The film won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and high praise from the President of the Jury, director Quentin Tarantino,
Who could not persuade the members of the jury to give it the Palme d’Or over Fahrenheit 9/11. Critically, the movie has been well received in the United States, with an 82% “Certified Fresh” rating at Rottentomatoes.com. Film critic Roger Ebert has claimed Oldboy to be a “…powerful film not because of what it depicts, but because of the depths of the human heart which it strips bare”. In 2008, CNN named it one of the ten best Asian films ever made.
Plot: The maverick Korean director Park Chan-Wook has created poetry out of extreme violence and bizarre misfortune in this uniquely visceral movie. The shock therapy dished out is unmistakable. Oldboy tells the mind-boggling and utterly discomforting tale of a simple-minded buffoon Oh Dae-su, who, for apparently no reason is put into solitary confinement for 15 years. When he was least expecting, he is released and given 5 days to uncover the truth. An explosive tale of punishment, vengeance and redemption, the movie is as visually implosive as it is intellectually stimulating. The dénouement is so unanticipated and shocking that it would leave even the most hard-core movie viewers numbed out of their senses. The sudden bursts of histrionics are wonderfully balanced with deadpan humour by the lead actor.
Awards
* 57th Cannes Film Festival
o Won: Grand Prix of the Jury – Park Chan-wook
o Nominated: Palme d’Or – Park Chan-wook
* Grand Bell Awards – South Korea 2004
o Won: Best Director – Park Chan-wook
o Won: Best Actor – Choi Min-sik
o Won: Best Editing – Kim Sang-beom
o Won: Best Illumination – Park Hyun-won
o Won: Best Music – Jo Yeong-wook
* Asia Pacific Film Festival 2004
o Won: Best Director – Park Chan-wook
o Won: Best Actor – Choi Min-sik
* 37th Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya – Sitges 2004
o Won: Maria Award (Best Film)
o Won: José Luis Guarner Award (Critics’ Best Film)
* Bergen International Film Festival 2004
o Won: Audience Award
* British Independent Film Awards 2004
o Won: Best Foreign Independent Film
* European Film Awards 2004
