Oldboy

Orphaned from his past and imprisoned for reasons unclear, Oh Dae Su awakens in a cramped hotel room with no memory of how he arrived there. For fifteen years he endures brutal confinement and mind games, his body and mind pushed to the edge. When a sudden release returns him to the world, he begins piecing together fragments of the mystery, chasing a person or people he believes are responsible for his torment. As clues accumulate, he must decide how far he will go to exact revenge and what price his actions will exact on innocent bystanders. The pursuit becomes a high pressure test of loyalty, rage, and humanity. What begins as a personal vendetta becomes a test of ethics and choices.

Directed by Park Chan-wook, Oldboy stars Choi Min-sik and is an adaptation inspired by a Japanese manga of the same name created by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi. It premiered in 2003 and became a landmark in Korean cinema.

Oldboy swept international attention by winning the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and gathering a slew of festival honors around the world. The film earned praise for its daring storytelling and intense performances.

Oldboy reshaped how audiences talk about revenge and visual style. Its extreme violence, kinetic action, and stark color palette became instantly iconic, prompting parodies and homages while elevating Korean cinema on the world stage. The hallway single take remains a touchstone for action cinema.

Critics praised its boldness and mood, though some found the intensity polarizing. The film raises hard questions about memory, vengeance, and the consequences for both the seeker and those around him, exploring power, guilt, and the toll of a never ending cycle of harm.