his house. He later wakes up to find himself in a private makeshift prison. While suffering from his debacle, Dae-su becomes shocked when he watches the news and hears that his beloved wife has
been brutally murdered. The police suspect Dae-su to be the murderer after finding his blood at the murder site. Shocked by the news, Dae-su examines his arm and finds a needle mark. Dae-su makes an attempt to commit suicide, but it ends up in
failure. As time passes, he begins to write down all the things that he had done which might have brought trouble or pain to other people. He mutters to himself, “I hurt too many people … And I’m sure the man who imprisoned me and
murdered my wife is one of them…” Dae-su gradually adjusts to the cell’s darkness while training his mind and body. He swears to take revenge on the man who destroyed his happy life. Dae-su’s whole body becomes covered with
tattoos, one for each of the fifteen years of his long confinement. Planning an imminent escape, sleeping gas is sprayed into his room and Dae-su passes out.
2003. A man who’s imprisoned. “Remember what put you in a cell!”
Comingto his senses, Dae-su discovers that he’s been released with a wallet filled with cash and a mobile phone. While he eats in a Japanese restaurant, a strange man calls Dae-su and asks him to figure
out why he was imprisoned. After the guy hangs up the phone, Dae-su falls down unconscious and later wakes up in a stranger’s home. It belongs to a young woman named Mido, a cook working in the Japanese restaurant he was eating at. Dae-su
talks to Mi-do about his 15 years in confinement, and she promises to help him seek vengeance. With Mido’s help, Dae-su begins to visit various people who might have a grudge against him. But all his efforts come up short.
One day, a guy, who has an I.D. called Evergreen, contacts Mido while she’s chatting on the Internet. He asks her to say hello to Dae-su for him. Later, Dae-su finally finds the private prison he was
confined in. There, he discovers a cassette with a recording that only says… “Imprison OH Dae-su for 15 years. He talks too much…” Short on clues, Dae-su starts tracking down the guy with the Evergreen I.D. The lead bears
fruit as he finally runs face to face with his kidnapper. The culprit tells Dae-su that he’ll never find out why he was imprisoned if Dae-su kills him now, so instead, the kidnapper proposes a game. The man tells Dae-su that if he discovers
the real reason why within five days, then he will kill himself. If not, he will kill Mido, the girl who helps Dae-su.
In order to evade tails and any wiretapping, Dae-su and Mido seek refuge in a cheap motel, and have a passionate night together. The following day, Dae-su visits a high school named, Evergreen High School,
based on the clue, “Evergreen”.
A forgotten past reveals the secret between two men
In the school, Dae-su finds a photo of his kidnapper in the album. His name is LEE Woo-jin and he had a sister called LEE Soo-ah. Dae-su finally remembers the day when he witnessed Woo-jin and Soo-ah making
love in a warehouse in the school, and later told his friend what he saw. After that day, word got around the whole school, and Soo-ah killed herself out of shame. Dae-su rushes to Woo-jin’s house and tells Woo-jin to kill himself since he
finally discovered the reason why he was imprisoned. But unexpectedly, Woo-jin hands a package to Dae-su. Trembling with fear, Dae-su unties the package which reveals hidden secrets about Dae-su and Mido’s relationship…
OLD BOY
WINNER, PRIX DU JURY CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2004
Released by Tartan Films on October 15 2004
Running time: 119 minutes
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