X
- 2005
- R
- Neon
- 2 h
- 2005
- R
- Neon
- 2 h
Summary Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) is an ordinary Seoul businessman with a wife and little daughter who, after a drunken night on the town, is locked up in a strange, private "prison." No one will tell him why he's there or who his jailer is. The imprisonment last for 15 years until one day when Dae-su finds himself unexpectedly deposited on a gra...
Directed By: Park Chan-wook
- 2005
- R
- Neon
- 2 h
- 2005
- R
- Neon
- 2 h
Oldboy
78
8.4
Summary Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) is an ordinary Seoul businessman with a wife and little daughter who, after a drunken night on the town, is locked up in a strange, private "prison." No one will tell him why he's there or who his jailer is. The imprisonment last for 15 years until one day when Dae-su finds himself unexpectedly deposited on a gra...
Directed By: Park Chan-wook
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 33 Critic Reviews
78
82% Positive
27 Reviews
27 Reviews
15% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 33 Critic Reviews
78
82% Positive
27 Reviews
27 Reviews
15% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
It's a movie that you feel you're not so much watching on screen as having beamed directly into your skull from some malign, alien planet of horror.
This hunt for revenge is really a quest for self-discovery. The story, acting and brilliant directing elevate Oldboy into a human struggle to know yourself and your place in the universe, and to live with that sometimes terrible knowledge.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 612 User Ratings
8.4
88% Positive
541 Ratings
541 Ratings
5% Mixed
29 Ratings
29 Ratings
7% Negative
42 Ratings
42 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 612 User Ratings
8.4
88% Positive
541 Ratings
541 Ratings
5% Mixed
29 Ratings
29 Ratings
7% Negative
42 Ratings
42 Ratings
I could say that Shiri, Nowhere to Hide and The Island were my entry into South Korean cinema. But Old Boy was the film that undoubtedly opened my eyes and convinced me that something very big was brewing in that country in terms of cinematographic quality.
I remember leaving the cinema in Granada and thinking that I had never seen anything as visceral and authentic. Pure, violent cinema, very close to its characters and with a captivating artistic finish.
Old Boy is an unforgettable experience and a milestone in the history of recent cinema.
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As always with Park Chanwook, you just hold on and let him rip.
Obviously, this sort of taboo-flouting imagery isn't for everyone, but Park's vision is all of a piece.
This nightmarish revenge drama from Korea is grueling, intense, cruel -- the very definition of extreme cinema.
Oldboy has the fatal air of wanting so desperately to be a cult movie that it forgets to present itself as a coherent one.
Put simply, in my humble opinion, Oldboy sucks.
Imagine being locked in a tiny cell for 15 years, no clue why. That's Dae-su, this dude who explodes with rage when he finally breaks free. He's on a mission of vengeance so brutal, it's like watching a tiger hunt with a hammer. The fight scenes are insane, a whirlwind of fists and fury that will make your jaw clench.
But Oldboy ain't just about punches. It's a twisted mystery, each layer peeling back a crazier truth than the last. You'll be gasping, yelling at the screen, questioning everything you thought you knew. Just when you think you've figured it out, BAM! The rug gets yanked, leaving you dizzy and weirdly...satisfied? Yeah, let's go with weirdly satisfied.
Look, it's dark, violent, and might leave you needing a hug (or a stiff drink). But if you want a movie that punches your mind, kicks your emotions, and leaves you changed, Oldboy is your shot. It's a cinematic gut punch, a mind-bender you won't forget.
Five stars? Nah, Oldboy deserves its own galaxy of awesome.
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No me gusta criticar así las películas, pero tengo que decir que 'Oldboy' es una de las películas más raras que he visto nunca. Y es que quería darle una oportunidad al cine coreano y que mejor que con una película de la envergadura de esta. Dicho esto, no me parece mala película dado que esta dirigida y escrita magnificamente, pero para mí es una ida de olla, una fumada, una rayada, llamemoslo como queramos. Es una película que odio después de verla profundamente porque es el típico tipo de película que odio. La doy un 6 porque no puedo suspenderla porque a mí no me guste. Es una buena película por mucho que a mi me pese...
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[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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Production Company
Show East,
Egg Films
Release Date Mar 25, 2005
Duration 2 h
Rating R
Tagline 15 years of imprisonment, five days of vengeance
Website
http://oldboy.film.ru/
Awards
Grand Bell Awards, South Korea
• 5 Wins & 11 Nominations
Korean Association of Film Critics Awards
• 5 Wins & 5 Nominations
Busan Film Critics Association (BCFA)
• 4 Wins & 4 Nominations
