Oldboy (2013)

[baumer]

Discuss

[Jake Gittes]

Saw it.

 

Don't see it. Honestly. Watch the original if you've never seen it, and if you have, just watch it again. 

[Ezen Baklattan]

Saw it.

 

Don't see it. Honestly. Watch the original if you've never seen it, and if you have, just watch it again. 

That's pretty much what I expected, but I might still netflix it out of curiosity.

[ainsleyb]

Yeah, don't watch it, watch the original instead.

 

The main problem with the film is at no point did I feel like I was watching something that was necessary at all. Everything the film does half decently is done much better in the original and more often than not it does what the original did superbly, very badly.

I knew when the hammer scene came on that the film would not get any better. It attempts to do one long tracking shot split over multiple levels but it comes off as completely cartoonish and at no real point do you ever feel excited by what you are watching. Whereas Oh-Dae Su looked like it was killing him to get through this pack of guys, Brolin just bashes his way past complete with an awful soft metal track playing in the background.

The new twist is no good either, it's actually a cop out compared to the original and overall the film is much tamer than I thought it could have been, even though the incest angle is still put in there.

I can't recommend the film at all, if you're interested by the plot then watch the original. If you liked the original, then just watch that again.

[baumer]

I must be easily pleased then.  I've never seen the original so I had no idea about the plot.  And I thought the movie was pretty good.  I liked Brolin's transformation and the ending just floored me.  I should have seen it coming but I didn't.  I found the performances to be very strong and Copley was excellent as usual. He's become one of my favourite actors.  I also really enjoyed the unraveling of the mystery and you got a glimpse into Doucette's life.  And then of course there is the absolute beauty of Olsen.  Added bonus.

 

I think if you go into this blind and not really know anything about the original, you might enjoy it.

 

8/10

[ainsleyb]

I found Copley to be one of the worst parts, liked him in District 9 and Elysium but he seemed to be playing a ridiculous caricature here. He had nowhere near the intensity or cunning of the 'bad guy' in the original. I'd highly recommend checking out the original if you liked this though, can't imagine you wouldn't find it to be the better film.

[baumer]

I will definitely check out the original.

 

Question, at the end of this one, are we to assume he paid Samuel Jackson to keep him locked up again?

 

If that's the case, I don't like that ending.

[ainsleyb]

I will definitely check out the original.

 

Question, at the end of this one, are we to assume he paid Samuel Jackson to keep him locked up again?

 

If that's the case, I don't like that ending.

 

Yeah the ending in this one is quite different from the (superior IMO) originals ending. There were a number of things he could have done at the end to avoid seeing Marie but putting himself back inside the room just seemed idiotic. Especially considering he was paying the guys who almost raped his daughter.

[CaptainJackSparrow]

Didn't a character rape his daughter in this movie???? That's terrible!!!!!

[Dementeleus]

Didn't a character rape his daughter in this movie???? That's terrible!!!!!

 

No.

[Sam]

I must be easily pleased then. I've never seen the original so I had no idea about the plot. And I thought the movie was pretty good. I liked Brolin's transformation and the ending just floored me. I should have seen it coming but I didn't. I found the performances to be very strong and Copley was excellent as usual. He's become one of my favourite actors. I also really enjoyed the unraveling of the mystery and you got a glimpse into Doucette's life. And then of course there is the absolute beauty of Olsen. Added bonus.I think if you go into this blind and not really know anything about the original, you might enjoy it.8/10

I think this would be the case for this movie. I was talking to my 2 guy friends the other day, they didn't know a thing about the original and they really like this Oldboy. We were discussing/exchanging the similarities and differences between 2 versions, and they expressed genuine interest in checking out the Korean one. I'm curious about what yours and their reactions will be like. Edited December 5, 2013 by Sam

[Jake Gittes]

I found Copley to be one of the worst parts, liked him in District 9 and Elysium but he seemed to be playing a ridiculous caricature here. He had nowhere near the intensity or cunning of the 'bad guy' in the original. I'd highly recommend checking out the original if you liked this though, can't imagine you wouldn't find it to be the better film.

One of the things that make the story in the original work is that the hero and the villain's demeanor and behavior are reversed: Oh Dae-su is half-crazy, desperate and clearly suffering from a psychological trauma, while his nemesis (forgot the name) is cool, calm and collected. It's believable that the latter would come up with and carefully execute a scheme like that (and be patient enough to do so), while the former would be driven and obsessed enough to get caught in his trap. 

 

In the remake, meanwhile, the characterizations are reversed back to be more conventional, which in turn makes very little sense. So now Brolin is a one-note, seemingly stable badass taking out anyone standing in his way, and Copley is a cartoonish over-the-top maniac who could never create and follow through on an incredibly complex, 15-years-lasting revenge plot in anything resembling the real world.

[Michael Gary Scott]

I enjoyed it but yeah the original is definitely better. 4/5