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OldBoy
2003
A man is inexplicably kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years and his wife is brutally murdered. On his release, he is given a wallet full of money and a mobile phone. A stranger calls and asks him to try and figure out why he was imprisoned. A girl appears and promises to help him solve the enigma and seek revenge for his cruel .. Read more
| Starring | Choi Min-sik, Choi Min-Sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Yoo Ji-Tae |
|---|---|
| Director | Chan-Wook Park, Chan-wook Park |
| Run time | 115 mins |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller, World Cinema |
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Critics' reviews (5)
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Read our exclusive interview with the director and star of Oldboy Tom Charity on the rise and rise of South Korean Filmmaking. The best genre... read more »
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Most helpful member's review
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96 out of 108 people found this review helpful
Blew me away
I heard about this film out of the blue by listening to Mark Kermode talk about it. After that a few other people talked about it and one of the main praises for the film was the fight scenes. They were great but not realistic. Having said that the way it was shot was brillaint and i think the corridor fight scene was done all in one shot, i don't remember their being an edit. But it's the bizarre story that is best of all. The ending was obvious 3/4 of the way through so seemed dragged out when the guy finaly gives his reason for it all. But over all it was great and haven't seen anything like it before. Definatly in the top 3 films of 2004 of what i've seen.
If South Korea has anymore films like that, then i've been missing out and especialy you Tarintino fans. So i suggest you Tarintino lovers watch this film if you want to see gruesome torture. And if you want to know what i'm getting at, a guy having his ear cut off in Reservoir Dogs is soft compared to what happens in the OldBoy. This film is not for everyone. But if you seek originality and like being suprised by how far violence can go then you'll love this film. Not forgetting though that the best part of this film is how it gets the viewer to question if revenge is worth seeking. -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
One of the most gripping movies I have ever seen
Oldboy is one of the most intense movies you will ever see. Breathtaking, brutal and easily one of the best revenge movies ever made. The acting is amazing, especially Choi as the main protagonist Dae-su Oh. All the actors did great but his performance was powerful and emotional (all you need to do is see the infamous squid scene). Chan-wook Park gives this movie a very unique style with his direction. The plot starts off like a fairly standard revenge drama but he slowly makes the movie darker through a series of beautifully shot flashbacks and a huge scene involving nothing but a family photo album.
If you can't handle extremely strong violence, torture, sex and language and can't stand subtitles it's best you stay far away from Oldboy....if you can, though, then watch it! It's an incredible movie with some of the best performances, a moving score and a disturbing but unique plot with twist after twist.
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News and features
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Voters select top foreign film
- 11 May 2007
A poll to find the most popular foreign-language films of all time has put touching drama Cinema Paradiso at number one. The survey conducted by and reported in the Guardian puts the Italian/French movie - which was originally released in 1989 - at the top, being the story of a film director who revisits his hometown and reminisces about a girl he fell in love with as a young man. French romantic comedy Amelie followed in second place, starring The Da Vinci Code actress Audrey Tautou as the... Read more
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