Saw this in the theaters, and it was the best movie I'd seen in years. Its coming out on Region 1 dvd tommorrow, so if you get the chance, rent it. Basically, a drunk businessman is kidnapped, and locked in a room for 15 YEARS. Once he is let out, his search for vengance begins. Seriously, its an amazing movie, and if you not squemish, you really should give it a shot.

I have a couple of friends living in Korea that have told me for the past year that I need to see this movie.
Supposed to be pretty brutal in the violence department...

In places, absolutely. However, its not over-the-top, Ichi the Killer style violence. There are scenes remeniscent of Ichi (one in particular), but its much more coldly displayed, which makes it more disturbing. Like I said, if you have a strong stomach, I can't recommend it enough.

Sounds interesting. I'm not worried about gore. I eat pasta watching surgeries on tv. I have never seen a movie that can turn my stomach including Traces of Death. I'm disappointed it's not as gory as Ichi but that wasn't the best movie I ever saw either. If Oldboy is better with a little less gore, I can make that sacrifice.
Have you ever sat through Gozu? It's another Takishi Miike(sp?) movie. I rented it from Bbuster and actually had to turn it off because I was so bored. I've seen a few of his films and have generally been really impressed so I'm wondering what I was missing with Gozu.

Yeah, Gozu gets slow in the middle, but there is a HUGE payoff in the end, something that no one but Miike would ever think of doing. However, you have to be careful when renting from Blockbuster. I work there, and I was thrilled to learn that we carried many of Miike's movies, until I saw the "Rated Edition" labels on them. Its weird, though, b/c some Blockbusters have unrated editions, so I guess its just whatever happens to get shipped to the store.

Anyway, to get back to Oldboy, yes, I would say its better than anything Miike has done so far, and I'm saying that as a big fan of his.

Well, between my friends in Korea and your recommendations, this sounds like quite a flick. I will have to make an effort to track it down asap.
So there is a big payoff in Gozu? I have rarely turned off a movie. The only ones that come to mind recently are Gozu and Starship Troopers 2. Before I get flamed, I love the 1st one dearly and noone could ever change my mind. I watch it for gore and tits. I already own Robocop so I don't pay attention to the story. Don't bother berating it, I already know how terrible it is. I rented the second one expecting more gore and tits and it didn't pay off. That is the only reason I rented it.
If you recommend it, I can get Gozu (Unrated) {are you in the US? I don't think the Canadian Bbusters edit the films. We have slightly more lax censorship laws here. Your Rated "R" is our 14A usually} from my local Bbuster for $4.99 to own. I guess I might just as well do that rather than rent it again. I think I am the only one who ever took it out anyways.

This thread should have a lot more than 5 posts.

This film was absolutely brilliant. Everything from the dialogue, to the plot, to the atmosphere to the cinematography. I haven't seen too many Korean movies in my life, but this was by far the best. I haven't watched it in over a year, but something made me think about it today. It is out in Region 1 now, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find (I got my copy at Best Buy). Go get it...it's a masterpiece.

I seen this once, and have been meaning to buy it. Killer flick. The ending is nuts.
I did just bought Battle Royale though. God I love that movie.

What the hell does Region 1 mean?

That it is available in America for use with American dvd players. R1 might encompass an even larger area, but that never concerned me.

Haha...this makes me think of when The Simpsons visit England and Homer is in his jail cell after getting into an accident with the queen:

HOMER: Marge, whatever you do, don't by any tapes here...they won't work in our vcr. (cries)

A little too odd for my tastes. Interesting, but too weird for me.

Oh geez...check thi out, folks:
http://imdb.com/title/tt0425320/

yeah that worries me... the filmmaking on old boy was phoenominal

the long take where he fights like 50 guys panning in that hallway bleww my mind

Yeah, of course there's a remake. There's no end to it.

I really enjoyed the movie, though not as much as it seems some of you did. I have a few friends who hyped it up beyond belief, so while it didn't really meet those expectations I still really enjoyed it. It's definitely one angry movie.

This was really, really good. It wasn't nearly as violent as I thought it would be, but it exceeded every other expectation. Park along with Wong Kar Wai and Kurosawa makes me really excited about seeing more Asian cinema. I seriously recommend this to everyone.

Me too... Korea has very strong film market... I've been trying to watch as much Asian cinema as i can (especially Korean). You should see the other 2 parts of the Vengeance trilogy if you haven't already.

this may sound like a dumb question but,

how do they do the translations..is it spoken in korean with words on the bottom, or is it overdubbed in english like a karate movie?

It has both. You should use subtitles, it's better.

i think i like the other way better..too much work havin to read and follow the movie..i know that sounds lazy, but seriously..

just pretend that the dubbed version is not available... seriously, just read the subtitles

Especially when the movie has acting as good as Oldboy does. It would remove a substantial emotional element if it were dubbed.