20 Amazing South Korean Movies You Must See Before You Die
9. Oldboy
Championed by Quentin Tarantino and a darling of the festival circuit, probably no film did more in the 2000s to promote Korean cinema in the West than Oldboy.
The second of a loosely thematic trio of violent revenge films from director Park Chan-wook, Oldboy was adapted from the Japanese manga of the same name by Garon Tsuchiya in which a man is suddenly released after years of mysterious solitary confinement in a private prison.
Choi Min-sik, previously best known as the terrorist leader in Shiri, gives it his all as protagonist Oh Dae-su, desperate to discover why he was locked up and to take revenge on his captors. He even infamously ate a whole live octopus for real in one bizarre standout scene.
Oldboy is the revenge movie as gory operatic tragedy, bringing with it a shocking twist and a downbeat conclusion.
For the sake of variety, this list has only included this film to stand for Park's whole Vengeance Trilogy. Needless to say, though, that Sympathy For Mr Vengeance and Lady Vengeance are also highly recommended to anyone who enjoyed Oldboy.