Master of thrills Park Chan-Wook at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards ceremony. (more) Park Chan-Wook South Korean film director Written by Arpit Nayak Arpit Nayak is an associate editor at Encyclopedia Britannica. Arpit Nayak Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Feb. 24, 2026 •History When the revenge thriller Oldeuboi (Oldboy) opened in South Korean cinemas in 2003, audiences lapped up director Park Chan-Wook’s flashy camerawork, black humor, and operatic violence—not to mention a jaw-dropping climactic twist for the ages. The following year the film became the talk of the town when it was adjudged second best at the Cannes film festival. If filmmaker Quentin Tarantino had had his way, it would have won the top prize. From there the...

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