Now that Spike Lee’s Oldboy has been picked up for US film distribution, the company called Film District has released a first synopsis:
OLDBOY follows the story of an advertising executive (Josh Brolin) who is kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement without any indication of his captor’s motive. When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his bizarre and torturous punishment only to find he is still trapped in a web of conspiracy and torment. His quest for revenge leads him into an ill-fated relationship with a young social worker (Elizabeth Olsen) and ultimately to an illusive man (Sharlto Copley) who allegedly holds the key to his salvation.
The original film came out in South Korea in 2003 and was loosely based on the manga of the same name. In that version, the main character is held for 15 years instead of 20. Of course, that’s the only visible difference so far aside from the fact that his “girlfriend” is a social worker instead of a chef, not that it really matters much. But I’m sure there will be others as more of the plot is revealed.
I’m still on the fence about this one. For me it’s like Girl with the Dragon Tattoo where the original was so good, I wondered why they felt the need to make an American version at all. If you haven’t seen Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy, I urge you to do so. It’s actually the second installment of “The Vengeance Trilogy” which comes after Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and is followed by Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.
While Lady Vengeance hasn’t gotten the same amount of attention that Oldboy has, it too is another great film that should definitely go on your Netflix list if you haven’t seen it already. If anything, I would almost rather see an American version of that film since the original Oldboy is already so iconic, I’m not sure they can top it.
Mark Protosevich, who wrote Thor and I am Legend, is penning the script for Oldboy. Filming has been delayed until late summer or early fall due to Josh Brolin’s prior commitments with Men in Black 3. More on this as it becomes available.
[Source: ANN]
Loading ...
Paladin
Sep 8, 2012 -
I saw Old Boy a few times and I thought it was really good. The way it was filmed set the dark mood and the ending was exceptional. I feel that the movie had more of an impact being from Asia especially with the culture.
Making the movie again and in the U.S. is pointless because it just shows how no one has any original ideas. Probably something I’ll never see because like most remakes from Asia, the U.S. version sucks more times than not because they butcher the story that made the movie great in the first place.
The other two movies seem interesting, I should go dig them up–before they are remade.