It’s pretty much a case of either/or, having watched this version – I see it now. And if you can’t handle subtitles then you might watch this version. I think Spike Lee has respected the source material. I agree with every one of his translation choices except for the ending.
I’ll try not to spoil it, but Joe (Josh Brolin) feels that he deserves to be punished for what he’s done. Which is fine but he’s already been punished. Yes, he’s a changed man, but he was wrongly imprisoned, so he deserves a pass. He has served his punishment – he should just accept it. Yes it was a good idea to disappear, but more punishment was silly.
Josh Brolin is a badass – his process of change isn’t as effective, and he isn’t as easy to relate to as the original actor, Min-sik Choi. Brolin looks ripped even as a slobby alcoholic compared to the dopey, fat and clumsy Oh Dae Su actor. However, the result – Old Joe is a very cool character. Personally I like this love interest more than Mido in the first movie. But that’s probably my Caucasian bias.
This is not a direct translation of the original – which would be both impossible and pointless – this is something we quickly discover. Nice tip of the hat to Dumas. 2013 Oldboy still respects the spirit of the first film. There are a lot of crossovers, but it’s the new stuff that is the most exciting. The equally pretty violence, which really starts when Joe kills a bunch of jocks on a football field. Pure Joe is a cool cat. Callous, purposeful, but merciful.
The crossovers mainly deal with our main character’s progression and cerebral journey, with the situation of imprisonment, and the disappointing villain – who was so amazing and important in the first film. A lot of the villain’s dialogue is reused.
The approach is very different. The villain (Sharlto Copley) is weak and has a grating fake British accent. Samuel L. Jackson is such a big personality that he is wasted in this role – it didn’t require that and I don’t feel that he really commits to the role – though I don’t fault him for it, he was miscast.
Good things about this movie – I can see how some people could hate Joe the obnoxious drunk in the beginning and love him after 20 years of change. The character that I feel is missing is the seafood.
Brolin’s Joe is possibly a better fighter than Oh Dae Su was, even though he still manages to get stabbed in the back. Which is a cool bit.
Or to put it a different way. Oh Dae Su fights and it feels real. Joe fights and it feels like you’re in an action (Segal) film.
The poetic cinematography and beautiful villain are absent. Joe’s friend, this time played by Michael Imperioli, is actually more of a natural feeling character in 2013.
Joe reacts to tragedy this time, and society seems to more easily recognise a murderer on the street in 2013 America. Or perhaps Brolin is playing a more paranoid and caring Oldboy.
Oh Dae Su was callous, his stone heart made him invincible. He wasn’t superpowered, he just never gave up until everyone was dead or brutally wounded.
Joe is a badass, but he feels something when he hurts people. He feels pain and has a big heart. But he’s got skills. And is not against murder to win a fight. Which makes him dangerous.
The villain is a major slack sail on this boat. Which is unusual because in Elysium, Sharlto Copley’s creation was a wonderful character. So vital to the story is the villain, that the character’s weakness pulls the whole story down. He isn’t mysterious, or beautiful. He’s still a perv, but not scary. His political and financial power should have given him an edge that could have been better illustrated through more writing to really strike fear in the viewer. Missed opportunity.
It would be fun to imagine a world where instead of being punished for our actions, we are punished randomly. And then allowed to commit atrocities equal to the punishments that we endured, without further consequences.
2.5 stars
the joy of eating and the folly of thinking 