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.

---

Plot Keywords:

father daughter incest | incest | male nudity | female nudity | solitary confinement | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

---

Goofs

When Joe sneaks into Edwina Burke's (Evergreen Headmistress) home while she's talking to Marie, he pulls out a yearbook. He looks into the yearbook and the name says "Adrian Pryce". Then when the shot zooms in, it says "Adrian Doyle Pryce". When Joe and Marie return back to the motel, Marie takes a picture of the yearbook photo where it now returns back to just "Adrian Pryce".

---

Quotes

Chaney: Let's go motherfucker, me and you, man to man come on. SHIT.
Chaney: You want some get back, let me off this table so you and me can go at it motherfucker. What do you say how about it?

---

Connections

Referenced in Adam Ruins Everything: Adam Ruins Prison (2016)

---

Soundtracks

Joe's Cell Phone Ringtone - School Cue
Written and performed by Bruce Hornsby

User Reviews

Desecration

This is not a new adaptation of the same story, this is a bad copy of an existing movie. Most of it is literally copied from "Oldeuboi" (2003), and what was altered was changed to the worse. I suppose there would be no changes at all if there was no American puritanism. Only the sickest things were changed to adjust the movie for the western market, which is best seen in the way they mutilated ending. Spike Lee made a remake so lousy that I don't understand why Samuel L. Jackson had agreed to play in it. The only positive impression on me was left by the sweetness of Elizabeth Olsen, but no matter how much I enjoyed watching her, she failed to make me overlook how much everything else in the film was bad. I have a feeling that today too many movies rely on seduction of the male audience's by beautiful / cute / sexy girls, as well as the female part of it with the handsome actors, and on megalomaniac special effects, while the true values of the seventh art are neglected. This brings fast profits at the cinema box office, but there are fewer and fewer movies that can withstand test of time and not be forgotten as soon as something new comes out. If I had not seen the Korean version, I might have rated this bit higher, but the impression left by the original is too strong to be able to avoid comparing them throughout the whole duration of the remake. And compared to the original, the remake is really poor.

5/10

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, 1 December 2013

Gross USA:

$2,193,658

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,186,767

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