Highlights
- Park Chan-wook's Oldboy is a violent revenge thriller that has become a classic in the genre, thanks to its engaging visual style and mind-blowing plot twist.
- The film explores the psychological toll of isolation and the consequences of human obsession, making it a thought-provoking watch.
- Oldboy's open ending sparks debate about whether the protagonist remembers the truth, challenging the audience to confront their own morality.
Revenge is a topic commonly used in movies, but few revenge stories have left a mark as incredible as Park Chan-wook’s 2003 revenge thriller Oldboy. Since its release, it has become one of the most famous neo-noir films of all time, and one of the best-known pieces of international cinema amongst English-speaking viewers. Its brutal narrative includes elements of vengeance, mystery, action, and psychological drama, culminating in a mind-blowing plot twist that remains one of the most shocking in cinema history, even two decades after its release.
To say Oldboy is violent would be an understatement. However, it is not without a reason. Director Park Chan-wook managed to create a psychological nightmare with many instances of graphic violence, while also maintaining an engaging visual and narrative style that grabs the viewers’ attention and helps them digest the disturbing scenes with more ease. Although the film divided some critics due to its level of violence, since its release, it has become a classic within the genre, and audiences have come to understand Park’s decision and his reasoning behind every violent action.
What Is Oldboy About?
Oldboy | |
|---|---|
Director | Park Chan-wook |
Writer | Hwang Jo-yun, Lim Jun-hyung, Park Chan-wook |
Based on | Old Boy by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi |
Cast | Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung |
Genre | Thriller, Action |
Country | South Korea |
Release date | November 21, 2003 |
Runtime | 120 minutes |
Box office | $17.1 million |
Rotten Tomatoes Score | 82% |
Oldboy follows the journey of Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), a businessman who gets mysteriously kidnapped and imprisoned, in complete isolation and without any explanation. In his captivity, he learns that his wife has been murdered, and he is being framed as the prime suspect. Upon his sudden release after having been imprisoned for 15 years, Dae-su embarks on a quest for revenge against those who held him captive. This kickstarts a sadistic, psychological cat-and-mouse game, as Dae-su is extremely determined to find out who his captors are and why they ruined his life.
During his journey, Dae-su meets Mi-do (Kang Hye-jung), a sweet and innocent young woman working as a chef. He falls for her, and they develop a bond. He also learns that his captor is Lee Woo-jin (Yoo Ji-tae), a wealthy businessman who gives Dae-su an ultimatum: if he can discover the reason behind his imprisonment in five days, Woo-jin will kill himself. If he doesn’t, he will kill Mi-do, whom he has grown closer to and eventually has a relationship with.
It is made clear from the start that Oldboy is not an ordinary story of vengeance and violence. The film touches on topics such as the psychological toll of isolation and the consequences of human obsession. While it may not be a watch suitable for all audiences, its unconventional storytelling, visual style, and exploration of complex themes and symbolism will keep the audience at the edge of their seats all the way up to its shocking revelation in the third act.
How Does Oldboy End?
As Dae-su tries to uncover information about his imprisonment, it is revealed that he and Woo-jin were classmates in high school, where Dae-su discovered that Woo-jin was having an incestuous relationship with his sister. After he told a friend about it, the rumor quickly spread and the whole school found out, which caused Woo-jin’s sister to take her own life, and determined Woo-jin to seek revenge.
Your gravest mistake wasn’t failing to find the answer. You can’t find the right answer if you ask the wrong questions.
When Dae-su sets out to finally face Woo-jin at his apartment, he shows Dae-su a picture album, and, in one of the most brutal plot twists of all time, Dae-su discovers that Mi-do, who he had fallen in love and had a sexual relationship with, is his daughter. Woo-jin then explains his plan to Dae-su: he waited until Dae-su had a daughter of his own, and imprisoned him for 15 years. He then used hypnosis to guide Dae-su to Mi-do and make them both fall in love and have sex. He reveals that he orchestrated everything in order to make Dae-su experience the same pain.
My sister and I loved each other, despite everything. Can you two do the same?
Dae-su apologizes for spreading the rumors and begs Woo-jin not to tell the truth to Mi-do, cutting off his own tongue as an act of penance. Revealing the truth to Dae-su finalizes Woo-jin’s revenge, and after agreeing not to tell Mi-do, he walks away as an audio of Dae-su and Mi-do having sex plays on the speakers. As a devastated Dae-su collapses, Woo-jin reflects upon his sister’s suicide and shoots himself in the head.
What happens after you’ve revenged yourself? I bet the hidden pain will come back.
Some time later, a disturbed Dae-su visits a hypnotist to erase the memories of what happened. Afterward, Mi-do finds him lying alone in the snow. She hugs him, and confesses her love for him. Dae-su smiles, hinting that the hypnosis worked and he is content in his blissful ignorance once again, but then his smile turns into a more ambiguous expression rooted in pain, suggesting the opposite.
This open ending has since sparked the debate about whether or not Dae-su remembers, leaving the answer up to the interpretation of each viewer. Oldboy is far more than a tale of vengeance. Its violence-packed action sequences further help present its underlying debate about the human psyche when pushed to its limits. Besides one of the most shocking and brutal plot twists in history, Park Chan-wook presents an obsession-driven quest for revenge that blurs the lines between right and wrong, and challenges the audience to confront their own morality.