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IMDbPro

Oldboy

Original title: Oldeuboi
  • 20032003
  • RR
  • 2h
IMDb RATING
8.4/10
584K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
382
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
584K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
382
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
    • 342Critic 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

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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
      (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
    8/10
    As good and disturbing as expected.
    I read the review for "Oldboy" a few years ago and have since read praise about the movie from IMDb posters. Often times movies with that kind of hype tend to fall short and is a major disappointment. I don't know anything about Korean cinema so I had fairly low expectations. I had expected it to be a simplistic revenge film, shot in bad film stock. Well I have to say that I'm glad I was wrong, and even gladder still that I actually watched this film.

    The basic story is that a man named Oh Dae-Su is kidnapped and held captive for 18 years and then released. He has no idea who or why this is being done to him. While in captivity he readies himself for the day when he gets out and take revenge on those who imprisoned him, and to find out why he was imprisoned. So far it sounds just like any old revenge martial art flick and up to this point it pretty much is, but it's incredibly well crafted. I have to admit I have not paid much attention to Asian martial arts films since Bruce Lee died and maybe I should now. Mainly because this movie doesn't have the jumpy camera work, or bad editing of those old flicks. This movie is a crisply shot as any Scorcese film. That alone elevates this movie to a higher plateau.

    Once he is released, Oh Dae-Su goes on a quest to find what happened to his family and to find the identity of those who had him captured. During the quest for the bad guys, the movie played out like an old fashioned detective movie. The search wasn't rushed and neither was it boring. I suppose the set up made us want to go on this quest with Oh Dae-Su which sounds like Odysseus, and just as Odysseus went on one incredible quest so did Oh Dae-Su.

    It's when he finds the man who had him held captive that the movie truly departs from being an average revenge film to something that is extra ordinary and extraordinarily disturbing. It's at this point that I have to say that the less said the better. It's something totally out of the ordinary and something that I think will repulse some viewers, but at the same time one can't help have sympathy for all the characters even the man who ordered Oh's incarceration.

    The acting in the movie is excellent. I had no idea that Korean cinema has such skillful actors. They all really played their part incredibly well. Min-sik Choi, who played Oh Dae-Su was incredible. He goes through the rigors of being a desperate captive, to being a determined man on a mission. Along the way he runs through the gamut of so much emotion and not once did he hit a false note.

    Overall I have to say that this movie is incredibly well crafted and as good as everybody say, however I find it a little disturbing so I can't give this movie a ten. But don't let my not giving the film a ten scare you away it's a good, enjoyable film.
    helpful•26
    10
    • LeroyBrown-2
    • Feb 3, 2009

    FAQ4

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

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 21, 2003 (South Korea)
      • 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

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