IMDb RATING
8.4/10
577K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
431
12
    • Park Chan-wook
  • Writers
    • Garon Tsuchiya(manga)
    • Nobuaki Minegishi(manga)
    • Park Chan-wook(character created by: Oldboy, Vengeance Trilogy)
  • Stars
    • Choi Min-sik
    • Yoo Ji-tae
    • Kang Hye-jeong
    • Park Chan-wook
  • Writers
    • Garon Tsuchiya(manga)
    • Nobuaki Minegishi(manga)
    • Park Chan-wook(character created by: Oldboy, Vengeance Trilogy)
  • Stars
    • Choi Min-sik
    • Yoo Ji-tae
    • Kang Hye-jeong
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.1KUser reviews
    • 341Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #70
    • Awards

    Videos3

    Oldboy (2003)
    Trailer 1:35
    Watch Oldboy (2003)
    The Cast of 'Tigertail' Name Their Favorite Films in Asian Cinema
    Clip 2:56
    Watch The Cast of 'Tigertail' Name Their Favorite Films in Asian Cinema
    IMDbrief: 'Outlaw King' & Most Epic Tracking Shots in Film History
    Clip 3:59
    Watch IMDbrief: 'Outlaw King' & Most Epic Tracking Shots in Film History

    Photos172

    Choi Min-sik and Kang Hye-jeong in Oldboy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik in Oldboy (2003)
    Kang Hye-jeong in Oldboy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, and Kim Byeong-Ok in Oldboy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik in Oldboy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik and Seung-shin Lee in Oldboy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik in Oldboy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik and Kang Hye-jeong in Oldboy (2003)
    Kim Byeong-Ok in Oldboy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik and Kang Hye-jeong in Oldboy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik in Oldboy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik in Oldboy (2003)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Choi Min-sik
    Choi Min-sik
    • Dae-su Oh
    Yoo Ji-tae
    Yoo Ji-tae
    • Woo-jin Lee
    Kang Hye-jeong
    Kang Hye-jeong
    • Mi-do
    Kim Byeong-Ok
    Kim Byeong-Ok
    • Mr. Han
    Dae-han Ji
    • No Joo-hwan
    Dal-su Oh
    Dal-su Oh
    • Park Cheol-woong
    Seung-shin Lee
    Seung-shin Lee
    • Yoo Hyung-ja
    • (as Seung-Shin Lee)
    Jin-Seo Yoon
    Jin-Seo Yoon
    • Lee Soo-ah
    Tae-kyung Oh
    • Young Dae-su
    Yoo Yeon-Seok
    Yoo Yeon-Seok
    • Young Woo-Jin
    • (as Ahn Yeon-Seok)
    Il-han Oo
    • Young Joo-hwan
    Young-hee Lee
    • Clock Store Lady
    Young-ae Kim
    • Elevator Lady
    Mi Mi Lee
    • Dental Nurse
    Jae-Duk Han
    • Night Teacher
    Jung Ae Kwak
    • Nun Teacher
    San Kim
    • Electronics Store Owner
    Chae-soo Jang
    • Woo-jin's Doctor
      • Park Chan-wook
    • Writers
      • Garon Tsuchiya(manga)
      • Nobuaki Minegishi(manga)
      • Park Chan-wook(character created by: Oldboy, Vengeance Trilogy) (screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      (at around 27 mins) Four live octopodes were eaten for the scene with Dae-su in the sushi bar, a scene which provoked some controversy abroad. Eating live octopus in Korea is commonplace although it is usually sliced first. When the film won the Grand Prix at Cannes, the director thanked the octopodes along with the cast and crew.
    • Goofs
      (at around 18 mins) Just before the scene where Dae-su Oh meets the suicidal man at the top of a building, there is a part when he finds out he wears an expensive suit and a watch. When he grabs the man however, the watch is gone.
    • Quotes

      Dae-su Oh: Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.

    • Alternate versions
      Park Chan-wook stated on his solo DVD commentary that there is an edited version for television broadcast. It omits some of the more extreme violence and the love scene between Oh Dae Su and Mi-do.
    • Connections
      Edited into 365 days, also known as a Year (2019)
    • Soundtracks
      Bring My Love
      by Starsailor

    User reviews1.1K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    One of most well-made films I've ever seen
    I decided to check this movie out after Ebert's 4 star rave review, and the cult status this movie has received (and was also intrigued by the sexy-looking Ultimate Edition), so I decided to rent it. I was VERY surprised at how different it was than I expected it to be - I expected a ton of violence and not much in the way of writing or acting. The first time I saw it, I wasn't blown away, just kind of like whatever.

    When I watched it for the second time, however, I really started to notice how well it's made, in addition to liking it more. Every shot is bursting with background detail, a great amount of attention on the production design (the theme of a certain color in a scene was restrained, yet perfectly balanced). The actors really gave it all, especially the 2 male leads who really blew me away. The music is a varied mix of beautiful classical music and some pretty cool techno. The screenplay is brilliant; the characters are developed very well, extremely complex, and the plot is not only ingenious, but the payoff and twists are 1000x better than any Shamaylan movie.

    Simply put, from a technical point of view, it's one of the best movies ever. From a critic's point of view, it is a very well-done movie that goes a little overboard in sex and violence, and is just a little strange.
    helpful•385
    217
    • max8791
    • Apr 21, 2007

    FAQ3

    • Is "Oldboy" based on a novel?
    • Is the movie ending the same as in the manga?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 10, 2004 (Finland)
      • South Korea
      • Official site (Russia)
      • Korean
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Busan, South Korea
    • Production companies
      • Show East
      • Egg Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital
      • Dolby Surround 7.1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Oldboy (2003)
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of Oldboy (2003) in Brazil?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.