Review of Oldboy (2013) by Nathan M — 12 Dec 2013

The American update of Oldboy is a movie about revenge... No violence... No... I'm not really sure what it's about, and I don't think director Spike Lee is either.

The Good: Descent Into Madness - For the first 30 minutes or so of the film I found myself shocked at how much I was enjoying this remake (especially since I adore the original). Lee takes us on a disturbing, yet emotional journey with Joe as he fights for his sanity in the prison. The relationship with the mouse, in particular, was a great touch.

Fun camera work - For most of the film, Lee tries to capture the fun of Park Chan Wook's original film, which heavily featured stylish camera work. This time around the director is not as interested in slick, perfected camera work, but more for interesting work. Most of the time this worked for me.

The Bad: The cheese - This film beats you over the head with campy "fun", and it gets a little sickening at times. The way that Lee handles the fight scenes, the villains, and the touchy subject material is just so heavy handed and over the top, that it is almost comical at times. Where the first film dealt with disturbing material in stylish and poetic ways, this one just revels in the filth.

Sharlto Copley - This one goes hand in hand with the cheese. An actor who I usually enjoy chooses to just be this wacky villain. Instead of delving into the psychology of this character (maybe something to fault the screenwriter for), Copley chooses to just throw some quirks in the mix, and play a surface level wacko.

The third act - Once again, I know this is about the cheese, but where as Park Chan Wook's film thrives in its third act, this film falls apart. I don't want to go into too much, but once you see the film you'll know what I mean.

The questions - Probably due to wanting to make this film different than the unique original, screenwriter Mark Protosevich or director Spike Lee chose to rush this film. Leaving out or just throwing out key details to the plot, and leaving the audience with many questions. This once again would delve into spoilers, but when you think about this plot, it doesn't make much sense.

The Smugly (Movie Snob Nitpicks): Samuel L. Jackson - I will say this actor works the camp factor like a charm. His character is both fun and menacing; however, he is incredibly underutilized. He's basically a useless character that is just a device to move the plot forward.

Joe was a bad guy before prison - The first five minutes or so beat you over the head with the idea that Joe was a bad guy before prison, that it just is weak storytelling. It wasn't necessary for him to come on to that girl, instead it just felt weird.

P.S. Please watch the original South Korean film before watching this. It's a modern day classic.