Review of Oldboy (2013) by Brett E — 20 Jul 2014

This is not at all a bad movie but I think it is rather unnecessary. It goes without saying the original was better, but I think what Lee wanted to do was to make the story more palatable for an American audience. In that he has succeeded but like Dae-su his success is also his failure.

In Americanizing Oldboy certain plot points have been changed but it is still a good story. I think where the remake falls short is the cinematography, acting, and music.

We get very basic angles and shots with delusions of grandeur. Some forced roles, some phoned in, some all together cheesy. And a lackluster score that is entirely forgettable. A far cry from Park's masterpiece.

I'm no film buff, but the original is clearly the better movie. If you can deal with a foreign film, if you don't mind reading subtitles, if you would rather watch a piece of art and not just a child's rendering of it in a coloring book, see the original and give this one a miss.

Bottom line, this movie isn't bad, but it was just done way better before. The only reason it's as good as it is is because of the story which has now been done three times. Third time is not the charm here.