OLBOY REMAKE. TRAILER REACTION.

Western and Hollywood remakes of cult foreign cinematic hits are a notoriously difficult venture. Not just for the Directors, but also for us fickle movie fans. I for one am guilty of being that guy who stands over people saying “yeah, the original is way better, but you probably haven’t seen it”  Then immediately hearing how much of hipster I sound afterwards. After all, sometimes it works . . . The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was an absolute blinder, so good in fact that its one of the few remakes that divide film fans and seems to go against the golden rule of “The original is better”.

When I first heard that Oldboy was getting a Hollywood reboot, I was the first to slap my hand on my forehead and moan about how it shouldn’t be touched. Just like bands should never cover Queen. Its just one of those flawless original movies that sits proudly in your DVD collection along side the likes of Ong Bak, Leon and Thirst, that you assume will stand alone in time.

The trailer took me by surprise if I’m being honest. Spike Lee is clearly a fanatical film fan and probably new the tall order that stood in front of him when tackling this modern day classic. He has a great knack for making “Hollywood” movies look independent and honest, but still adds that sexy-noir vibe that is so difficult to get right.

Josh Brolin also gives me no worries at all. After watching the trailer for the first time, he looked completely in place and I can already see him with an octopus crawling around his war beaten face. Also, it’s not hard to resemble Min-Sik Choi with a mop of hair and an all-consuming beard. So Brolins acting will really shine through that Maine of his

The only concerns I have will be the storyline and transcription. The twist at the end of the original Oldboy will make anyone with a female family member cross their legs and throw up in their mouth a little. These kinds of extremely uncomfortable subject matters are writhe outside of mainstream western filmmaking, but seem quickly tackled in foreign cinema. Maybe we desensitise ourselves because we effectively read these things on screen via subtitles, instead of hearing them blurted in English by some Hollywood super star, meaning the shock factor has a wider spread reach amongst audiences? I am putting my faith in Spike Lee to keep the story the same, it would be tragic if he catered for the sensitive mass of cinema goers and didn’t bring them into a riskier form of storytelling.

In this trailer, we get a glimpse of what is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the original. Which is the “Hammer” scene. A desperate fight in a hallway, between our man with a rusty hammer and an exaggerated of un seemingly loyal henchmen. The little teaser shot in the trailer already looks fantastic and shot differently, probably something fanboys will be annoyed about initially, but as long as they do the whole scene in one un-cut take, then I’ll be a happy chappy.

Time to put our qualms with remakes aside and put our Faith into Spike Lee. This looks promising.