The Lowdown

Oldboy is a Korean revenge film which has some similarities in setup to The Count of Monte Cristo.

Some Observations

• The film tells the story of Oh Dae Su, who is abducted and imprisoned alone in a hotel room for 15 years with no explanation. While there he becomes an expert fighter through shadowboxing and when he escapes he is consumed by an obsession with revenge which leads him down a dark path.
• Although there are similarities in the premise and the film makes references to The Count of Monte Cristo there are too many differences for this to be seen as a straight adaptation. Unlike Dantes, Oh Dae Su has no clue as to why he has been subjected to imprisonment, and the film generally follows him as he attempts to investigate the mystery. We find that the theme of revenge cuts both ways, and the film takes some pretty gruesome turns (teeth being removed with a hammer not the least)
• The film is part of director Park Chan-wook's 'revenge trilogy', a series of three films which are not narratively connected but feature many of the same themes and actors.

The Verdict

Oldboy was very popular when it was released, winning the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, and helped popularise Korean cinema in the Western mainstream. It's a great film (if you're into ultra-violent revenge thrillers) but we can't really claim it as a direct Monte Cristo adaptation.

Characters and Plot Elements