From Karen Krizanovich, 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die: "Mysticism, poetry, school days, and a futuristic bedroom are only some of the wonders found in Oldboy. A thriller that hinges on oedipal taboos and blind destiny, hypnotism, and fate, this breakthrough film - part action, part drama, part psychological thriller - has introduced Korean cinema to more viewers than any other film. The story is more direct and compelling that director Park Chan-wook's popular previous film, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), and features an explosive beginning. A man is imprisoned for fiteen years without an explanation. Upon escape, he must find his kidnapper in only five days. "This violent, elegiac masterpiece is based on a Japanese manga cartoon by Garon Tsuchiya. Actor Min-sik Choi, who performed his own stunts, trained rigorously for his role as hapless kidnap victim Dae-su, a man who tries to escape his windowless prison by ingeniously digging through a skyscraper wall into thin ai...