Oldboy (KR)
| release date | August 23 2005 |
| studio | Tartan Films |
| director | Park Chan-Wook |
| writer | Park Chan-Wook |
| starring | Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong Kang |
| rating | R |
| tagline | End of confrontation, one must die. |
| site | oldboy.tartanfilmsusa.com |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
14 Comments
when i first got this movie with some birthday money i had and me and two other friends first watched this movie we all were blown away. this is the movie that got me hooked on asian cinema and foriegn films. if you like movies that turn your stomach and wrench your heart this is it. Oldboy is the best out of the vengeance trilogy.
i didn’t like it very much.
This movie is sheer brilliance. I think I’m gonna cry when the american directors destroy it in 2011.
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Definitely worth watching but only once. Not one of my favorites
It’s a great movie that you definitely should watch once. The fight scenes are brilliant and funny and the story is sophisticated…good one
Let me get this out of the way before I trash this film: I love Park Chan-Wook’s work as a director. While I disagree with the masses saying he’s is the best director working in our time, I can’t deny that he understands how to use a camera very effectively. I really liked one of his other films, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. Also, Min-sik Choi’s acting was the only thing that allowed me to take this film seriously . . . for 1/5 of the runtime, that is.
Now the bad:
The plot is simply the oldest cliché used in cinema/literature. I’ll never understand how critics can trash a Hollywood blockbuster for being cliché, then hail movies like Oldboy which are just as unoriginal and clichéd if not even more so. Regardless, Oldboy is flat-out one of the most generic, unoriginal movies ever conceived. *Spoilers* Man is held captive, man seeks revenge, man finds out he had sex with a family member, man’s life is over. *End spoilers* Simply put, this plotline has been used in everything from Greek plays to modern melodramatic soap operas and countless movies/books in between. It is so melodramatic and unoriginal when the major reveal happens, I laughed out loud. Does that mean I’m a desensitized freak without emotions as some reviews of this film say about people like me? No. What it means overdone plots make people laugh. The Scary Movie franchise proved that, and Oldboy proved it as well. Why can’t people think of something that is truly disturbing instead of just spewing out tried clichés masked with fancy camerawork and classical music?
That brings up the issue of blood/gore. Simply put, it isn’t there. The director is too timid to even point the camera at the screen when something “gory” happens, as if we’re watching a children’s movie or something. Maybe we were. Anyway, I’ve heard Oldboy called the “most brutal movie of all time” and “the most disturbing movie ever” but when I watched it I failed to see ANYTHING even remotely gory or disturbing. All the “gore” is off-screen, and even then the violence level is nothing you haven’t seen in PG-13 movies like The Dark Knight or Casino Royale before. Why this even got an R-rating confuses me, much less “the most brutal movie of all time”. Seriously, I’ve seen movies that just make Oldboy look cute on every level when it comes to violence/gore.
The other huge glaring, cheesy flaw is the main villain. The majority of his screen time he’s showing his bare butt off for the audience in comedic American Pie-style, but I’m supposed to think he’s oh-so-evil? When he’s wearing clothes, his hair is slicked back like a bad Asian mix of the cheesiest James Bond villain mixed with something out of Austin Powers. He talks like a brain-dead teenager recovering from an acid overdose, and his dialogue is so bad it had me laughing yet again. Seriously, Oldboy had me laughing more than any comedy this year . . .
In the end, Oldboy is for those of you who sip fine wine, have no sense of humor, and talk about how boring your lives are at dinner parties. It’s for those people who are so stuck up in their own ego they forgot how unoriginal they are, and consequently forgot how unoriginal and boring the “films” (never “movies”) they enjoy are.
To those people all I can say is this: I like “films” and also like “movies”. I like thoughtful dramas that actually say something about the human condition, and I also like pointless action movies that thrill me into a coma. But the thing is, for me to like both “films” and “movies”, they have to be original. They have to be something I haven’t seen so many times I lost count of the number of times the plot has been used. When something isn’t original, it’s expendable. If it does exactly what everyone else does, it’s forgettable and boring. Before you give Oldboy yet another perfect rating because it “touched” you, maybe you should think about something: wouldn’t a movie equally as touching, but at the same time original make you think more?
I just wish someone other than me would understand this.
Overall: Oldboy is forgettable and cheesy.
jacque is a dummy. i don’t think he saw the same movie i did. i saw oldboy once, three years ago and i still remember it vividly. i love the action sequences and the humor. i highly recomend it
Jacques probably had sex with one of his relatives on accident and this movie hit a certain nerve with him.
Oldboy is an amazing movie that I hold high above any greek play or modern melodrama and is one of my favorite modern ‘films’ to come out overseas in quite some time.
Jacques probably had sex with one of his relatives on accident and this movie hit a certain nerve with him.
Oldboy is an amazing movie that I hold high above any greek play or modern melodrama and is one of my favorite modern ‘films’ to come out overseas in quite some time.
The first time that I watched this movie I was amazed and I still am to this day at how Epic it is. Although, I heard that there was a Manga series that this film is based on and I thought, “COOL!” because I’m into that kinda thing. I expected relevance and I delved into the 8-part series with no review or insight on it. A thought now is that the film butchered the concept it’s like the first volume was the only thing that was read. It’s a disappointment to the manga but if you’re evaluating the film and the film alone then it’s pretty remarkable but don’t bother comparing it to the manga series.
fuck the haters!!! this is a brilliant film. I bought the three disk version and I have the other two movies in the vengence trilogy. do yourself a favor and get a copy and give it a look, you wont be sorry.
im asianed out. but this was great. good revenge story. i found myself really caring about the main character. the ending is one of the most shocking ones youll ever witness. outstanding.
i like this movie alot bit it isn’t as good as the other vengeance movies
I’ll have to agree with most everyone else who’s posted on Oldboy that this film is a grand piece of work. Indeed, it is heartfelt and genuine, as well as incredibly acted by our three main performers. Unfortunately for a gore hound like me, this has not met the expectation everyone else had set for me. This is definately something I do not regret seeing as the cinematography and direction where beautifully done. But please, don’t believe the hype that this film is overly disturbing or gruesome… this is just a falsity.
I LOVED this movie, and I HATE asain films. Anyone who could watch audition and oldboy and claim that audition is anywhere close is full of shit. In my opinion this movie shouldn’t be reviewed on this sight because its not really (nor does it try to be) a horror movie. Wonderfully directed and acted this is a classic. Please Spielberg and The Fresh Prince don’t touch this one.
I really like the movie and the seens with him going after the people was great….the plot was great…..it had the sickest twist his own daughter man that is so fucked up….its worth seeing.
Great Movie…..
Definitely my favorite of the vengeance trilogy. Actually lived up to the hype. The ending will stay with you.
This is the sort of movie that you don’t to be hyped up. That being said, writing a review is essentially impossible cause I don’t want to higher anyone’s expectations beyond what they’ll ultimately experience.
If you watch this movie simply cause you’re a fan of Korean cinema, or thrillers in general, you’ll have a fucking blast. Guaranteed. But if you let the hype get to you, you’ll just come out the other end feeling like you just saw any other “good” movie.
That being said, I love this movie. One of my favorites. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
superior storytelling skills this director has.
good movie,good twist,but a bit to sloow.
well it was a unique movie but i thought the twist was stupid. but it still was a cool movie besides that.
Once again the best ideas come from the East and Europe.
I consider myself quite a big fan of Park Chan Wook movies, but I still preferr this one over all the others.
Catching, surprising, confusing before getting real clear.
In a word: AMAZING
Go watch this now.
If you don’t own this movie GET IT ASAP!
Great revenge movie! Great storytelling.
This is a really fantastic film don’t get me wrong but it really isn’t as amazing as people make out it to be. The plot is fantastically original and really gripping, you don’t want to miss a single frame because your hooked from the moment it starts. The twist really is sick and twisted, you won’t believe it when it’s revealed. My complaint would be that sometimes it got a bit discombobulating and in the middle of one scene another scene would suddenly appear and you’d think, OH! Where are we now? But watch it, it’s fantastic you won’t regret it! I love having a poo
Oh my God, just wait until the ending.
I couldn’t wait to see this film based on the reviews. I was psyched up and ready for a kickass revenge flick. Boy was I wrong.
This is worse than the worst martial arts revenge movie. Yeah, it’s got style and great visuals but otherwise it’s a mess.
This thing is BORING. Maybe, it’s because I didn’t identify with the main character or something. I just don’t understand the hype.
As for the “twist” ending…I saw it a mile away. Whom else did this character/audience know before he was taken captive? The pay phone call? That’s it. I knew it.
Watch this for yourself, maybe you’ll love it. I thought it stunk!
I won’t completely dog this movie, it does have style to burn just no substance.
I hear Stephen Spielberg is working on a remake with Will Smith. I like Will Smith so maybe I will be able to connect and have some emotional investment in the main character. This would have been a good role for Tom Hanks or Harrison Ford about twenty years ago.
Jesus, this movie is fucking twisted. Well written, well acted, and well shot. The ending had me hitting my own forehead and releasing a sound probably similar to Homer Simpson’s “Doh!”.
Oldboy – ***** (Chan-wook Park is the craziest director ever everyone needs to see this masterpeice of a movie. This is why I watch movies. This movie right here. So freaken wild. A revenge story with heart. Its beautiful and freaken creepy, violent and bloody disgusting at the same time. A motherfucker eats a live squid and its still moving as he devours it.Their is so real dark lauphs in this film nothing is taboo. People pulling out others teeth and cutting out tounges I think its safe to say this film is in bad taste.)
The best revenge movie of all time. Defenitely in my top 5 favorite movies.
(Y)
Very disturbing movie with a brilliant plot. But for some reason I just didn’t enjoy it as much as most reviewers. I thought there were a couple of holes that should have been taken car of. But overall a very good movie.
I LOVE AGOOD REVEGE MOVIE, but much has been said about this movie so I won’t try too hard, The gore is minimal and almost non-existant as for the plot…..
*SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS*
…..MONTE CRISTO in a love affair with OEDIPUS REX, I love a tragic story with a Tragic character and I love it to death, the ending does have let downs with the “hope” of love but it is required to finish it correctly.
great
I liked this movie quite a bit. I am not a HUGE fan of Eastern Horror “films” (read the post way the heck down there by Jacques to get the joke) because they thoroughly confuse me and USUALLY leave me hanging at the end. Not this one. I was scratching my head through most of it, but finally at the end it all came together, which was quite satisfying, even if the satisfaction came along with an eew factor. A lot of people here are mentioning the lack of gore. I don’t need gore to be scared, I don’t need gore to enjoy a movie. I was actually quite glad they panned away for the teeth scene, cuz really, that just makes me wanna hurl. That’s not scary, it doesn’t make me think, it’s just gross. I thought the acting was very good. (Even if sometimes I couldn’t tell who was who, Asians tend to all look the same to me)I loved that it had a “happy” ending.
All in all, I was quite pleased. If you like to think, if you’re not a prude, and if you can handle not seeing entrails for a whole 2 hours, then I would highly suggest this movie.
`Oldboy’ is a 2003/2004 South Korean/Asia film directed by Park Chan-wook, which the movie follows the story of one Oh Dae-Su, who is locked in a hotel room for 15 years without knowing his captor’s motives. When he is finally released, Dae Su finds himself still trapped in a web of conspiracy and violence. His own quest for vengeance becomes tied in with romance when he falls for an attractive sushi chef. The Movie brought strange smartness, Intense and dark theme/elements but also humorous formats in the film which I love in movie like that & Park Chan-wook make it work on so many level & element of theme in the film which I find him to be the best director of Asia Films (ever).
There was very much showing on torcher & vengeance of revenge of getting his 15 years of life back or killing the people responable for his mis-life, while the acting is brilliant, the storyline/plot is great with great & very sick twist at the end of the movie & one hell of a prefect directions of the movie as Park Chan-wook capture everything & made it for what it is a beautiful, violent, magnificent, somewhat poetic, serious tone, first-classed us a revolting and a smash dunk of a powerful/disgusting tale of revenge. The Movie to me is soo close a masterpiece but I find it to be classic as am not share what missing but there something, while the movie has such depth on torcher & violent it’s such a fanatics Asia movie (also love that they use there langue in the movie) and the ending is peaceful for the characters ending.
What a hell of a revenge ride, and the vengeance theme is merely part of the entire darkness of a very well told story. Good acting, original storytelling, great editing, and a well executed and fitting score. The long-view fight scene is cool, too–just straight-up street survival brawling (no kung fu) with will and determination being the catalyst driving Oh Dae-Su. When the means to the end are finally revealed it is some harsh reality, but that is what makes this a good watch. If you dig “Oldboy”, then maybe put “Dead Man’s Shoes” and “The Horseman” on your checklist…some other good revenge flicks.
This is in my top 3 movies of all time easily. My roommate recommended this one to me so we rented it one night. A little while later, I went out and bought it. This films has the greatest twist of all time. Wish Park Chan-Wook would make every movie. He’s a great director.
i really liked this movie, not as much as sympathy, but alot. i love all of the visuals Park brings to his movies. the lead actor was great in his role. the story overall was written and directed very well. and for once, i didn’t see the end coming. check it out if your looking for something different.
Hard to rate this as it’s got a lot going for it. Well acted, interesting plot, but not quite perfect.
Few films go as in-depth into the concept of revenge as Park Chan-Wook’s “Oldboy” does. There are so many revenge films out there to the point where every one kind of feels run-of-the-mill, even for what it is; but this film just isn’t like those movies. In fact, “Oldboy” is unlikely to feel like any cinematic experience you have ever had. It evokes emotions; both tender and cold-bloodedly dark, out of its audience, and by the end, it has drained us like a sponge.
So in ways, Wook has played his audience like an instrument. Only the best of filmmakers can do this, which makes it all the more surprising that “Oldboy” is as great as it is. Wook is not my favorite filmmaker, but here, he has made such a respectable work of art, that I kind of have to respect him regardless of his many flawed projects. The film lies smack-dab in the middle of Wook’s “revenge trilogy”, and proves that the middle child is often times the most interesting and different.
We first meet the protagonist, Oh Dae Suh, in a drunken rage; in the hands of the police, frequently thrashing around, and thinking only of getting out. We learn that it is his daughter’s birthday, he has bought her a present, and that his loyal friend is soon going to get him out. And on that night, he stops by, and brings Oh Dae Suh with him. However, his friend turns his back on Oh Dae Suh for one moment, and when he turns to speak to him, our hero is nowhere to be found.
He has been kidnapped, which becomes the basis for most of the film. For fifteen years, Oh Dae Suh is imprisoned, gassed, fed, and kept alive by faces that he cannot see. However, Oh Dae Suh’s tale of survival in this claustrophobic setting, a room with view (and a very small room too), is surprisingly powerful and human; perhaps more human than any true story, adapted to film, ever could be.
Oh Dae Suh is released when a hypnotist visits him one day and works her magic on him. He is suspected of murdering his wife, although due to his physical alteration over the years, he does not expect that anyone will notice him. He goes out and starts a new life in the city, beginning with his first meal; a live octopus (which was indeed harmed in the making of this film, mind you). It is during this meal, or more accurately, before it, that Oh Dae Suh meets Mi-Do; a kindly woman who takes him in after he faints in her restaurant.
Oh Dae Suh was given a cellphone and some money upon returning to the world outside his prison. He uses the cellphone to communicate with friends, and more importantly, the film’s villain; his captor for those fifteen long years. The villain is cocky but cunning; allowing Oh Dae Suh to meet him in person, but still leaving the man with secrets to uncover and answers to find. When you have a villain such as that on your hands; that’s good writing.
What happens beyond that point I shall not say. I do not wish to spoil this film, or the experience that it offers, because it is a good enough film for you to want to ponder watching it soon. Mind you, it is a violent and often times graphic film; not for the faint of heart, but not without purpose either. Meaning is given through symbolism, complexity, and emotional resonance that is neither sappy nor forceful. This film is as much of a drama as it is a story of revenge served cold. This I admire, although then again, it is but one of the many things I love about “Oldboy”.
Choi Min-Sik is Oh Dae Suh. He owns the role, and he also tends to live it. His performance is compelling, powerful, and unforgettable. Such is “Oldboy”. The film is well-acted and exceptionally well-directed by Mr. Wook, who knows his material and creates one of the best films I shall ever see. The film is not powerful because it is violent. It is powerful because it is, well, dramatic.
The ending leaves us to decide on our own where the story shall go from there. There is a twist at the end that, if you have not seen the film, will be hard to predict or spot. Prepare to stand- or sit- there in awe; “Oldboy” is an outstanding example of modern foreign filmmaking from Korea; a country that makes some really, damn good movies. “Oldboy” is one of their best offerings; as well as one of the best offerings, in cinema, from anywhere in the world, really. You should not miss it; you should not shun it; and you should know that, while the ride is bumpy, it’s still worth enduring. If you can analyze and interpret the quote, “Laugh, and the world laughs with you. Weep, and you weep alone”, then “Oldboy” is a movie that you may understand equally as well.
Great little revenge flick, check it out.
Very intresting revenge flick.
Hobo Approved(TM)
It started out really well, and just got worse and worse. The fighting was great, but the more I watched it the more it wasn’t as impressive. The ending is shocking, but in a not-fun-but-rather-too-disturbing way. It deserves a big “meh”.
And yet another adaptation, but thankfully Oldboy pushes the boundaries of what is there for us to see. Obviously the best in the trilogy from a overall stand point, though depending on the exact sub-genre you like it may not be your favorite. Starring Min-Sik Choi who does not get as much credit as he deserves he always turns in brilliant performances and if it was not for him spending so much time fighting with the film industry we could see more works with him in it. Park Chan-wook’s directing is quite good however it is not quite as good as it could have been. In fact the two things that truly make oldboy is the cinematography as well as story itself and that is where Park Chan-Wook actually shines not as the directed but as the writer. Parks writing is amazing he keeps his pacing tight and his characters believable even when the situations are not and that is what makes oldboy a completely outlandish premise that people do seem to care about as the characters and story itself keep you wanting to believe.