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Oldboy
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Plot
One night, Dae-su (Choi) is locked up in a mysterious prison - with no idea why. After 15 torturous years, he's suddenly released and given a mobile phone, a designer suit and a wallet full of cash…
Review
No doubt about it, OldBoy is all about extremity. You want torture? Try getting your head around the idea of being in solitary for 15 years. Violence? Check out the one-take corridor brawl in which psychologically ravaged Dae-su takes on a score of goons... with a claw-hammer.
You want to know how far someone could go to wreak revenge? Well, we advise you to brave South Korean writer-director Park Chan-wook's helter-skelter descent into the dingiest pit of human behaviour, even if at times it is tough going and ludicriously unfeasible.
As Empire viewed a pre-BBFC-scrutinised cut of the movie, the infamous live-octopus-eating scene remained intact; it's doubtful this truly stomach-churning moment will make it into UK cinemas. But there's plenty else to shock even without it - and all done with such unabashed verve that you'll be as compelled as you are repulsed.
OldBoy recalls Fincher in its CG-assisted flourishes and doomy themes, and Tarantino with its sharp-suited, stylised bloodletting. But it's unlikely either of those guys would ever be allowed to push it as far as Park has with this. Like we said, the word is extreme...
Verdict
Not to everyone's tastes, but if you have a strong stomach, OldBoy is sure to impress.
Reviewed by
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| Your Reviews |
Average user rating for Oldboy |
| A breathtaking masterpiece | |
| From all the hype surrounding this movie, I was sure I'd be disappointed. But I was completely blown away. One of the most stunning movies made so far this century. Utterly brilliant. Just so you don't judge me too harshly, the only reason I put off watching this movie for years was because the animal on this planet that freaks me out more than any other is, you guessed it, the octopus. And of course who hasn't heard of THAT scene? But recently, I decided it was time to just brave it out. I... More | |
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Posted by Mr Gittes at 14:20, 28 February 2013 | Report This Post | |
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| overly long and very boring in places. Plus the main love interest is unbearable whiny ... More | |
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Posted by david hayes at 03:08, 02 May 2012 | Report This Post | |
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| An amazing film. The review is terrible, this is not just some sick, twisted movie. It is a masterpiece plain and simple, and is very human and emotional. ... More | |
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Posted by Coyleone at 16:20, 09 September 2011 | Report This Post | |
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| Startling And Compelling | |
| Oldboy is a perfectly paced and brilliantly executed Korean revenge piece, with more intelligence and depth than is usually common in the genre. The lead performance is flawless, and the set design is absolutely perfect. The freeform plot has some minor problems finding its' feet in the first half of the film, but as the story slowly comes full circle, it evolves into a thoughtful, disturbing, brilliantly shot film that's just that little bit more intelligent than you think it is. Exciting stuff... More | |
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Posted by blaud at 22:39, 15 February 2011 | Report This Post | |
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| Oldboy | |
| its the tits ... More | |
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Posted by jackmars at 11:57, 05 November 2010 | Report This Post | |
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| Ive never been "groosed out" by a movie before but yhen again I had never seen a man eat a live octopus before. This movie has alot of very dark themes and violence but with a plot this sick and twisted and a brilliant corridor single take brawl this is a brilliant film all the same. ... More | |
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Posted by stevolegendbauer at 01:33, 04 August 2010 | Report This Post | |
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| Top Stuff in this Revenge Masterpiece | |
| Well, Oldboy truly is a Korean Masterpiece. I don't think anyone could say otherwise. It's such gripping, edge of your seat stuff. By the end you want to know as well as he does why this has happened to him. The twist is sublime and emotionally disturbing. As other people say you do have to have a strong stomach to handle this. It's one of those films where boredom is not an option and indeed you won't be. The climax is well worth waiting for, I give this a well deserved five stars. ... More | |
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Posted by buckley1989 at 14:28, 03 March 2010 | Report This Post | |
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| Awesome, mind-blowing and just plain brutal | |
| Thrilling, extraordinarily powerful, and so gripping you'll not want to turn it off. There are so many words, but I'll leave it simple. This is the best revenge-thriller ever made. ... More | |
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Posted by Kieran94 at 19:00, 26 January 2010 | Report This Post | |
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| Mind-blowingly good. Fantastic performances all round. The film is incredibly slick, but not at anytime overbearing, and is earnest in its delivery. A must-see for cinema lovers. ... More | |
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Posted by erniebacon at 15:39, 21 January 2010 | Report This Post | |
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| 5 Stars | |
| Wonderfull, the soundtrack is great, everything is in the right place, Park Chan-Wook made a unfogettable movie. ... More | |
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Posted by Djusa at 16:57, 17 April 2009 | Report This Post | |
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| It's a shame the Empire review doesn't talk at all about the startlingly human nature of the film. It really is not just for gore hounds. ... More | |
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Posted by wooz at 16:41, 29 September 2008 | Report This Post | |
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| Extreme, not by some standards... | |
| All I can say is, don't watch this in the same week as Gaspar Noé's 'Irreversible' and Darren Aronofsky's 'Requiem For A Dream'. You'll be depressed for months.... As dark as this is, Choi Min Sik's performance is compelling and there are enough ludicrous twists and drastic turns to keep you intrigued. As for extreme, Takeshi Miike might disagree... ... More | |
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Posted by AlJames82 at 13:52, 22 January 2008 | Report This Post | |
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| GREAT TWIST | |
| best Korean film. Brilliant ... More | |
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Posted by bobbyperu at 10:06, 26 October 2007 | Report This Post | |
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| GREAT TWIST | |
| best Korean film. Brilliant ... More | |
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Posted by bobbyperu at 10:06, 26 October 2007 | Report This Post | |
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| Dark but good but not good for some stomachs | |
| . ... More | |
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Posted by David G at 19:57, 16 September 2007 | Report This Post | |
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| Impressive | |
| It is eay to compare this to Kill bill,despite it being in a different language and setting. But to me, after this, the bride had it easy. Whereas that was a hyperkinetic ultra viloent fantasy, this is firmly grounded in reality established by clips of events as Dae-su is imprisoned. When the bride escapes, she basily struts out and leaps right into action. Dae-su, however is truly lost in a 'bigger prison' and truly suffers. Finally, the violence. Surprisingly, it is nowhere near as frequent or... More | |
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Posted by Ace Rothstein at 14:28, 03 August 2007 | Report This Post | |
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| Love the unique storytelling ability of park, Oldboy does what lady vengeance valiantly attempts to do. Its Violent nature will be to some too hardcore but quite necessary for the film to work. ... More | |
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Posted by vinnyw23 at 15:49, 25 April 2007 | Report This Post | |
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| Put it in your top 10 of all time! | |
| This is one of the few films that I have repeat-watched, probably about 5 times now. Invariably with films, you are advised to stop reading these reviews and watch it, lest you come across spoilers you wish you didn't. The first time I saw oldboy it was the very end of the film that struck the biggest chord. Oh Dae-Su's decision to forget and (likely) carry on regardless with Mido was probably the films most powerful scene. It made me put myself in his shoes and seriously consider the poss... More | |
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Posted by dhollseed at 18:16, 16 January 2007 | Report This Post | |
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| ... More | |
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Posted by taz_e at 14:03, 27 December 2006 | Report This Post | |
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| Oldboy | |
| They good film. This is a must watch. Thats asuming you have the stomach for it. Its extremely violent but amazing at the same time. ... More | |
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Posted by solid snake at 15:58, 14 December 2006 | Report This Post | |
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| Really Overrated | |
| Look The First Hour just blew my mind and the second just was pretentious crap, I was extremely disappointed after the brilliant first ... More | |
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Posted by SethGecko at 01:29, 19 August 2006 | Report This Post | |
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| 5 ***** | |
| Visually and stylistically this really is like an asian Fincher film, though Oldboy's last minute twist beats Fight Club and The Game's hands down. ... More | |
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Posted by JasonC19 at 04:13, 14 July 2006 | Report This Post | |
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| One of the greats! | |
| Five star film without a doubt. Not only the best asian film of all time but one of the best films of all time full stop. killer twist that you won't see coming until it hits you. If you haven't seen it you really are missing out. It is hardcore but if you don't like violence and very strong sublect matter it is still worth giving it a chance. ... More | |
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Posted by chaddiver at 15:11, 23 May 2006 | Report This Post | |
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| Fine film but one for the hardcore ... More | |
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Posted by Cujo at 13:33, 30 March 2006 | Report This Post | |
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| Oldboy... Newfan (spoilers) | |
| Spectacular... Gripping to the last and a plot twist to die for... or at least pull a few teeth out! ... More | |
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Posted by Bubba76 at 20:35, 15 March 2006 | Report This Post | |
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