Starring Choi Min-shik, Yoo Ji-tae and Kang Hae-jung, this mystery thriller is based on the Japanese manga with the same title
Oldboy created by Tsuchiya Garon and Minegishi Nobuaki. Oh, Dae-soo, an average salaryman is on his way home one night when he stops at a public phone booth to make a call to his home. He speaks with his infant daughter whose birthday happens to be that day. That night Dae-soo never makes it home. His whereabouts are unknown to his family. Dae-soo finds himself locked up in a small room with no way out. With no way to communicate with anyone, his only company is a television set. Dae-soo has no understanding of who put him there, nor why he is being kept there, nor how long he will be kept locked up and isolated in this way. Food is delivered to him through a small opening through his door. He plans his escape by patiently digging an opening on his wall using a metal chopstick. At the end of 15 years, he finally manages to dig an opening to the outside and seems ready to make his escape. Strangely enough however, just when he seems able to escape, he is freed. After 15 years, Dae-soo finds himself a free man. He is eager to find out who was behind his 15 year imprisonment. One day outside a sushi restaurant, Dae-soo is approached by a strange, homeless man who gives Dae-soo a cell phone and a wallet. Inside the restaurant, Dae-soo receives a call on his new cell phone. The caller seems to be the one behind Dae-soo's 15 year imprisonment. Dae-soo frantically asks the caller to reveal himself, but the caller does not. Shortly after the strange phone call, Dae-soo for some reason falls unconscious. He awakes to find himself at the house of the young attractive female sushi chef who had prepared his food at the restaurant. Her name is Mee-doe. It surprises Dae-soo that Mee-doe would bring him, a total stranger, to her house. She seems strangely friendly to him, and very eager to assist him. Dae-soo is careful to not trust anyone too readily, even Mee-doe. However with time, their relationship grows and evolves into a romantic one involving physical intimacy. One day when he notices her chatting online with a stranger who knows about Dae-soo, he cannot help but suspect that she may somehow be involved with the person/people who had him locked up. During his 15 years of imprisonment, Dae-soo was often fed fried dumplings which were delivered from one particular restaurant. Dae-soo is able to track this restaurant down, and subsequently he manges to track down the location of his prior imprisonment. Arriving at his former prison, he tortures the people who ran that private prison in an effort to find out who was behind his lock up. Dae-soo learns that someone had payed for him to be imprisoned for 15 years. However, he is unable to find out the exact identity of who payed for this service. The only clue Dae-soo has is a tape recording of a male voice which says that he wants Dae-soo locked up for 15 years because "Dae-soo talks too much". Through much detective work, Dae-soo starts to piece together the mystery behind who may be behind his 15 year imprisonment, as well as the murder of his wife during his time in confinement. Dae-soo's investigation leads him to try and piece together events from his past, specifically his days in high school, and the circumstances surrounding the death of a female student named Lee, Soo-ah. More cannot be said about the plot without risking giving away the twisted ending of the movie's conclusion. It can be said that the conclusion is a shocker and one which could not be guessed. The actors do an excellent job in their portrayals, the movie's story is entertaining and captivates you throughout. The scenes which mix past and present, representing Dae-soo's search to make sense of his situation were really well shot, and a fine example of good movie making.
