Oldboy is a 2003 South Korean 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 Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), who is imprisoned for 15 years without knowing the identity of his captor or his captor's motives. When he is released, Dae-su finds himself trapped in a web of conspiracy and violence as he seeks revenge against his captor who promises that if Dae-Su cannot find him within five days, the captor will kill himself and thus ensure that Dae-Su will never find the truth behind his capture. 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 is arrested for drunkenness, causing him to miss his daughter's fourth birthday. His friend Joo-hwan collects him, but Dae-su disappears and awakens in a sealed hotel room. Takeout food is delivered through a pet door, and his only diversion is a television; from it, Dae-su learns that he has been framed for his wife's murder. As years pass, Dae-su grows deranged from solitude and attempts suicide by wrist-cutting, but is resuscitated. Dae-su then begins practicing martial arts against the wall and attempting to dig an escape tunnel.

Awards