No connection

Oldboy

15 years of imprisonment, five days of vengeance.

2003 · 120 min · Thriller
8.4 Popular
Log in to follow
Thriller Mystery

With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors.

Original title
올드보이
Country of origin
🇰🇷 South Korea
Year
2003
Studio
Show East · Egg Film · Cineclick Asia

Trivia & behind the scenes

/
Origins

Oldboy is a loose adaptation of the Japanese manga Old Boy by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi, and forms the second installment of Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy, between Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance.

Casting

Park Chan-wook's ideal choice for the role of Lee Woo-jin was actor Han Suk-kyu, who had previously played a rival to Choi Min-sik in Shiri and No. 3; it was Choi Min-sik who suggested Yoo Ji-tae instead, even though Park initially felt he was too young for the part.

Casting

Choi Min-sik lost and gained weight for his role depending on the filming schedule, trained for six weeks, and performed most of his own stunts.

Filming

The iconic corridor fight scene was shot as one continuous take with no editing, requiring seventeen takes over three days to perfect; the only digital alteration was the knife stabbed in Oh Dae-su's back, which was computer-generated.

Filming

The script originally called for full male frontal nudity in one scene, but actor Yoo Ji-tae changed his mind after the scenes had already been shot.

Filming

The film's final snowy landscape scene was shot in New Zealand.

Effects

The ant emerging from Dae-su's arm and the ants crawling over him were created with computer-generated imagery, but the live octopus-eating scene was real, using four actual octopuses during filming.

References

Park Chan-wook named the protagonist Oh Dae-su to evoke Oedipus, and designed Lee Woo-jin's extraordinary yoga pose to convey 'the image of Apollo,' referencing the prophecy that revealed Oedipus' fate in Sophocles' Oedipus the King.

Reception

At the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, Oldboy won the Grand Prix and received high praise from jury president Quentin Tarantino, becoming the first Korean film to win such an award at Cannes.

Trivia

Steven Spielberg originally planned to produce an American remake starring Will Smith around 2008 and commissioned screenwriter Mark Protosevich to adapt the script, but he pulled out of the project in 2009; the eventual official remake was directed by Spike Lee in 2013 and became a box office bomb, grossing $5.2 million against a $30 million budget.

Trivia

The 2006 Bollywood film Zinda, directed by Sanjay Gupta, bore such a strong resemblance to Oldboy that it was investigated for copyright violation, though no legal action was ultimately taken.

Memorable quotes

/

I said... I want to eat something alive. [Before eating a live octopus and then faints at sushi bar counter]

Oh Dae-su Demanding to eat something alive at a sushi bar

Remember this: "Be it a rock or a grain of sand, in water they sink as the same."

Woo-jin Lee Cryptic remark about equality in death

How's life in a bigger prison, Dae-su?

Woo-jin Lee Taunting Dae-su about freedom

What I am isn't important. Why is important.

Woo-jin Lee Explaining his motive for revenge

Your tongue got my sister pregnant! It wasn't Woo-jin Lee's dick; it was Dae-su Oh's tongue!

Woo-jin Lee Revealing the truth behind his hatred

I will avenge for my fifteen years... for every tooth I pull out...you will age by one year. [Dae-Su to the man owing the complex where he was imprisoned]

Oh Dae-su Threatening the man who imprisoned him

Erasing my memory and telling me to find the truth was cowardly. I won. So die like you promised.

Oh Dae-su Confronting his captor after finding the truth

If they had told me it was going to be fifteen years, would it have been easier to endure?

Oh Dae-su Reflecting on his 15 years of imprisonment

I have truly become a monster...

Oh Dae-su Realizing what he has become

I'm going to kill every woman you love until you die. You're notorious for not protecting your women.

Woo-jin Lee Threatening Dae-su's loved ones

Your gravest mistake wasn't failing to find the answer. You can't find the right answer if you ask the wrong questions.

Woo-jin Lee Pointing out Dae-su's fatal error

You really are the very monster I created, aren't you? But you won't find out the "why" of this if you kill me. Fifteen years of being curious would go to waste.

Woo-jin Lee Refusing to reveal his reasons before dying

Can fifteen years of imaginary training really be put to use? [Dae-su fights a gang of thugs] Apparently, it can.

Oh Dae-su Fighting off a gang in the hallway

Can fifteen years of imaginary training really be put to use? [Dae-su tries to sexually assault Mi-do and gets clobbered] No. It can't.

Oh Dae-su Failed attempt with Mi-do

And now... now, what joy will I have left to live for?

Woo-jin Lee Facing emptiness after his revenge is complete

Laugh, and the world laughs with you... weep, and you weep alone.

Oh Dae-su Reflecting on loneliness during imprisonment

I thought I'd lived a simple life. But I've sinned too much.

Oh Dae-su Confessing guilt over his past

[The hypnotist quoting a line from his journal] Even though I'm no better than a beast, don't I have the right to live?

Oh Dae-su Quoted from his journal during hypnosis

As I expected, I can't get along with anyone today either.

Oh Dae-su Musing on his troubled relationships

Oh Dae-su talks too much.

Woo-jin Lee Dismissing Dae-su's words

How the community felt

😵 Shocked 75%
😭 Sad 38%
😆 Amused 13%

What people are saying (2)

Log in to share your take.

Sort
T

Torrezno

1 week ago

Review ★ 10

La película es lo suficientemente entretenida -es lo que tiene que el material original sea cojonudo- como para perdonar los estilismos chungos de Samuel L. Jackson y que el actor que hace de villano se llame Sharito. Pero lo que es imperdonable es la dejadez de Spike Lee. Todos los cambios que introduce son para mal y es tan vago que la famosa escena del pasillo te la mete de pegote y se la pela. Al menos le habrá servido para pagarse el abono anual de los Knicks.

Read the review
T

Torrezno ★ 10

1 week ago

Tan irreal como perfecta.

New version available

A Seenr update was just released. Reload to get it.