Thursday, December 26, 2013

Oldboy: A Korean Spike Lee Joint


This is another instance where I watched the foreign version before the American remake.  Sometimes us Americans have the ability to clean up a foreign film, take out all the fluff, and put in that great American film making sentimentality that makes our films so "great".  I personally think that there was an improvement in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo film.  However, an improvement in Oldboy there was not.

It's a strange film.  And it translates well in Korean.  It's weirdness flows steadily and smoothly throughout and, oddly enough, it makes sense.  Here, in our newest version, it feels forced.  If I hadn't seen the original, I'd have to be wondering how a guy who'd been locked away for 20 years can suddenly take on a hundred dudes all at once with only a hammer and win.  In the original, the thought never crossed my mind.  It wasn't a complete failure of a remake, it just didn't have the "it factor" that the original Korean version had.

C

No comments:

Post a Comment