Oldboy is not only one of the greatest revenge thrillers ever made but also one of the single greatest pieces of Korean film to exist. That’s not an exaggeration, either. Making multiple “greatest films of all time” lists across several major publications, as well as paving the way for Korean media to grow in popularity overseas, Oldboy is one of those few movies that not only left behind a significant cultural impact but also dazzled and entertained in equal measure during its original theatrical run. Now, through the distribution company Neon, you’ll have an opportunity to see Oldboy on the silver screen.

Originally released in 2003, Oldboy now faces its 20th anniversary this year. As the middle entry of Park Chan-wook’s thematic “vengeance” trilogy, a significant number of people may have never gotten an opportunity to see it in all its glory. That is, until now. If you’re aching to see a piece of quality Korean cinema, there’s no better time to do so. These are just a few reasons you should be excited about Oldboy’s theatrical re-release.
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Oldboy Is a Modern-Day Classic

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Oldboy has a simple setup: a stumbling drunkard named Oh Dae-su is kidnapped off the streets and locked inside a mysterious room for a decade and a half, his only connection to the outside world being those who bring him food and a single television. When he’s eventually released, abandoned inside a large chest on a rooftop, only one thing remains certain in his life: he must find whoever did this to him. A mystery is slowly unraveled, relationships are formed, hammers are swung into heads, and terrifying revelations ensue shortly after.

It’s easy to read this synopsis and write Oldboy off as yet another Korean revenge film. But there’s more to it than just melodrama and violence. Other than receiving praise from Quentin Tarantino and Roger Ebert, Oldboy’s positive qualities more than outweigh any possible negatives.

Related: Here’s Why I Saw the Devil Is One of the Best Revenge Movies of All Time

The performances on offer are amazing. Choi Min-sik (I Saw the Devil, Lucy), Yoo Ji-tae (Antarctic Journal), and Kang Hye-jung (Antarctic Journal, Nabi) all deliver engaging characters in a story that shows how far we’re willing to go for what we perceive as justice.

The film’s famous hallway fight, an almost four-minute continuous take with no cuts or seamless transitions, has inspired countless on-screen brawls since. The hallway fight from Netflix’s Daredevil, for example, undoubtedly took some inspiration from it, as both Daredevil and Oh Dae-su get just as exhausted and beaten down as the thugs they take on.

All this ultimately leads to one of the most shocking twists in contemporary film to date, with an ending left purposefully ambiguous for the audience’s own interpretations. We won’t spoil the twist for you here, but there are more than a few reasons why it’s still so effective twenty years later.

Oldboy would even receive a remake from Spike Lee of BlacKkKlansman and Da 5 Bloods fame in 2013, though in his own words, it’s more of a “reimagining” than a direct remake. Nonetheless, Spike Lee’s film and its surrounding notoriety in film discussions would arguably highlight the strengths of the original 2003 film even more.

Why You Should Be Excited

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Oldboy as a film is terrific; that alone is enough justification for most to see it. But it’s important to remember that Oldboy also left a significant impact on Korean cinema’s international recognition as a whole. It’s easy enough to point fingers at the massive audiences for Korean dramas on Netflix and call those a byproduct of Oldboy’s success, but there’s a bit more context behind it.

The late 90s and early 2000s marked a significant period of revitalization for Korean cinema. For the sake of brevity, these are the biggest points to understand: quotas that placed restrictions on imported foreign films created an environment for domestic blockbusters to thrive, and international recognition of not just Oldboy, but other films like Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder, allowed these larger films to find an audience overseas.

Now, more than 20 years after Oldboy’s release, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite won Best Picture at the Oscars, Squid Game was a cultural phenomenon during its original release, and both Korean television and film have devoted audiences from all over the world.

Related: Here’s What to Watch if You Loved Oldboy and Want Similar Movies

Oldboy played a vital role in getting to where we are now. It’s a film whose legacy is wholly deserved, one that not only tells an intriguing story of revenge and the limits of humanity but one that does so in a beautiful, occasionally humorous, and utterly compelling way.

Sure, you could get a similar experience from the comfort of your home, but seeing it up on the big screen when you may not get an opportunity otherwise is something you can’t afford to miss.

If you’ve been meaning to see Oldboy, you could argue that seeing a newly-restored version of the film up on the big screen is arguably the definitive way to do so.