Oldboy, Cinemas across London

The prospect of Spike Lee’s remake of Park Chan-wook’s cult-classic thriller Oldboy has been greeted with much scepticism from critics. Why Spike Lee? Why Oldboy? Why now? 

The 2003 South Korean original is an eye-wateringly violent saga of vengeance: freshly released from an unexplained, 15 year incarceration protagonist Oh Dae-su seeks out his anonymous captor. Questions are answered, blood is shed, a beautiful young sushi chef is romanced: the film has it all.

The original has an almost fanatical following in the West and, by film history standards, is a fairly recent world cinema hit.  What could Spike Lee – master of urban muscular grit – bring to this uniquely bizarre and horrifying tale of revenge? Is the film an attempt to ride the wave of South Korean cinema’s current popularity in the West, or something a little more ambitious than that? 

Josh Brolin, who plays the main lead, allegedly asked Park Chan-wook for his blessing to play the role, which he gave, adding: ‘Make your own film’. Indeed, a comparison, while inevitable, ultimately serves limited a purpose. Spike Lee takes as much from Hitchcock as he does from Park. All the key scenes are there – the memorable eating of the octopus and the exquisitely choreographed hallway fight scene – but Spike-ified. The infamously long fight scene is three times as long here, after the final shoot of which Brolin allegedly broke down in tears. 

The film will undoubtedly speak differently to viewers familiar and unfamiliar with Park’s work. But regardless of whether you will be coming to the film as a member of the Oldboy cult or out of sheer curiosity, the script and performances from Josh Brolin and Samuel L Jackson are strong and this version is, frankly, a lot more palatable and endurable than the original. But by no means does it have a Hollywood veneer to it: distinctly American – yes, but not of the glamourised, rose-tinted brand.

Oldboy is currently showing in cinemas across London.