Oldboy (2013)

Obsessed with vengeance, a man sets out to find out why he was kidnapped and locked into solitary confinement for twenty years without reason.

Director:

Spike Lee

Writers:

Garon Tsuchiya (manga), Nobuaki Minegishi (manga)

Stars:

Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Samuel L. Jackson

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Josh Brolin	...	Joe Doucett
Elizabeth Olsen	...	Marie Sebastian
Sharlto Copley	...	Adrian / The Stranger
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Chaney
Michael Imperioli	...	Chucky
Pom Klementieff	...	Haeng-Bok
James Ransone	...	Dr. Tom Melby
Max Casella	...	James Prestley
Linda Emond	...	Edwina Burke
Elvis Nolasco	...	Cortez
Rami Malek	...	Browning
Lance Reddick	...	Daniel Newcombe
Hannah Ware	...	Donna Hawthorne
Richard Portnow	...	Bernie Sharkey
Hannah Simone	...	Stephanie Lee

Storyline

An advertising executive is kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement. When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his punishment, only to find he is still trapped in a web of conspiracy and torment.

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Plot Keywords:

father daughter incest | male nudity | female nudity | incest | cctv camera | 

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Taglines:

Ask not why you were imprisoned. Ask why you were set free.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence, disturbing images, some graphic sexuality and nudity, and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official tumblr

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 November 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Oldboy

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$885,382, 27 November 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,162,593, 16 December 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

Good Universe,Vertigo Entertainment,40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The female lead was offered to Rooney Mara and Mia Wasikowska, but both declined.

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Goofs

When Joe and Adrian are walking down a hallway to get Joe's daughter, the hallway is bathed in red lighting. The lighting is no longer red after they open a door and they're seen from another camera angle.

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Quotes

Chaney: I swear, I don't know nothin'! I swear before God and eight motherfuckin' white people!

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Connections

References The Godfather (1972)

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Soundtracks

Mia Cello 1
Written and performed by Bruce Hornsby

User Reviews

A Remake Unworthy of Association With The Original

I went into this film with the intention of keeping my mind clear and open by judging this movie in and of itself instead of comparing it to the original. That proved undoable. The main question I have is why did they deem it necessary to remake this Korean film? Was it to bring it to a wider American audience? If so they failed. Was it just to make a few bucks? If so, they also failed miserably at that. I think the main problem with this film was that it seemed to have no heart put into the making of it. It looked cheaply made, the actors did not seem invested in their roles and the severity of the circumstances seemed to have little emotional effect on them. They slightly changed the plot in an attempt to make it their own but it was nothing close to an improvement. The action was awful especially the attempt at creating the iconic hammer hallway fight scene. The big twist had little effect on me since I already knew what was coming, but even then it lacked all intensity. And talk about a terrible ending. About the only thing they did well was Doucett's 20 years in confinement. Overall a horrible disrespect to the original film. Not worth your time.