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Oldboy (2003)

Oldeuboi (original title)
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1:35 | Trailer
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) | 4 more credits »
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Popularity
338 ( 107)
Top Rated Movies #70 | 39 wins & 18 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Min-sik Choi ... Dae-su Oh
Ji-Tae Yoo ... Woo-jin Lee
Hye-jeong Kang ... Mi-do
Dae-han Ji Dae-han Ji ... No Joo-hwan
Dal-su Oh ... Park Cheol-woong
Byeong-ok Kim ... Mr. Han
Seung-shin Lee ... Yoo Hyung-ja (as Seung-Shin Lee)
Jin-Seo Yoon ... Lee Soo-ah
Dae-yeon Lee Dae-yeon Lee ... Beggar
Kwang-rok Oh Kwang-rok Oh ... Suicidal Man
Tae-kyung Oh Tae-kyung Oh ... Young Dae-su
Yeon-Seok Yoo ... Young Woo-Jin (as Ahn Yeon-Seok)
Il-han Oo Il-han Oo ... Young Joo-hwan
Su-hyeon Kim Su-hyeon Kim ... Chief Secretary
Seung-jin Lee Seung-jin Lee
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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? Written by Nick Riganas

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

End of confrontation, one must die. See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence including scenes of torture, sexuality and pervasive language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Russia]

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

21 November 2003 (South Korea) See more »

Also Known As:

Oldboy See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$68,957, 27 March 2005

Gross USA:

$707,481

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,999,673
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The line on the painting of Dae Su's cell reads "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." These are the first lines of Ella Wheeler Wilcox's famous poem, "Solitude". See more »

Goofs

When Lee Woo-jin recalls watching his sister fall from the bridge, there's a cutaway in which his hand is shown with half a pinkie missing, and in the next sequence, his hand is shown with all fingers intact. See more »

Quotes

Woo-jin Lee: What I am isn't important. WHY is important.
See more »

Alternate Versions

Chan Park Wook stated on his solo DVD commentary that there is an edited version of Oldboy for television broadcast. It omits some of the more extreme violence and the love scene between Oh Dae Su and Mido. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Showreel: A Handful of Troggg (2013) See more »

Soundtracks

Winter
from "The Four Seasons"
Written by Antonio Vivaldi
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more »

User Reviews

 
Pass by the "Boo" comments.
6 September 2007 | by tetsuoisleet – See all my reviews

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.


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