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# Chan-wook Park's 'Oldboy' is a hellacious thriller with a concussive twist
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/oldboy-an-old-fashioned-work-of-director-brilliance-bombay-sapphire-better-than-any-piece-of-literature/
- Published: 2005-03-25T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T06:25:47.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Entertainment, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By NEWLY RENOVATED WESTSIDE DANCE CLUB BY DAN DUNN Special to the Daily Press*

Assuming the average American knows very little to nothing about the history and proclivities of Korean cinema, perhaps it’s best to contextualize director Chan-wook Park’s “Oldboy” thusly: It’s as intense and exhilarating as the best work of America’s own Quentin Tarantino, with a third-act twist so concussive, it’ll make even M. Night Shymalan go “Whah?!” As far as psychological-action-thrillers go, “Oldboy” is as hellacious a film as this scribe’s ever seen. It was honored with the Grand Jury Prize (by a panel over which Tarantino presided) at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, and with good reason. “Oldboy” is superbly composed, and boasts a brilliant performance by lead actor Choi Min-sik.

Seoul businessman OH Dae-su (Choi) awakens after a drinking binge to find himself imprisoned in a cell made up like a sleazy motel room. He doesn’t know why he’s there, or how long his mysterious captors intend to hold him. His only connections to the outside world are cable television (from which he discovers he’s been framed for his wife’s murder) and the fried dumplings he’s fed daily. Time passes — lots of it — and Dae-su attempts to maintain his mind and body by boxing (against a wall) and keeping a journal. Then one day he’s set free, and a furious quest for revenge and understanding begins.

As a twisted game of cat and mouse intensifies, Dae-su becomes hell-bent on finding the teenage daughter he’s not seen since she was an infant. He’s aided by a pretty young sushi chef named Mido (Gang Hye-jung) who Dae-su gradually begins to suspect may know more about his ordeal than she’s letting on. It would be doing the film a disservice to divulge additional plot developments, but suffice to say what transpires after Dae-su’s release is mind-blowing and not for everyone — those with weak stomachs, for instance. There are no overblown martial arts set pieces: It’s strictly street fighting and head trips, and it is fantastic. (Rated R for strong violence including scenes of torture, sexuality and pervasive language. Running time: 120 minutes)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 25, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/032505.pdf?ref=smdp.com)