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Parents' Guide to

Oldboy

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Great but extremely brutal, vicious revenge story.

Movie R 2003 120 minutes
Oldboy Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 14+

Based on 6 parent reviews

rtgfc T.
rtgfc T. Adult
February 21, 2023
age 16+

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
doctora
doctora Parent of 5-year-old
June 10, 2022
age 17+

Watch out for that hammer!

My introduction to Chan-wook Park's work and my admiration for his storytelling inspires me to seek out all of his films. He has a foothold in both violence, misogyny, and revenge in a way that is voyeuristic, enjoyable and also super creepy and makes me want to look away. He is all of these at once in his films and Oldboy is no exception. An incredible story that is not for the weak hearted. I had no idea that a hammer could do so much.
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In OLDBOY, businessman Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) is drunk one night and is arrested. While a friend picks him up from the police station, he's suddenly and mysteriously abducted. He finds himself in a room where he's served meals, given a television, and gassed every night at bedtime. He is locked up there for 15 long years, without explanation. After a time, he begins punching the walls, practice fighting, to take out his anger. He also makes an escape attempt, and is nearly out, but finds himself suddenly released. He goes looking for something to eat and meets chef Mi-do (Kang Hye-jung); she takes pity on him and brings him to her home. He becomes obsessed with figuring out why he was imprisoned and who did it. Little does he know the danger he will face, as well as the horrible truths he will discover.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (9 ):

Park Chan-wook's vicious story of vengeance is shocking but explores the complexity of human nature on a thrillingly primal level. The first images of Dae-su in Oldboy -- seen in Korean with English subtitles for this review -- are of an obnoxious drunk, but it's not long before his confinement makes us sympathetic; no one deserves this kind of torture. Yet his mind is free, and it's intriguing to see his attempts to pass the time, to hold onto something. All the while, the mystery of his imprisonment makes these moments doubly intriguing. Even after the character's release, Park continues to sustain the movie's intensity to the final shot, playing off of the character's transformation.

Now taut, darkened, and haunted, he's as unsure of himself around his love interest Mi-do as he is capable of violence. An unforgettable scene has him eating a live squid just to feel the sensation of it. But in arguably the movie's most famous shot, Park simply tracks left and right for several minutes as Dae-su fights dozens of men in real time. But within the adrenaline rush of his revenge journey, Mi-do (and other female characters) pay the price for male ego. Park fails to give them any agency, leaving a sour taste in an otherwise intriguing and brutal mystery.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Oldboy's violence. How intense is it, and what effect does it have? Is it thrilling? Gruesome? How much is directed toward women?

  • How does sex come into the plot? Is sex used in a negative way? What kind of values does the movie impart?

  • Why are revenge stories so appealing or satisfying? In real life, what does revenge accomplish?

  • Is Dae-su a sympathetic character? Does he start that way? At what point do we begin to identify with him?

Movie Details

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