"Ask not why you were imprisoned. Ask why you were set free." This is the question lurking throughout Oldboy. This neo noir mystery film directed by Spike Lee, written by Mark Protosevich, based on Park Chan-wook's 2003 South Korean film of the same name. In this rendition, an advertising executive is kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement. When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his punishment, only to find he is still trapped in a web of conspiracy and torment.
In November 2008, DreamWorks and Universal were securing the rights to remake the South Korean film with Justin Lin initially attached to direct. Steven Spielberg was later announced as director, with Will Smith expressing interest to star. Mark Protosevich was in talks to write the script, although the acquisition to the remake rights were not finalized. Smith later clarified that Spielberg would not be remaking the film: he would be adapting the manga itself, which is considerably different from the film. In June 2009, the comic's publisher launched a lawsuit against Park, Hwang Jo-yoon, and Lim Joon-hyeong, the Korean film's producers, for giving the film rights to Spielberg without their permission. Later in November, it was reported that DreamWorks, Spielberg and Smith had stepped back from the project. In the same month, the producing team announced that the project was dead. In early July 2011, it was announced that Spike Lee would helm the remake with a screenplay written by Protosevich. Josh Brolin was cast to star in the remake as the lead character. Christian Bale, Colin Firth, and Clive Owen were reportedly offered the villain role before Sharlto Copley had officially been cast in May 2012. Lily Collins, Rooney Mara, and Mia Wasikowska were offered the female lead, but all declined before Elizabeth Olsen accepted. Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Imperioli, and Nate Parker were all later announced to have joined the cast. Parker was later replaced by James Ransone, due to a scheduling conflict. Principal photography began in October 2012, filming throughout New Orleans, Louisiana.
The film stars Brolin, Olsen, Copley, Jackson, and Imperioli. The cast gave less-than-stellar performances that did not add anything new to the characters and story nor elevate the material whatsoever. Brolin, Olsen, Jackson, Imperioli's performances came off as stale, and Copley gave an embarrassing performance that just came off as cartoonish.
The real mystery here is why a filmmaker as talented and unique as Spike Lee would want to devote several years of his life to recreating someone else's movie. Who would have thought that Lee had a movie as bad as Oldboy in him? For all the filmmakers' efforts, this project is something of an artistic albatross. A classic case of what happens when Hollywood takes a South Korean Neo-noir thriller and turn it into a glossy, overproduced big-budget movie that lacks distinct identity. It's an insult to the South Korean classic. It's nearly two hours I'll never get back.
The real mystery here is why a filmmaker as talented and unique as Spike Lee would want to devote several years of his life to recreating someone else's movie. Who would have thought that Lee had a movie as bad as Oldboy in him? For all the filmmakers' efforts, this project is something of an artistic albatross. A classic case of what happens when Hollywood takes a South Korean Neo-noir thriller and turn it into a glossy, overproduced big-budget movie that lacks distinct identity. It's an insult to the South Korean classic. It's nearly two hours I'll never get back.
Simon says Oldboy (2013) receives:
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