Old Boy at AsianDB

Grand Prix de Jury at 2004 Cannes International Film Festival

Directed by Park Chan-wook, the director of drama hit "Joint Security Area JSA" and "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," action suspenser "Old Boy" tells a story from a Japanese comic book of the same title.

Oh Dae-soo (Choi Min-sik) is a business man who is suddenly kidnapped and confined in a cell with only a television set. He makes various efforts to escape and even attempts to commit suicide, but all end up in failure. Dae-soo one day watches a news about his wife being murdered and he being wanted by the police. Feeling shocked and deeply grieved, Dae-soo begins to dig a hole in the room with a spoon to get his way out to revenge the lost of his wife on the real culprit.

One day in 1988, an ordinary man named Oh Dae-soo, who lives with his wife and adorable daughter, is kidnapped and later wakes up to find himself in a private makeshift prison. Dae-soo makes numerous attempts to escape and to commit suicide, but they all end up in failure. All the while Dae-soo asks himself what made a man hate him so much enough to imprison him without any reason. While suffering from his debacle, Dae-soo becomes shocked when he watches the news and hears that his beloved wife was brutally murdered. At this very moment, Dae-soo swears to take revenge on the man who destroyed his happy life.

Fifteen years have passed and Dae-soo is released with a wallet filled with money and a mobile phone. An unknown man calls Dae-soo and asks him to figure out why he was imprisoned. In front of bewildered Dae-soo, a girl named Mido appears and she promises to help him seek vengeance after hearing about his 15 years in confinement. With Mido’s help, Dae-soo begins to trace the guy and finally encounters the private prison where he discovers a cassette tape, which only says... "OH Dae-soo talks too much…” While Dae-soo and Mido’s search goes on, Dae-soo finally runs face to face with his kidnapper. The culprit says there will be no way to find out the reason of his imprisonment if Dae-soo kills him now. Instead, he proposes a game. He tells Dae-soo that if he discovers the reason for his imprisonment in five days, then he will kill himself. If not, he will kill Mido. Only five days are given to Dae-soo to find out the reason behind the guy’s grudge against Dae-soo. While doing so, hidden secrets about Dae-soo and Mido's relationship are revealed.