Oldboy is a 2003 South Korean neo-noir action thriller film directed and co-written by Park Chan-wook. A loose adaptation of the Japanese manga of the same name, the film follows the story of Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), who is imprisoned in a cell that resembles a hotel room for 15 years without knowing the identity of his captor or his captor's motives. When he is finally released, Dae-su finds himself still trapped in a web of conspiracy and violence as he seeks revenge against the enigmatic Lee Woo-jin (Yoo Ji-tae). His quest becomes tied in with romance when he falls in love with a young sushi chef, Mi-do (Kang Hye-jung).

Plot

In 1988, businessman Oh Dae-su was arrested for public drunkenness, causing him to miss his daughter's fourth birthday. After his friend Joo-hwan picks him up from the police station, Dae-su is kidnapped and awakens in a sealed hotel room, where food is delivered through a pet door. Dae-su learns that his wife has been murdered and that he has been framed as the prime suspect by his captors. As years of imprisonment pass, Dae-su grows deranged from solitude. He attempts suicide by slashing his wrists, but is kept alive by his captors. After this, Dae-su spends years practising martial arts against the solid wall and attempting to dig an escape tunnel so that he might seek vengeance upon his captors.

Awards