Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Oldboy Blu-ray Movie Review

You can't teach an Oldboy new tricks.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 26, 2014

Acclaimed Filmmaker Spike Lee (Miracle at St. Anna) tackles the remake business with Oldboy, a disappointing English-language version of the hit Korean film of the same name. Lee's picture follows the same basic plot line but frequently fails to capture the imagination, stir emotions, or trouble the soul, feeling more like a lower-level rehash than a purposeful recreation. The film's moments of excellence are frequently cancelled out by its failure to find an even pace or capture a sense of, at first, despair, and later, mystery, and finally, shock. Certainly, the film hits all of those pieces in spurts and is likely to engage, at least on some level, audiences unfamiliar with the original. However, those going in with lofty expectations for the film to recapture the spirit of or rekindle the emotions from the original will walk away disappointed. There's a core of a good movie here, beyond the story and within Lee's vision, but the filmmaker cannot, for whatever reason given the quality source material and excellent cast, find the consistency, terror, and shock value that made the Korean film a runaway success.

Alone.

Joe Doucett (Josh Brolin) is an effective salesman but also a drunkard, a womanizer, and an absent father. After a crucial business meeting goes south, he wanders the streets in a drunken stupor and awakens to find himself trapped in a small room outfitted with only the basics: a bed, a bathroom, and a small television set. Food arrives through a slot at the bottom of the door. He's daily fed the same thing: Chinese carry-out and vodka. The television reports on the rape and murder of his wife. He's pegged as the prime suspect, becomes the subject of a sprawling manhunt, and he's later the main focus of a long-running real crime television program. Days turn into months, months into years, years into well over a decade. Over that time, he kicks his alcohol habit and transforms himself into a lean, capable fighter, determined to clear his name, reunite with his daughter, and exact revenge on his captor. One day, he awakens freed from his confinement. He's nicely clothed, clean shaven, and finds a phone and thousands of dollars in cash in his pocket. He's told he has but a few days to locate the man who imprisoned him, and if he succeeds, he will be reunited with his daughter and his captor will kill himself. As the search begins, he meets up with the only man he can trust, a barkeep named Chucky (Michael Imperioli). He also meets a kindly young volunteer nurse named Marie (Elizabeth Olsen) who takes pity on his condition and history and aids him in his quest.

The word "remake" engenders a broad range of emotions in the cinema community, and understandably most are negative given the checkered, if not downright poor, track record for classic, cult, fan favorite, or even obscure motion pictures returned to life in new skins and under new management. Oldboy does nothing to change that. This is the very definition of a cosmetic movie, a superficial experience that builds and builds on the original's foundations but that remains a hollow shell throughout, playing through the core plot twists and themes but failing to find the sort of real, vile pain and deep-seeded disgust that the story, when told properly, yields. The exterior, to the film's credit, occasionally teeters on brilliance with several gut-wrenching scenes of brutal, almost operatic violence and performances that occasionally find some depth but more often than not come across as glorified, R-rated soap opera theatrics. Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, and Sharlto Copley seem hellbent on polishing their exteriors but cannot quite seem to come to terms with the hellish, haunting interiors that are meant build to a startling crescendo of deep pain and relief exploded onto the screen in simultaneous harmony. That purging of emotion never feels genuine but rather the actors simply advancing the story to the end, sacrificing the core in favor of rehearsed reactions over authentic expressions of shock, hurt, and the sudden exit of humanity that could have flooded the theater with an overdose of disquieting grotesqueness had the film worked in the proper context.

It's a shame the film doesn't play as it should. The story is certainly not for everyone -- it deals in terrible ordeals, grotesque violence, and shocking sexual conduct -- but there's a deeper, much more fascinating study of revenge as viewed and executed from two very different perspectives, not to mention the film's examination of human solitude, captivity, and even, in more of a roundabout way, mind control. It's a film about base desires and animalistic instincts from the perspective of wounded spirits and warped minds. The film's brutal violence and unsettling revelations are balanced by the emotional hurdles one must overcome to grasp and accept and understand the story as it unfolds, to capture the essence of its disquieting and grossly awry twists that slowly reshape the film and render it unrecognizable within the context of the whole in its final moments. It's the failure to join the demented spirit with nuanced performances that hurt this version of the film, pushing its focus towards the shock value of its superficialities rather than more deeply examining the inner conflicts and the true driving forces beyond plot points. Audiences will know the story and character motivations but not necessary feel them. That doesn't lessen the impact of the film's final-minutes bombshells but it does render them significantly weakened at their core, making the audience's skin crawl but leaving its soul mostly settled.

Oldboy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Oldboy's 1080p transfer looks marvelous even as it progresses through a visual transformation. The film's open enjoys a gritty texture, one that's enjoyably filmic and sturdy. Details are firm and nicely defined, not so razor-sharp as seen in more modern digital transfers but nevertheless capable and enjoyable. Colors are far from lavish in these early scenes, pushing a warmer and dimmer shading. The image tightens up considerably as it pushes through to its middle and final acts. Joe's release sees the image sparkling and very clean, yielding robust colors and more intricate details. Lush green grasses dominate his first moments of freedom, and the screen springs to life with a wide variety of color thereafter, particularly in the red- and orange-heavy Chinatown segment. The image appears largely free of blemish, save for a small assault of white speckles visible near the end during a major reveal. Otherwise, this is a gorgeous presentation from beginning to end and regardless of where in the film one looks.

Oldboy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Oldboy's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack impresses across the board. Musical delivery is particularly excellent, producing satisfying stage presence and seamless spacing, a solid deep end, and pinpoint sonic detail through the remainder of the range. The track produces quality ambient effects, whether realistic city din, a drenching rainfall, or any variety of lighter exterior atmospherics. Heavier sound effects prove equally impressive, whether the harder hitting action scene dynamics or a blaring alarm in chapter nine. Dialogue flows evenly and accurately from the center. The track produces in every area. It's not particularly memorable, but it's of a routinely high quality for a Sony new release.

Oldboy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Oldboy contains a relatively brief assortment of extra content.

• Extended & Alternate Scenes (HD): The Tape -- Alternate (1:30), Ramp Fight -- Extended (4:35), Adrian Watches from the Penthouse -- Extended (5:19), and Haeng-Bok in Bed -- Extended (0:42).
• The Making of Oldboy (HD, 16:52): A nuts-and-bolts backstage look at the filmmaking process, beginning with rehearsals and moving forward to Brolin's performance, costuming, and makeup; fight choreography; Elizabeth Olsen's, Samuel L. Jackson's, Michael Imperioli's, and Sharlto Copley's work in the film; and shooting key scenes.
• Talking Heads (HD, 2:40): Cast and crew pitch the film through rapid-fire clips that cover the story, preparation, style, and more. The piece recycles a few moments from the Making of supplement.
• Transformation (HD, 2:11): Cast and crew take a look at Brolin's performance and the physical demands of the role.
• Workout Video (HD, 0:49): A montage of workout and fight scenes from the film.
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.
• UV Digital Copy.

Oldboy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Oldboy is proof-positive that the remake still isn't always a good idea. Spike Lee's take on Park Chan-wook's well-received film of the same name shows flashes of positive energy and a well manicured surface, but stumbling performances and a focus on the exterior across the entire filmmaking process leaves this version grossly inferior to the novel and unsettlingly unforgettable original. Sony's Blu-ray release of Oldboy features terrific video and audio. Several supplements are included. Buy the original and rent this one.