Oldboy | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

83% Tomatometer 160 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings

Dae-Su is an obnoxious drunk bailed from the police station yet again by a friend. However, he's abducted from the street and wakes up in a cell, where he remains for the next 15 years, drugged unconscious when human contact is unavoidable, otherwise with only the television as company. And then, suddenly released, he is invited to track down his jailor with a denouement that is simply stunning.

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Oldboy

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Critics Consensus

Violent and definitely not for the squeamish, Park Chan-Wook's visceral Oldboy is a strange, powerful tale of revenge.

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Critics Reviews

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Oldboy | Rotten Tomatoes (1) David Sims The Atlantic There’s a core element of emotional realism that accentuates Park’s brutal narrative beats, leaving us to ponder something more than a bloody body. Aug 22, 2023 Full Review Oldboy | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Kambole Campbell Little White Lies A lurid, complex, introspective beast, enacting astonishing cruelty on its protagonist like a slow-acting poison. Rated: 4/5 Jul 29, 2019 Full Review Oldboy | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Jami Bernard New York Daily News Both brutal and lyrical, writer-director Park Chan-wook's existential nail-biter has torture scenes that will have you avoiding dentists, sushi bars and badly appointed hotel rooms. Rated: 5/5 Apr 15, 2013 Full Review Oldboy | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Anushka Halve Film Companion The messy, imperfect and chaotic nature of the action belies the precise choreography and consideration behind it. Dec 11, 2023 Full Review Oldboy | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Armond White National Review Oldboy is flashy, but there’s a moral and social disconnect between showing off Park’s undeniable chops and Choi Min-sik’s wild-haired, wild-eyed, poignant descent into madness. Sep 6, 2023 Full Review Oldboy | Rotten Tomatoes (6) David Lynch KENS 5 TV (San Antonio) It’s hard to think of any movie that's come out since (outside Park’s own oeuvre, at least) that so directly challenges audience’s expectations about revenge stories, and the value we expect them to carry. Aug 19, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Len great movie but ending is......ick Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/09/23 Full Review Karina I was taken way far aback with this one but my god what a master class in filmmaking and payoff that leaves you revolted and amazed. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/31/23 Full Review Frank classic movie still holds up to this day one of my favorite Korean films of all time and it was good to see it in the movie theater cuz the last time I seen this movie was on TV back in the day when I was in high school Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/28/23 Full Review Kennath If you’re less than an hour away from a showing and you have never seen? GO Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/27/23 Full Review Mr. Hollywood One of the best films ever made! Great story, great cinematography, great acting, great editing, great sound design. Great great great! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/26/23 Full Review Carolyn D Wholly original, visually stunning and masterfully acted and directed! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Park Chan-wook Director Choi Min-sik Dae-su Oh Yoo Ji-tae Woo-jin Lee Kang Hye-jung Mi-do Ji Dae-han No Joo-hwan Oh Dal-su Park Cheol-woong
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Oldboy

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Synopsis Dae-Su is an obnoxious drunk bailed from the police station yet again by a friend. However, he's abducted from the street and wakes up in a cell, where he remains for the next 15 years, drugged unconscious when human contact is unavoidable, otherwise with only the television as company. And then, suddenly released, he is invited to track down his jailor with a denouement that is simply stunning.

Director
Park Chan-wook

Producer
Kim Dong-ju

Screenwriter
Im Jun-hyeong, Hwang Jo-Yoon

Distributor
Tartan Films USA

Production Co
Egg Films, Show East

Rating
R

Genre
Action, Mystery & Thriller

Original Language
Korean

Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 25, 2005, Original

Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Aug 16, 2023

Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 1, 2017

Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.7M

Runtime
1h 58m

Sound Mix
Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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