: It is the second and most famous installment of Park's "Vengeance Trilogy," following Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and preceding Lady Vengeance A Web of Guilt
He woke up in a small, windowless hotel room. He was not a prisoner of the state, but of a private jailer. For 15 years, his only connection to the world was a television, through which he learned that his wife had been murdered and he was the prime suspect. Driven by madness and a desperate need for revenge, he spent those years shadowboxing against the walls, hardening his body into a weapon. The Release and the Hunt
is not a comfortable watch. It is a film that punishes the viewer for looking away as much as it punishes its protagonist. It asks if revenge is worth it. The answer is a resounding, bloody no .
at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, famously receiving high praise from jury president Quentin Tarantino. It holds a "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Oldboy won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, bringing Korean cinema to the global stage. Quentin Tarantino championed it. Spike Lee attempted a (largely inferior) remake in 2013. But the original remains untouchable.
"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." This quote adorns the film’s poster.
