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Old Boy

Original title: Oldeuboi
  • 2003
  • 16
  • 2h
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
624K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
202
15
Choi Min-sik in Old Boy (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.
Play trailer1:58
6 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.

  • Director
    • Park Chan-wook
  • Writers
    • Garon Tsuchiya
    • Nobuaki Minegishi
    • Park Chan-wook
  • Stars
    • Choi Min-sik
    • Yoo Ji-tae
    • Kang Hye-jeong
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.3/10
    624K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    202
    15
    • Director
      • Park Chan-wook
    • Writers
      • Garon Tsuchiya
      • Nobuaki Minegishi
      • Park Chan-wook
    • Stars
      • Choi Min-sik
      • Yoo Ji-tae
      • Kang Hye-jeong
    • 1.2KUser reviews
    • 315Critic reviews
    • 78Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #73
    • Awards
      • 40 wins & 27 nominations

    Videos6

    Official 'Oldboy' Trailer
    Trailer 1:58
    Watch Official 'Oldboy' Trailer
    Oldboy
    Trailer 1:57
    Watch Oldboy
    Oldboy (2003)
    Trailer 1:35
    Watch Oldboy (2003)
    Director Park Chan-wook on Weaving Violent and Erotic Themes into 'Oldboy'
    Clip 4:33
    Watch Director Park Chan-wook on Weaving Violent and Erotic Themes into 'Oldboy'
    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

    Photos224

    Choi Min-sik and Kang Hye-jeong in Old Boy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik in Old Boy (2003)
    Kang Hye-jeong in Old Boy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, and Kim Byeong-Ok in Old Boy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik in Old Boy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik and Seung-shin Lee in Old Boy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik in Old Boy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik and Kang Hye-jeong in Old Boy (2003)
    Kim Byeong-Ok in Old Boy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik and Kang Hye-jeong in Old Boy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik in Old Boy (2003)
    Choi Min-sik in Old Boy (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
    Ji Dae-han
    • No Joo-hwan
    • (as Dae-han Ji)
    Oh Dal-su
    Oh Dal-su
    • Park Cheol-woong
    • (as Dal-su Oh)
    Seung-shin Lee
    Seung-shin Lee
    • Yoo Hyung-ja
    • (as Seung-Shin Lee)
    Jin-Seo Yoon
    Jin-Seo Yoon
    • Lee Soo-ah
    Oh Tae-kyung
    • Young Dae-su
    • (as Tae-kyung Oh)
    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
    • Director
      • Park Chan-wook
    • Writers
      • Garon Tsuchiya
      • Nobuaki Minegishi
      • Park Chan-wook
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    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
      Despite having been imprisoned and isolated from the outside world for 15 years, Oh Dae-Su is shown to be familiar with the operation of a modern cell phone, something that would have been very rare (and completely different from the flip-top handset Dae-Su has) in South Korea when he was imprisoned in the late 80s. However, Dae-Su watched television for 15 years and it is highly likely that at some point he saw a modern cell phone being used.
    • 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 reviews1.2K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    One step ahead of America
    Oldboy takes a hammer and "batters" its American equivalents, leaving them as pulped as a chewed up squid. Park Chan Wook displays what America misses with his ultra-stylish, ultra-violent thriller. Why watch Ben Affleck fail spectacularly to summon any displayable talent, when Min sik Choi serves up a memorable role as the disturbed, vengeful Dae Su Oh, in the second of the Vengeance trilogy. Park skillfully creates a compelling plot that will have you guessing through the entire film, up until the final shocking revelation. The Cinematography expertly done by Jeong-hun Jeong, who also worked on the follow up to this film, Chinjeolhan geumjassi. Everything about this film is done in style and panache and creates a memorable experience, and has many memorable scenes.

    Many people accuse this film of being "unrealistic". These people forget that this a film, not a documentary. No one complains About Star Wars being unrealistic, and rightly so. Films have a right to stretch out reality, don't forget the reason it does this is to be entertaining.

    Although the film has strong violence of a graphic nature, I advise you to watch it, if only to broaden your perspectives of world and Asian cinema.
    helpful•333
    216
    • ryuakamrvengeance
    • Mar 7, 2007

    Top picks

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    FAQ22

    • How long is Oldboy?Powered by Alexa
    • Is "Oldboy" based on a novel?
    • Is the movie ending the same as in the manga?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 29, 2004 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • South Korea
    • Official site
      • Official site (Russia)
    • Language
      • Korean
    • Also known as
      • Oldboy
    • Filming locations
      • Busan, South Korea
    • Production companies
      • Show East
      • Egg Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,458,200
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $68,957
      • Mar 27, 2005
    • Gross worldwide
      • $17,499,504
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • Dolby Surround 7.1
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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