--- title: "Oldboy: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/oldboy/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/oldboy" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Oldboy (2003): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 7 reviews: 6 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond strongly to Oldboy’s violent revenge story, with praise clustering around its restless imagery, immersive action and capacity to make brutality uncomfortable rather than merely exciting. The reviews repeatedly find more than technical skill in its setpieces: they see a troubling examination of hatred, responsibility and the value of vengeance. Its grotesque imagery and intricate mystery are central to that appeal, while Empire singles out the one-take corridor fight as a particular achievement. The divide concerns how much substance sits beneath that visual confidence. Empire acknowledges implausibility but finds enough verve to recommend it to those with strong stomachs. The New York Times is the lone negative voice, enjoying the style while judging the mayhem largely empty and the narrative’s provocations juvenile. That leaves a wide spread of opinion, though six of the seven reviews favour the film: most find its violence purposeful; the dissent finds virtuosity insufficient. ## Little White Lies — Kambole Campbell Rating 5/5/4. 29 July 2019. The critic finds Oldboy a lurid, complex beast that has earned cult classic status despite not being Park's greatest work. They single out the film's thoughtful consideration of the violence it depicts, which makes the brutality increasingly unbearable and the final twists especially twisted. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/oldboy) ## Los Angeles Times — Carina Chocano Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 March 2005. The critic describes the film as an astonishingly visceral, dreamlike experience that plays like an extended adrenaline rush, hinging on a Byzantine narrative about the transformative power of hatred and revenge. She singles out its fluid, shifting torrent of imagery and unanswered questions about guilt, responsibility, and morality for praise, noting it feels truly authentic despite being weird and fantastical. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-mar-25-et-oldboy25-story.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 2004. The critic finds Oldboy a gut-wrenchingly violent and queasily ingenious revenge thriller that opens up a new frontier of exotic horror in Korean cinema. They single out the protagonist's 15-year imprisonment and live-octopus-eating scene as particularly stomach-churning and memorable. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2004/oct/15/2) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 2004. The critic finds Oldboy extreme in its violence, torture and revenge themes, with a standout one-take corridor fight scene, and advises viewers with strong stomachs to see it for its verve despite some implausibility. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/oldboy-review/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 25 March 2005. The critic calls it a good if trivial genre movie, entertaining to watch due to its visual style but with little substance beyond choreographed mayhem and a puerile twist ending. She singles out the director's unoriginal but snazzy visual style, indebted to Hitchcock, Kubrick, Buñuel, and especially David Fincher, for praise while complaining that cinematic virtuosity for its own sake threatens to bury viewers in shiny, meaningless movies. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/25/movies/the-violence-and-the-seafood-is-more-than-raw.html) ## Polygon — Tasha Robinson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 17 August 2023. The critic argues that Oldboy remains essential viewing for its immersive action, mystery, and visceral violence rather than just its historical influence. They single out the shocking, taboo-breaking ending and the way the film gets under the skin with its grotesque imagery. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/23833546/oldboy-4k-restoration-theatrical-release-recommendation-best-action-movies/) ## Consequence — Clint Worthington Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 August 2023. The critic highlights Oldboy's lasting impact on international cinema and its status as a raw, visceral revenge thriller that questions the value of vengeance. They single out its brutal setpieces and influence on later Korean cinema and global pop culture. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2023/08/oldboy-remastered-why-its-good/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/oldboy.md