Why did Spike Lee remake ‘Oldboy’?
Korean cinema has enjoyed a huge surge in popularity over the last three decades, and as far as the country’s most significant works go, it’s hard to look beyond the wild impact of Park Chan-wook’s 2003 thriller Oldboy. A true masterpiece of violent tension, Park’s film has often been uttered in whispers of the greatest films of the 21st century.
Narratively, the film focuses on Choi Min-sik’s character, Oh Dae-su, who is imprisoned for 15 years in a hotel room-like cell without knowing the identity of his captor. Upon release, Dae-su is consumed by the need for vengeance, and as he seeks out his captor, he finds himself still wrapped up in a web of deceit and conspiracy.
Oldboy features several truly harrowing and emotive moments, wildly impressive action sequences and some of the greatest and most shocking twists in the history of contemporary cinema. In fact, the film was so good that Hollywood heads just could not resist the temptation to remake it, and in 2013, an American version, directed by Spike Lee and starring Josh Brolin in the lead role, arrived.
During an interview with The Verge, Lee was asked what it was about the original Oldboy that drew him to the remake project and what external factors had also inspired him to take on the job. He simply replied, “Great film, great director, and a chance to work with Josh Brolin. And I had not done a reinterpretation before.”
According to Lee, the remake only went ahead because Brolin had been giving the blessing of Park, and the Korean director had suggested to the pair that they resist the idea of completely remaking the original and focus on their “own film”. Perhaps that’s why Lee refers to his version as a “reinterpretation” rather than a remake.”
However, it’s fair to say that Lee’s version of Oldboy was an utter disappointment and failed to live up to the quality of Park’s original, showing yet again the fact that sleeping dogs ought to be left well alone. Not only was it a box-office bomb, but 2013’s Oldboy was widely panned by critics, with many criticising the film’s pacing, changes to the narrative and casting choices, with Sharlto Copley’s antagonist figure being considered over-the-top, unsubtle, and overly-American.
Lee certainly took on a big risk in bringing one of the most beloved works of contemporary Asian cinema to a new audience, but the question remains why he ought to have bothered at all. The director admitted to the “cult” fandom of Park’s Oldboy and that his involvement in a remake was always going to be treated with suspicion despite his lack of overall fear at taking it on.
“Not scared at all. Not scared,” he said. “But at the same time, I understand why people are saying that. This is a cult film. And cult films are loved by fanatics. And they’re fanatical. And whatever those films are, those films are dear to them. And they feel possessive of them.”
Still, none of the concerns of the original viewership of the original movie was going to dissuade Lee from bringing his own version to the screen. Given the success of the 2003 Korean thriller masterpiece and its widespread fandom, it’s understandable that Lee saw the commercial and critical potential, especially with Josh Brolin’s Oh Dae-su analogue.
It’s clear, though, that Lee ultimately failed in his journey. While his film possessed the grit and violence of Park’s original, it felt somewhat safe and catered towards an American audience that couldn’t stomach the most visceral qualities of the film it was based on. Quite simply, perhaps Lee should not have bothered.
Check out the trailer for Lee’s remake of Oldboy below.
