Oldeuboi (2003)

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.

Director:

Chan-wook Park

Writers:

Garon Tsuchiya (story), Nobuaki Minegishi (comic)

Stars:

Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-Tae, Kang Hye-jeong

Top Rated Movies #67 | 40 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Choi Min-sik	...	Dae-su Oh
Yoo Ji-Tae	...	Woo-jin Lee
Kang Hye-jeong	...	Mi-do
Kim Byeong-Ok	...	Mr. Han
Dae-han Ji	...	No Joo-hwan
Dal-su Oh	...	Park Cheol-woong
Seung-shin Lee	...	Yoo Hyung-ja (as Seung-Shin Lee)
Jin-Seo Yoon	...	Lee Soo-ah
Tae-kyung Oh	...	Young Dae-su
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

Storyline

Abducted on a rainy night in 1988, the obnoxious drunk, Oh Dae-Su, much to his surprise, wakes up locked in a windowless and dilapidated hotel room, for an unknown reason. There, his invisible and pitiless captors will feed him, clothe him, and sedate him to avert a desperate suicide--and as his only companion and a window to the world is the TV in his stark cell--the only thing that helps Oh Dae-Su keep going is his daily journal. Then, unexpectedly, after fifteen long years in captivity, the perplexed prisoner is deliberately released, encouraged to track down his tormentor to finally get his retribution. However, who would hate Oh Dae-Su so much he would deny him of a quick and clean death?

---

Plot Keywords:

imprisonment | psychological torture | revenge | brother sister relationship | captive | 

---

Taglines:

End of confrontation, one must die.

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R18

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dae-su Oh bangs his head right after stopping Mi-do from reading his diary. This "head banging" was not a scripted action. However Kang Hye-jeong (Mi-do) kept her cool and continued on with her lines. The director, in an interview, said that he kept and used this supposedly NG scene for its comical and emotional value.

---

Goofs

Oh Dae-Su states that the maxim, "Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler," is from Proverbs 6:4; these numbers are emphasized shortly afterwards. The saying is actually from Proverbs 6:5.

---

Quotes

Dae-su Oh: When the melody turns on, gas comes out. When the gas comes out, I fall asleep. I found out later it's the same Valium gas the Russians used on those Chechen terrorists.

---

Alternate Versions

Prior to the DVD release, some changes to audio were made. The most prominent is the beginning, where the initial music was being extended to the production logos. Those alterations are likely to be undone in the 10th anniversary remaster, as the director Chan-wook Park claimed to "have changed nothing from the original film."

---

Connections

Referenced in Hotel Inferno (2013)

---

Soundtracks

Winter
from "The Four Seasons"
Written by Antonio Vivaldi

User Reviews

Pass by the "Boo" comments.

After going through the comments, i must say i'm impressed how many people out there don't have a slightest clue of beauty or intelligent screenplays. there are so many comments from people that totally disliked the movie. which is plain and simple not possible, if you got an open mind and a open heart (and are not drunk). I would compare it to chocolate. You may find it too sweet and prefer bitter chocolate. or you like white chocolate more. Or you got diabetes and can only sometimes eat one. But people that totally dislike chocolate scare me to death. Same goes for Oldboy, you gotta admit some of the genius art-form it contains. Its everything in there. Its heartwarming , disgusting, intelligent, beautiful and lead with outstanding performance of any actor . You HAVE to like something, cause it wont get much better. Its chocolate. If you disliked the movie so much and on a constant basis, why even bother to write a comment? My guess is you just could not follow the movie at all. which is my only guess actually. well enough rambling.

:::::::::: Bottom Line :::::::::

If you call common sense, and a human heart your own and like "challenging" movies, go and see it NOW.(i recommend the original korean version with subs)I also recommend the pre- and sequel to this movie. (just browse Chan Wook Park) If you think "The Fast and the Furious" is the best movie ever made, please do not even bother to watch Oldboy, and spare others your "brilliant" reviews.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Russia]

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

21 November 2003 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Oldboy

Filming Locations:

Songgye High School, Chinju, Kyongsangnam-Do, South Korea

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$68,957, 27 March 2005

Gross USA:

$707,481

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,002,116

Company Credits

Production Co:

Egg Films, Show East

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1