Oldboy

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Oldboy

R

2013

1h 43m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

39%

Tomatometer

150 Reviews

37%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Although his life is already in a downward spiral, things get much worse for advertising executive Joe Doucett; while drunk one night, Joe is kidnapped and thrown into solitary confinement in a bizarre, hotellike room. For the next 20 years, Joe suffers unimaginable torment, but the motive and identity of his captor remain unknown. When he is inexplicably set free, Joe emerges with one goal: to find the person who stole two decades of his life.

Critics Consensus

Suitably grim and bloody yet disappointingly safe and shallow, Spike Lee's Oldboy remake neither surpasses the original nor adds anything new to its impressive legacy.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

06/18/2016

The first hour or so of Lee's 'Oldboy' is so gripping that it's dispiriting to watch the wheels fall off the wagon so spectacularly in the third act.

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Wesley Morris

Grantland

12/10/2013

Everything is wrong with [Spike] Lee's version of Park Chan-wook's notorious, super-violent super-action-thriller. For one thing, it's far from super. Not the quality, per se (although, for Lee, that's off, too), but the energy.

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Jonathan Robbins

Film Comment Magazine

12/09/2013

Viewers new to Oldboy will appreciate Lee's affecting and entertaining tale of a man unjustly imprisoned. Fans of Park's film-and there are many wildly loyal ones-will likely be far less impressed.

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JD Duran

InSession Film

08/19/2024

C+

Oldboy is rushed, undeveloped and if you haven’t seen the original, you’ll feel lost. The story is not explained well and is a huge disservice to the twist that is supposed to hit you hard.

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Diego Batlle

Otroscines.com

11/28/2023

4.5/5

An undisputed reference when it comes to exploring new forms of auteurial expression within the framework of genre and spectacular cinema. [Full review in Spanish]

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

08/19/2022

1.5/4

Lee’s not-inconsiderable talent makes a fine attempt to interpret the story with two or three unique touches, but he doesn’t make it vital or offer a fresh take.

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jordan m

@RT33862223 Nov 27

went into this movie without watching the one from 2003. all i have to say is i can see why this failed at the box office. rushed character development, rushed pacing, a typical revenge storyline, and bad acting

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Ronnie M

@spuncake Oct 19

The movie was just fair

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Hughe J

@Hughe Sep 28

Oldboy was released in theatres in 2013 and is a remake of the film of the same name released in Korea in 2003. It stars Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, and Michael Imperioli with Spike Lee directing. The movie centers on Brolin's character who gets drunk one night and wakes up in a unknown hotel room. He stays locked in this room for twenty years; that's the movie. Eventually he gets released and obviously wants revenge so starts randomly killing uninvolved people. I won't spoil the plot or the horrific ending but Brolin is fine here in this paint by the numbers revenge movie. I never saw the original so can't compare the two but the actors are fine, the action is fine, but it's all been done before in better films. Except the ending which was certainly different, and offensive. Oldboy is just not a good movie and I certainly can't recommend it.

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Dani G

@RT81139271 Aug 9

There's some masterpieces that shouldn't be allowed to mess with. With this one they tried to twist it a little to fool us, but it was very evident. And also, a Hollywood ending? C'mon! Also, some very bad acting

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Gonzalo T

@RT47872935 Jul 18

A stacked cast can’t save this lazy, soulless remake. Stripping away the original's internal monologue guts the emotional core, leaving Josh Brolin stranded with nothing to work with. Action scenes lack intensity, the twist lands flat, and Olsen’s nude scene feels like the film’s only marketing hook. A misguided adaptation that misses everything that made the original a masterpiece.

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Iamwhoi M

@Shaboutiques Jun 29

It started out with a very interesting premise, then the wheels kind of fell off, and it got a bit dopey and really gross. I doubt I'll ever watch it again.

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Synopsis

Although his life is already in a downward spiral, things get much worse for advertising executive Joe Doucett; while drunk one night, Joe is kidnapped and thrown into solitary confinement in a bizarre, hotellike room. For the next 20 years, Joe suffers unimaginable torment, but the motive and identity of his captor remain unknown. When he is inexplicably set free, Joe emerges with one goal: to find the person who stole two decades of his life.

Director: Spike Lee
Producer: Roy Lee, Doug Davison, Nathan Kahane
Screenwriter: Mark Protosevich
Distributor: FilmDistrict
Production Co: Vertigo, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
Rating: R (Language|Disturbing Images|Nudity|Some Graphic Sexuality|Strong Brutal Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 27, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 18, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.2M
Runtime: 1h 43m

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