Spike Lee’s latest ‘joint’ is the American remake of South
Korean director Park Chan-wook’s excellent but subversive 2003 cult hit ‘Oldboy,’ the second
installment in his so-called "Vengeance trilogy" that is also widely considered
to be its best. Chances are, if you -
like me - have seen the original ‘Oldboy,’ this movie will offer nothing new for you
because ‘Oldboy’ is one of those delicious “riddles wrapped in a mystery inside
an enigma” with such a shocking twist slowly but methodically revealed that
watching it again invariably loses some of its impact.
However, for those of you who haven’t seen the
original, this Americanized version is well worth the look because ‘Oldboy’ is really a
splendid mystery and sordid tale of revenge that never holds back, packed with
ultra-violence, creeping suspense and sheer, good old fashioned storytelling, even if
it’s guilty of being outlandish and highly implausible. In fact, like David Fincher's 'The Game,' it is the plot's very outrageousness that lends the movie its strength, as we're drawn into its intricate web of deceit and realize with bone-chilling horror
just how far people will go to serve the cold dish of revenge in calculated fashion.
‘Oldboy’ 2013 is more-or-less a faithful remake of Park
Chan-wook’s original, with some minor tweaks in details. Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley
and Samuel L. Jackson all performed their parts well in this Coen
Brothers-meets-Alfred Hitchcock suspense thriller that could have been directed by
Quentin Tarantino if one didn’t know any better.
Alas, ‘Oldboy’ is an art-house genre film that will never have mainstream
appeal due to its highly provocative and taboo content.
Grade: A
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