FILM · 2003 · SOUTH KOREA
올드보이
- Directed by
- Park Chan-wook
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Studio
- Show East, Egg Film, Cineclick Asia
135 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors.
135 Interesting Facts About 올드보이
Interesting Facts (20)
- #001
The famous single-take corridor scene, at roughly 43 minutes, was shot over three days. No CGI was used to cleverly arrange the sequence as one shot, and the scene was in fact filmed in a single continuous take, although a small amount of CGI was used to show Oh Dae-su being stabbed in the back and to fix the landing of some punches.
- #002
The film's final scenes, with snow and footsteps, were shot in New Zealand. After the end credits finish rolling, viewers can hear the sound of wind; it was the real wind recorded at the New Zealand location. In an interview, the director explained that he was so struck by the New Zealand landscape that he kept the sound for audiences there in Korea.
- #003
- #004
- #005
- #006
- #007
This is the second film in director Park Chan-wook's "Revenge Trilogy"; the first is Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and the third is Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005). Meanwhile, the first speaking character in this film, whose story we never hear, is played by Oh Gwang-Rok, who commits suicide with his dog. In the first film of the revenge trilogy he played an anarchist who appears at the very end. He is the only credited character to appear in both films.
- #008
- #009
- #010
- #011
- #012
Throughout the film there are constant parallels between Mi-do and Woo-Jin's sister Soo-ah. One of them is that both Soo-ah and Mi-do predominantly wear red clothing and are associated with the color red (Soo-ah's red bicycle and umbrella, the red wallpaper in Mi-do's apartment and in the prison room).
- #013
- #014
There are many examples of cosmic justice throughout the film. Because Dae-su's character talks too much, his tongue is cut out at the end of the film. The white-haired man, Mr. Han, hears everything Woo-jin does and still lets him do it; this is justified when he is stabbed in the ear and ultimately becomes deaf. Also, the image of Jesus that Oh Dae-su sees on the wall of his prison room looks the same as Oh Dae-su during the big revelation at the end of the film.
- #015
- #016
- #017
- #018
- #019
(Around 1 hour 55 minutes) The mountain in the final scene is Mount Tinline, and it was filmed from Mount Lyford in July 2003. The producers and the local film crew came together for 4 days and set up a camera crane and slider on Mount Lyford, west of Kaikoura on New Zealand's South Island. The exact coordinates of the spot where Mi-do and Dae-su stand in front of the sunset behind the mountain are (42° 26' 48.00" S, 173° 08' 13.00" E).
- #020
Production Story (43)
- #021
- #022
- #023
- #024
This is the second one of director Park Chan-wook's "Revenge Trilogy". The first is Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002). The third is Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005). Incidentally, the very first speaking character in this film, who commits suicide with his dog and whose story we never hear, is played by Oh Gwang-Rok. In the first of the revenge trilogy he played an anarchist who appears at the very end of the film. He is the only credited character who appears in both movies.
- #025
- #026
- #027
The second link in director Park Chan-wook's "Vengeance Trilogy," the production follows the series' first film, "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" (2002), and concludes with "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" (2005). An interesting detail: Oh Gwang-Rok, who plays the first talking character whose story we never hear and who commits suicide with his dog in this film, plays an anarchist who appears at the very end of the trilogy's first film, making him the only character to be credited in both films.
- #028
At around the 24th minute of the film, the restaurant where Mi-do works is named "Mediterranean"; in reality, it is a venue with the same name. However, the director's actual intention was to name the restaurant "Akira"; this choice is a tribute not to the popular manga but to the legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.
- #029
- #030
- #031
- #032
(around 43 minutes in) The famous single-take corridor scene, shot over three days, was in fact genuinely recorded in one continuous take. No trick editing was used to make the scene appear as a single shot; only a small amount of CGI was used to insert the knife into Oh Dae-su's back and to clean up some of the punches.
- #033
(around 27 minutes in) Four octopuses were used for the scene in which Dae-su eats a live octopus at the sushi bar, and the scene sparked controversy abroad. Although eating live octopus is common in Korea, it is usually sliced first. When the film won the Grand Prix at Cannes, the director thanked the octopuses along with the cast and crew.
- #034
The film's final scenes (the snow and the footprints) were shot in New Zealand. The sound of wind heard after the credits have fully rolled was actually recorded at the shooting location in New Zealand. In an interview, the director said he was so struck by the New Zealand landscape that he saved the sound from there for (Korean) audiences.
- #035
(around 29 minutes in) Right after preventing Mi-do from reading her diary, Oh Dae-su bangs his head on the table. This was an accident that was not in the script and most likely genuinely hurt Choi Min-sik. Kang Hye-jeong (Mi-do), however, kept her composure and continued with her lines. In an interview, the director said he kept this scene, which would normally be considered "bad," because of its comedic and emotional value.
- #036
- #037
- #038
Although the film shows graphic violence (mostly off-screen), only seven characters die on screen: the man who commits suicide at the very beginning, Joo-hwan, the two of Woo-jin's men whom Oh Dae-su kills in his final confrontation with Woo-jin, Mr. Han, Woo-jin Lee and his sister. Because of the murder of Oh Dae-su's family and the guards who are wounded and die in the single-take corridor scene, the total number of deaths, both off-screen and on-screen, may be higher.
- #039
(around 1 hour 55 minutes in) The mountain in the final scene is Mount Tinline, and it was shot from Mount Lyford in July 2003. The producers and the local crew gathered on Mount Lyford, west of Kaikoura on New Zealand's South Island, for four days and set up a camera crane and slider. The exact coordinates of the spot where Mi-do and Dae-su stand in front of the mountain at sunset are (42° 26' 48.00" S, 173° 08' 13.00" E).
- #040
(around 1 hour 2 minutes in) In the scene where the transition is made from Mi-do's apartment to the building next door (when Oh Dae-su receives a phone call from his friend Joo-Hwan), if you pause the image, you can see Oh Dae-su's smile created by the two images coming together side by side.
- #041
- #042
- #043
The director left the police station scenes, in which Dae-su is drunk and causes a disturbance, for last. Choi Min-sik improvised most of these scenes, including the moment he plays with the toy wings he bought for his daughter. He also made up most of his lines in the rooftop scene himself, including the school anthem.
- #044
- #045
- #046
- #047
The second link in director Park Chan-wook's "Vengeance Trilogy," the production follows the series' first film, "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" (2002), and concludes with "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" (2005). An interesting detail: Oh Gwang-Rok, who plays the first speaking character in this film, the man who commits suicide with his dog and whose story we never hear, plays an anarchist who appears at the very end of the trilogy's first film, and he is the only character to be named in the credits of both films.
- #048
At around the 24th minute of the film, the restaurant where Mi-do works is named "Mediterranean"; it is a real establishment by the same name. The director's original intention, however, was to name the restaurant "Akira"; this choice was a tribute not to the popular manga but to the legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.
- #049
- #050
- #051
- #052
The name Oh Dae-su is derived from Oedipus, the tragic hero of Greek mythology who fell in love with his own mother. Read in Korean order as Oh Dae-su, the name is a direct reference to the film's themes of incest and fate. The parallel between the character's tragedy and the mythological narrative deepens the story.
- #053
The recurring painting on the wall of Oh Dae-su's cell is 'The Sorrowful Man' by the Belgian painter James Ensor. Ensor's grotesque world, filled with masks, overlaps with Dae-su's erasure of identity and his suffering. The painting serves as a metaphor that silently reflects the character's inner collapse.
- #054
The lines written on the painting in Dae-su's cell — 'Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone' — are the opening lines of Ella Wheeler Wilcox's famous poem 'Solitude'. This quotation emphasizes Dae-su's isolation in confinement and humanity's indifference to suffering. The poem also offers the key to the character's emotional prison.
- #055
When the elevator code 0604 is entered on the film's official website, the visitor is redirected to a guestbook. This interactive detail draws the viewer into the story and lets them experience Woo-jin's obsession with control. The audience, just like Dae-su, feels guided by an invisible hand.
- #056
The phone number 08-6600330, said to belong to Oh Dae-su's daughter's foster family in Sweden, gives the message 'disconnected at the owner's request' when called. However, the redirected number 08-54589400 leads to the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Stockholm. This real detail deliberately blurs the line between fiction and reality in the film.
- #057
In the flashback scene where Dae-su first speaks with Lee Soo-ah, Soo-ah is reading a book by the American poet Sylvia Plath, who died by suicide. Plath's tragic life and works are an early hint of Soo-ah's fragility and her inevitable end. This choice poetically foreshadows the character's fate.
- #058
Throughout the film, constant parallels are drawn between Mi-do and Woo-jin's sister Soo-ah. Both predominantly wear red and are associated with red objects: Soo-ah's red bicycle and umbrella, the red wallpaper in Mi-do's apartment and in the prison room. This repetition of colour is a visual motif of passion, danger and the incest taboo.
- #059
- #060
The phrase 'Free yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler', which serves as a clue to Woo-jin's address, is in fact taken from Proverbs 6:5, not 6:4. The director has said he intended this 'mistake' as a deception to mislead the audience. This is a clever game that applies the film's theme of manipulation to the viewers themselves.
- #061
There are many examples of cosmic justice in the film. Because Dae-su talked too much, his tongue is ultimately cut out; the white-haired Mr. Han, who hears everything and turns a blind eye to Woo-jin, is stabbed in the ear and deafened. In addition, the image of Jesus that Dae-su sees on his cell wall is identical to Dae-su's appearance at the moment of the great revelation at the end of the film.
- #062
In the internet café scene, the extras in the background are playing the popular first-person shooter Half-Life: Counter-Strike. From the screens and the background sound, the famous AWP weapon can occasionally be heard firing, along with StarCraft sound effects. This detail captures the spirit of the era while adding a subtle comment on the normalization of violence.
- #063
Although revenge appears to be the main motivation for Oh Dae-su's imprisonment, ironically it is Lee Woo-jin who seeks him out first. Woo-jin imprisons Dae-su for 15 years, is probably responsible for the murder of his wife, manipulates him into an incestuous relationship with Mi-do, and kills more people on screen than Dae-su does. While Woo-jin kills three people, Dae-su only wounds two guards, which makes one question who the true owner of the revenge is.
Behind the Scenes (24)
- #064
(at around 1 min) Scenes at the police station with drunken and disorderly Dae-su Oh were the very last scenes the director scheduled to film. Choi Min-sik (Dae-su Oh) ad-libbed most of these "drunken" scenes, including the scene of him playing with toy wings that he bought for his daughter. He also ad-libbed many of his lines during the penthouse scene, including the anthem of his school.
- #065
(at around 29 mins) Dae-su Oh bangs his head on a table right after stopping Mi-do from reading his diary. This was an unscripted accident, likely causing Choi Min-sik real pain. However Kang Hye-jeong (Mi-do) kept her cool and continued on with her lines. The director, in an interview, said that he kept and used this supposedly NG ("no good") scene for its comical and emotional value.
- #066
- #067
- #068
- #069
- #070
- #071
Contains a major spoiler — show
(at around 1h 55 mins) The mountain at the final scene is Mount Tinline and it's shot from Mount Lyford in July, 2003. Film makers and the local film crew came together for 4 days, set up a camera crane and a slider at Mount Lyford, west of Kaikoura in the South Island of New Zealand. The exact coordinate of where Mi-do and Dae-su stand in front of the sunset behind the mountain is (42° 26' 48.00" S, 173° 08' 13.00" E).
- #072
- #073
Contains a major spoiler — show
(at around 27 mins) Four live octopodes were eaten for the scene with Dae-su in the sushi bar, a scene which provoked some controversy abroad. Eating live octopus in Korea is commonplace although it is usually sliced first. When the film won the Grand Prix at Cannes, the director thanked the octopodes along with the cast and crew.
- #074
Contains a major spoiler — show
(at around 43 mins) The famous one-take corridor scene was shot in three days. No CGI was used to cleverly edit the sequence like a single shot but the scene was actually shot in one take (although a little CGI was used to show Oh Dae-su getting stabbed in the back with a knife and to correct some punches landing).
- #075
Contains a major spoiler — show
The last scenes of the movie (with snow and footsteps) were filmed in New Zealand. After the ending credit completely rolls over, audiences can hear sound of the wind. It was actual sound of the wind recorded in NZ location. The director revealed in an interview that he was impressed by the scenery of NZ so much he saved the sound there for the (Korean) audience.
- #076
- #077
The scenes of a drunk and adrift Dae-su Oh at the police station, at roughly 1 minute, were the last scenes the director planned to shoot. Choi Min-sik (Dae-su Oh) improvised much of this "drunken" material, including the scene in which he plays with the toy wings he bought for his daughter. He also improvised many of his lines in the rooftop scene, including his school anthem.
- #078
(around 43 minutes) The famous single-take corridor scene, shot over three days, was actually filmed in one continuous take. No trick editing was used to make the scene appear as a single shot; only a small amount of CGI was used to insert the knife into Oh Dae-su's back and to fix some of the punches.
- #079
(around 27 minutes) Four octopuses were used for the scene in which Dae-su eats a live octopus at the sushi bar, and the scene sparked controversy abroad. Although eating live octopus is common in Korea, it is usually sliced first. When the film won the Grand Prix at Cannes, the director thanked the octopuses along with the actor and the crew.
- #080
The film's final scenes (the snow and footprints) were shot in New Zealand. The sound of wind heard after the credits have fully rolled was actually recorded at the filming location in New Zealand. In an interview, the director said he was so impressed by the New Zealand landscape that he saved the sound from there for (Korean) audiences.
- #081
(around 29 minutes) Oh Dae-su bangs his head on the table right after stopping Mi-do from reading her diary. This was an accident that was not in the script and most likely genuinely hurt Choi Min-sik. However, Kang Hye-jeong (Mi-do) kept her composure and continued her lines. In an interview, the director said he kept this scene, which would normally be considered 'bad,' in the film for its comedic and emotional value.
- #082
- #083
- #084
Although the film shows graphic violence (mostly off-screen), only seven characters die on screen: the man who commits suicide at the very beginning, Joo-hwan, the two of Woo-jin's men whom Oh Dae-su kills in his final confrontation with Woo-jin, Mr. Han, Woo-jin Lee and his sister. The total number of deaths, both off-screen and on-screen, may be higher because of the murder of Oh Dae-su's family and the guards who are wounded and die in the single-take corridor scene.
- #085
(around 1 hour 55 minutes) The mountain in the final scene is Mount Tinline, and it was shot from Mount Lyford in July 2003. The producers and the local crew gathered on Mount Lyford, west of Kaikoura on New Zealand's South Island, for four days and set up a camera crane and slider. The exact coordinates of the spot where Mi-do and Dae-su stand in front of the mountain at sunset are (42° 26' 48.00" S, 173° 08' 13.00" E).
- #086
(around 1 hour 2 minutes) In the scene where the transition is made from Mi-do's apartment to the building next door (when Oh Dae-su receives a phone call from his friend Joo-Hwan), if you pause the image, you can see Oh Dae-su's smile created by the two images coming together side by side.
- #087
Characters & Cast (12)
- #088
- #089
- #090
- #091
At roughly the 29th minute, Dae-su Oh bangs his head on the table right after stopping Mi-do from reading the diary. This was an unscripted accident and probably caused Choi Min-sik real pain, but Kang Hye-jeong (Mi-do) kept her composure and continued her lines. In an interview, the director said he kept and used this so-called NG ("no good") take for its comedic and emotional value.
- #092
- #093
- #094
The director saved the police station scenes, in which Dae-su is drunk and causes a disturbance, for last. Choi Min-sik improvised most of these scenes, including the moment he plays with the toy wings he bought for his daughter. He also made up much of his dialogue in the rooftop scene, including the school anthem.
- #095
- #096
- #097
- #098
- #099
Easter Eggs & References (12)
- #100
- #101
(at around 34 mins) The telephone number (08-6600330) which is supposed to go to Oh Dae-su's daughter's foster parents home in Sweden, actually has been "shut down requested by the owner of the number" (that's what the voice says when you call the number). But you are referred to another number (08-54589400) which goes to "The Embassy of the Republic of Korea" in Stockholm, Sweden.
- #102
(at around 50 mins) During the scene in the cyber cafe, the extras in the background are playing the popular first person shooter Half-Life: Counter-Strike (2000). This is apparent when watching screens and when listening to background noise. You can faintly hear the famous AWP weapon being fired from time to time. You can also notice sounds from StarCraft (1998) in the background.
- #103
- #104
- #105
- #106
- #107
- #108
Contains a major spoiler — show
(at around 1h 26 mins) The phrase "Like the gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like the bird from the hand of the fowler, free yourself," which was a clue to Woo-jin's residence, is actually from Proverbs 6:5, not Proverbs 6:4. The director once said that it was just a hoax, not a mistake.
- #109
- #110
- #111
Deeper Meaning (19)
- #112
Contains a major spoiler — show
Despite vengeance the main motivation for Oh Dae-Su's imprisonment, it is Lee Woo-jin (Dae-Su's captor) who ironically seeks it first. He kidnapped Dae-Su, imprisoning him for 15 years. Woo-jin is likely responsible for the murder of Dae-Su's wife (it is implied), successfully manipulated Dae-Su to have sex with Mi-Do (for witnessing his own incestuous act with his sister) and even killed more people onscreen than Dae-Su himself (Woo-jin killed 3 people: Joo-hwan, Mr Han and himself compared to Dae-Su's fatal injuries on Woo-jin's two penthouse bodyguards).
- #113
Contains a major spoiler — show
There are constant parallels between Mi-do and Soo-ah, Woo-Jin's sister, throughout the film. One of them is that both Soo-ah and Mi-do dress in predominantly red clothing and are associated with a red color (Soo-ah's red bike and umbrella, the red wallpaper in Mi-do's apartment and prison room).
- #114
Contains a major spoiler — show
Despite the movie's depiction of graphic (but mostly offscreen) violence, only seven characters die on screen (some of the prison guards Oh Dae-su beat up in the one-take corridor scene appeared at Mi-Do's apartment with Mr. Park joining them): The suicidal man at the very beginning, Joo-hwan, two of Woo-jin's enforcers that Oh-Dae-su kills in his final confrontation with Woo-jin, Mr. Han, Woo-jin Lee and his sister. The number of deaths in total offscreen and on screen might be higher due to Oh Dae-su's family murdered and the prison guards who fought with Oh Dae-su in the one-take corridor scene who died of their injuries.
- #115
Contains a major spoiler — show
There are many instances of cosmic justice throughout the film. Dae-su's character talks too much, so at the end of the film he gets his tongue cut off. Mr. Han, the man with the white hair, hears everything that Woo-jin did and still lets him do it, this is justified by him getting stabbed in the ear and deafened at the end. Additionally, the imagery of Jesus which Oh Dae-su sees on the wall of his prison room looks identical to Oh Dae-su at the end of the movie during the big reveal.
- #116
- #117
The name Oh Dae-su is derived from Oedipus, the tragic hero of Greek mythology who fell in love with his own mother. Read in Korean order as Oh Dae-su, the name directly references the film's themes of incest and fate. The parallel between the character's tragedy and the mythological narrative deepens the story.
- #118
When Oh Dae-su mentions the sleeping gas used by Russian special forces, he alludes to the 2002 Moscow Nord-Ost theatre siege. In that real event, hostages lost their lives because of the gas used during the operation. With this reference, the film lays a realistic and disturbing foundation for the method by which Dae-su is imprisoned.
- #119
The recurring painting on the wall of Oh Dae-su's cell is 'The Sorrowful Man' by the Belgian painter James Ensor. Ensor's grotesque world full of masks overlaps with Dae-su's loss of identity and his suffering. The painting functions as a metaphor that silently reflects the character's inner collapse.
- #120
The lines written on the painting in Dae-su's cell — 'Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone' — are the opening lines of Ella Wheeler Wilcox's famous poem 'Solitude.' This quotation emphasizes Dae-su's isolation in confinement and humanity's indifference to suffering. The poem also offers the key to the character's emotional prison.
- #121
When the elevator code 0604 is entered on the film's official website, the visitor is redirected to a guestbook. This interactive detail draws the viewer into the story and lets them experience Woo-jin's obsession with control. The audience, just like Dae-su, feels that they are being guided by an invisible hand.
- #122
The phone number 08-6600330, said to belong to Oh Dae-su's daughter's foster family in Sweden, gives the message that 'the number has been disconnected at the owner's request' when called. However, the redirected number 08-54589400 leads to the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Stockholm. This real detail deliberately blurs the line between the film's fiction and reality.
- #123
In the flashback scene where Dae-su first speaks with Lee Soo-ah, Soo-ah is reading a book by the American poet Sylvia Plath, who committed suicide. Plath's tragic life and works are an early hint of Soo-ah's fragility and her inevitable end. This choice foreshadows the character's fate in poetic language.
- #124
Throughout the film, constant parallels are drawn between Mi-do and Woo-jin's sister Soo-ah. Both dress predominantly in red and are associated with red objects: Soo-ah's red bicycle and umbrella, the red wallpaper in Mi-do's apartment and in the prison room. This repetition of colour is a visual motif of passion, danger and the incest taboo.
- #125
- #126
The phrase that serves as a clue to Woo-jin's address — 'Free yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler' — is in fact taken from Proverbs 6:5, not 6:4. The director has said that he intended this 'mistake' as a decoy to mislead the audience. This is a clever game that applies the film's theme of manipulation to the audience itself.
- #127
There are many examples of cosmic justice in the film. Dae-su, because he talks too much, eventually has his tongue cut out; the white-haired Mr. Han, who hears everything and turns a blind eye to Woo-jin, is stabbed in the ear and made deaf. In addition, the image of Jesus that Dae-su sees on his cell wall is identical to Dae-su's appearance at the moment of the great revelation at the end of the film.
- #128
- #129
In the internet café scene, the extras in the background are playing the popular first-person shooter Half-Life: Counter-Strike. From the screens and the background sound, the famous AWP weapon can be heard firing at times, along with StarCraft sound effects. This detail captures the spirit of the era while adding a subtle comment on the normalization of violence.
- #130
Although revenge appears to be the main motivation for Oh Dae-su's imprisonment, ironically it is Lee Woo-jin who seeks him out first. Woo-jin imprisons Dae-su for 15 years, is probably responsible for the murder of his wife, manipulates him into an incestuous relationship with Mi-do, and kills more people on screen than Dae-su does. While Woo-jin kills three people, Dae-su only wounds two guards; this makes one question who the true owner of the revenge is.
Career & Awards (3)
- #131
- #132
- #133
For the scene at roughly the 27th minute in which Dae-su is at the sushi bar, four live octopuses were eaten; the scene caused some controversy abroad. Eating live octopus is ordinary in Korea, though it is usually sliced first. When the film won the Grand Prix at Cannes, the director thanked the octopuses along with the cast and crew.
Life & Family (2)
- #134
- #135
Despite the film's graphic (but mostly off-screen) depiction of violence, only seven characters die on screen (some of the prison guards beaten in the one-take corridor scene reappear when Oh Dae-su, joined by Mr. Park, appears at Mi-Do's apartment): the initially suicidal man Joo-hwan, and the two enforcers of Woo-jin whom Oh Dae-su kills in his final encounter with Woo-jin, Mr. Han, Woo-jin Lee and his sister. The total number of deaths, both off-screen and on-screen, may be higher because of the murder of Oh Dae-su's family and the prison guards who fight Oh Dae-su in the one-take corridor scene and die of their wounds.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
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