The South-Korean revenge epic that puts Kill Bill to shame. Oh Dae-su is an average man who finds himself mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years in what appears to be a hotel room. He gets no explanation or human contact, his only link with the outside world being a TV that eventually delivers news of his wife’s murder. After years of struggling towards an escape Shawshank Redemption-style, he is drugged and set free, left with the clothes on his back and a burning vengeance to hunt down the people who ruined his life. His captor is only too happy to to reveal himself, but Dae-su finds that every step closer to revenge brings him three steps back in getting answers. As if the psychological torture inflicted on Dae-su in this cruel game isn’t enough, there’s plenty of toolbox dentistry, octopus decapitation and disturbing revelations to make an audience squirm, and almost guarantee that the eventual American remake becomes a pale copy of this brutal tale. Oldboy is uncompromising, beautifully shot and scored, and delivers a satisfying ending. Definitely track this one down.

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