Oldboy (2013 film)

An American remake of Oldboy (2003) previously had director Justin Lin attached, with Ernesto M. Foronda and Fabian Marquez writing the screenplay after previously collaborating with Lin on Better Luck Tomorrow (2002).[3][4] In November 2008, DreamWorks Pictures and Universal Pictures were securing the rights to the remake, producing and distributing respectively, which Will Smith had expressed interest in starring, with Steven Spielberg as director.[5] Mark Protosevich was in talks to write the script, although the acquisition to the remake rights were not finalized.[6] Smith later clarified that Spielberg would not be remaking the film, instead adapting the Old Boy manga itself,[7] which is considerably different from the original film.[8] In June 2009, the manga's publisher launched a lawsuit against the Korean film's producers for giving the film rights to Spielberg without their permission.[9] Later in November 2009, it was reported that DreamWorks, Spielberg, and Smith had stepped back from the project.[10] The producing team announced on November 2009 that the project was dead.[11]

On July 11, 2011, Mandate Pictures sent a press release stating that Spike Lee would direct a remake of the South Korean film (ignoring the earlier version's adaptation of the manga) with a screenplay written by Protosevich.[12] Josh Brolin was cast to star in the remake as the lead character, while Christian Bale was reportedly in talks to portray the antagonist character,[13] but it was later reported that Colin Firth had been offered the role.[14] Firth later passed on the role,[15] which was later offered to Clive Owen.[16] In May 2012, Deadline Hollywood reported that Sharlto Copley had officially been cast as the villain Adrian Pryce.[17] Elizabeth Olsen,[18] Samuel L. Jackson[19] and Nate Parker[20] were all later announced to have joined the cast. Parker was later replaced by James Ransone, due to a scheduling conflict.[21] The film marked Jackson's first time working with director Lee since 1991's Jungle Fever.

Principal photography began in October 2012.[22]

Spike Lee's version was 140 minutes long, but the producers heavily re-edited the film to 105 minutes[23][24] (re-edits by producers also included the "one-shot hammer" scene[25]); Lee and Josh Brolin were unhappy with it.[24] Lee even removed his trademark "A Spike Lee Joint" credit for a more impersonal "A Spike Lee Film" during the editing process.[24] Brolin has also said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that he prefers Lee's version of the film, though it is not clear if this cut will ever be released.[26]

Oldboy was released theatrically in the United States on November 23, 2013, by FilmDistrict.[27] It was the last film to be distributed by the company, before Focus Features absorbed the company in October 2013.[28]

The film grossed $885,000 in its first five days, one of the weakest Thanksgiving openings of all time, according to Variety.[29] It opened in 18th place at the box office and finished with a worldwide gross of $5.2 million.[30][31]

The film was released in the United States on DVD and Blu-ray on March 4, 2014, by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.[32]

Oldboy received negative reviews from critics.[33][34] IndieWire reported that the film garnered a "C-" rating on the A+ to F scale as evaluated by critics, who stated that it "doesn't measure up" to the original film.[35] On Rotten Tomatoes, 39% of 151 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Suitably grim and bloody yet disappointingly safe and shallow, Spike Lee's Oldboy remake neither surpasses the original nor adds anything new to its impressive legacy."[36] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[37]

Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gives three of four stars, saying: "Because the Internet moves with the speed and ferocity of a hornet swarm, there's a chance that by the time you read this, Spike Lee's American remake of Oldboy will already have been stung to death. If so, too bad. This American version of Park Chan-Wook's Korean thriller is Lee's most exciting movie since Inside Man—not a masterpiece by any stretch, but a lively commercial genre picture with a hypnotic, obsessive quality, and an utter indifference to being liked, much less approved of."[38]

Justin Chang of Variety said that "Lee and Protosevich have made a picture that, although several shades edgier than the average Hollywood thriller, feels content to shadow its predecessor's every move while falling short of its unhinged, balls-out delirium."[39] Michael Phillips of The Chicago Tribune, in a one and a half star review noted that "The revenge in Oldboy is neither sweet nor sour; it's just drab".[40]

Eric Kohn, in a largely positive review at IndieWire said: "It's been so long since Lee made such a thoroughly amusing work that fans should have no problem excusing its messiness. But make no mistake... Oldboy is all over the place, sometimes playing like a subdued melodrama and elsewhere erupting into flamboyance and gore."[41]