CINEXA

Oldboy

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? Use this page to compare cast context, genre fit (Action, Drama, Mystery), release year 2003, and whether this film matches tonight's mood.

Oldboy poster on CINEXA

Story of Oldboy

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?

Use this page to compare cast context, genre fit (Action, Drama, Mystery), release year 2003, and whether this film matches tonight's mood.

Title facts

  • Type Movie
  • Release year 2003
  • Released 21 Nov 2003
  • Runtime 120 minutes
  • Content rating R
  • IMDb rating IMDb 8.3/10 from 710,562 votes
  • Metascore 78/100
  • Genres Action, Drama, Mystery
  • Languages Korean
  • Countries South Korea

Cast

Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong

Direction and writing

Directed by: Park Chan-wook

Written by: Garon Tsuchiya, Nobuaki Minegishi, Park Chan-wook

Awards and recognition

46 wins & 28 nominations total

Similar movies

Browse the complete title index or return to the movie library.