Oldboy
Exclusive club alumnus
Oldboy is a 2003 South Korean thriller film directed by Park Chan-wook, the second installment of his Vengeance Trilogy.
The film follows a man mysteriously imprisoned for fifteen years who seeks answers upon release.
Known for its brutal violence, psychological complexity, and a notorious twist ending, Oldboy became a cult classic and landmark of Korean cinema: Have you seen Oldboy? The hallway fight scene is incredible.
Punishing a wrongdoer
- Korean cinemaMovies from Seoul's country
- hammerTool for striking nails
- imprisonmentLegal detention in jail
- twist endingUnexpected narrative conclusion
tongue · hypnosis · incest · thriller · mystery box · dumplings · elevator · teeth
Retaliation for injury
- retributionPunishment for wrongdoing
- obsessionPersistent, intrusive preoccupation
- conspiracyClandestine coordinated scheming
- tormentSevere prolonged suffering
punishment · mystery · captor · confinement · revelation · manipulation · tragedy · nemesis
Basic unit of life
- captivityState of being confined
- isolationComplete separation from others
- confinementState of being restricted
- televisionBroadcast viewing device
hallucination · diary · release · solitary · counting days · escape · deterioration · madness
Revived hardboiled crime genre
- ultraviolenceExtreme graphic brutality
- stylizedGiven artistic treatment
- cinematographyMotion picture visual craft
- tracking shotCamera movement alongside subject
brutal · visceral · operatic · surreal · disturbing · graphic · artistic · provocative
revenge
Punishing a wrongdoer
- Korean cinemaMovies from Seoul's country
- hammerTool for striking nails
- imprisonmentLegal detention in jail
twist ending · tongue · hypnosis · incest · thriller · mystery box · dumplings · elevator · teeth · notebook
vengeance
Retaliation for injury
- retributionPunishment for wrongdoing
- obsessionPersistent, intrusive preoccupation
- conspiracyClandestine coordinated scheming
torment · punishment · mystery · captor · confinement · revelation · manipulation · tragedy · nemesis · grudge
cell
Basic unit of life
- captivityState of being confined
- isolationComplete separation from others
- confinementState of being restricted
television · hallucination · diary · release · solitary · counting days · escape · deterioration · madness · routine
neo-noir
Revived hardboiled crime genre
- ultraviolenceExtreme graphic brutality
- stylizedGiven artistic treatment
- cinematographyMotion picture visual craft
tracking shot · brutal · visceral · operatic · surreal · disturbing · graphic · artistic · provocative · intense
- Cult FilmsEraserhead, The Room, Donnie Darko, Napoleon Dynamite, Army of Darkness
- Korean CinemaTrain to Busan, Burning, Mother, The Host, Snowpiercer
- thrillerssuspense, thriller, nail-biter, page-turner, cliffhanger
- World CinemaJapanese cinema, national cinema, European cinema, Asian cinema, French New Wave
- Asian HorrorThe Grudge, J-horror, vengeful spirit, House, ghost stories