Movie #148: Oldboy

Movie #: 148
Movie Title: Oldboy
Year Released: 2003

Director: Chan-wook Park
Notable Cast: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung, Ji Dae-han, Kim Byeong-ok

Short Description: After being kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in 5 days. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #86
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: #64
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 3/23/2016

Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)

Rationale: While the first three quarters of the movie are excellent with an awesome martial arts scene in a hallway and an intriguing story that keeps you constantly engaged, the last quarter completely messes with your mind and leaves you saying “damn” in a good way. The big reveal is extremely intense and worth all the buildup. Don’t get tricked into watching the Americanized version from 2013 that Spike Lee directed. Stick with the masterpiece that is the Korean version from 2003 and you can’t go wrong.