Review of Oldboy (2013) by Oskar M — 22 Feb 2014

Call the remake unnecessary as most proclaim the original 2003 Korean film is a masterpiece of modern cinema. Yes, Spike Lee's Oldboy tanked at the box office. And yes, it is strikingly similar in shots and composition to Park Chan-Wook's film. But I'm sorry to all those that worship the original film: I'm not a fan. I appreciate the story, but didn't like how it was executed. Of course it all comes down to taste, and for myself, sometimes Asian cinema annoys me. A lot of their films often, be it Korean, Chinese, Japanese, etc, have a goofy tone when it should have a serious one. Don't even get me started on Bollywood films. It's different cultures, I know, but many times Asian cinema lacks the grit European cinema has, or American for that matter. Oldboy is a dark film with a heavy subject matter. But many times in the original, the editing was off for me and the acting was a little over-the-top. For those and many other reasons, I don't think Oldboy is the classic so many claim it is.

Now here comes Spike Lee's Oldboy, the inevitable American remake. The one no one asked for, much like the remake of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which I quite like. I thought David Fincher's take on it was very well done and the performances were great, along with a fantastic story line. Am I the type of person that always needs to see the American version? Hell no. I'm down to watch cinema from any part of the world. Subtitles don't bother me, I've been surrounded by people who don't speak English or enough English my whole life; I welcome subtitles. I even put subtitles when I watch films alone, just so I can read the dialogue as it goes along. I'm all for watching the original material. I just think every now and then, Hollywood does it right, and sometimes even better, and Spike Lee's Oldboy is one of them.