On one hand this is interesting news but on the other I find it disturbing. Steven Spielberg are in talks to collaborate on a remake of Chan Wook Park's Oldboy, according to Variety. This teaming just does not strike me as an ideal one for this insane film.
The original Korean film is an intense journey into revenge and tragedy. In it a man is kidnapped and held prisoner in a room for fifteen years with no word as to why he is there. One day he is released and set on a course to find the man responsible for his imprisonment. The thing is, he only has a couple of days in which to do so before something else happens. The journey leads to devastating discoveries that will have lasting effects on all involved.
With Spielberg and Smith I have a sinking feeling that the original story will be softened for a PG-13 rating, resulting in a loss of impact, not to mention a need to cut some of the more graphic moments of the film.
Still, if this project does come to fruition, I am sure I will be there to see how it will turn out. Who knows, perhaps they will reimagine it in such a way that it becomes a classic in its own right, sort of like the relationship between Infernal Affairs and The Departed. In the meantime, do yourself a favor and check out the original Oldboy, along with the other two of Park's Vengeance films: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance.
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