OldBoy (2003) Review: “I want to tell you my story now die later”

A rough plot summary of Oldboy is that it's about the protagonist, Oh Dae Sue getting kidnapped and held captive. The film is a revenge thriller as Oh Dae Su tries to understand and find out who held him hostage and why. The film is south Korean which may be a deal-breaker for some who don’t like reading subtitles but you must make an exception for this film if you like thrillers. This is easily one of the best thrillers I have ever seen and it’s something I find myself coming back to every few years. In my opinion, it’s a perfect thriller. The story features plenty of twists and turns, the direction is fantastic, The Cinematography is excellent as the film is known for its amazing fight scene with Oh Dae Su and the acting of Choi Min Sik, Kang Hye Jung and lee woo jin. This isn’t a film for the faint-hearted with its particular graphic violence but if it is something you can stomach and of course are old enough to watch then I can’t recommend it enough. If I’m honest there isn’t much more detail, I can go into in relation to the plot at the risk of ruining the whole movie but if you like a well thought out thriller this film is definitely for you.

Fun Facts

1) Min sik Choi trained for six weeks and lost twenty pounds to get in shape for the role of Dae-su, and did most of his own stunt work.

2) It’s based on Japanese Manga Oldoy by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya

3) Min Sik Choi is a Buddhist and had to pray after eating the octopi

You can find more trivia for Oldboy at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364569/trivia

Quiz

1: What’s the present Oh Dae Su gets for his daughter’s birthday?

2:How long is Oh Dae Su held captive for?

3: What does Oh Dae Sue eat when he is held captive?