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Spike’s adaptation features more backstory at the beginning of the film, so get ready for lots of drunken Josh Brolin antics.
The backstory is longer (and a little different). There is still a list of enemies, the use of poison gas, a greasy dumpling scavenger hunt, and the help of a young female acquaintance (played by Elizabeth Olsen). While the journey he takes along the way has its own unique twists and turns, the overall structure doesn’t deviate from the original source. At this point, he decides to put his training to good use by hunting down the bastard who detained him. Stricken with grief, Joe soon turns himself into a one-man revenge machine, working out every day until his sudden release, twenty years later (a small change from the first movie, which has our hero in jail for only fifteen years). While locked up, he discovers his ex-wife has been murdered, making his daughter an orphan. Like Park’s Oldboy, Lee’s version begins with a boozehound businessman looking to buy a birthday present for his young daughter, a mission that ends with him being kidnapped off a rainy street and thrown in jail - albeit, one designed like a dingy hotel room - for no reason. The overall story is pretty much the same. However, before you start writing an angry blog post or cursing at Spike over Twitter for desecrating a classic film, let’s take a look and see whether he actually honored the source material or hammered it beyond recognition. The New York–based director is known for his independence and uncompromising vision, which can be a double-edged sword when remaking a violent South Korean flick: While Lee would hopefully prevent the studio from meddling with any major decisions regarding the plot and structure, his independent streak could mess up what Park was going for in the first place. When Chan-wook’s Oldboy hit theaters in 2003, it was praised for its unique structure, its magnificent fight scenes, and its visual flair - making Lee a bold choice to adapt the film for an American audience. Based on the cult favorite by director Park Chan-wook, the film follows a man named Joe Doucett (Josh Brolin), who seeks revenge after being kidnapped and imprisoned for twenty years for apparently no reason. This weekend, Spike Lee plays the remake game with his version of Oldboy.
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Remaking a movie is always tricky, particularly when the original has such a strong following. Photo: Tartan Films Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/OB Productions, Inc.
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