Looking Forward: Oldboy (2013) by Spike Lee

I am starting a new thing here – I want to talk about the things that are coming , because it will be interesting to see how expectation fares when actuality bumps up against it.

I can flatly say that when I first heard about a remake of Oldboy something in me cringed, contracted and died a little. I think at the time Nicholas Cage was rumoured to be attached to the movie, and I found myself wondering – will this be one of the great Nic Cage movies where you know he loves and believes in what he is doing, or is it going to be one of those movies where Nic Cage is phoning it in. The possibility of the latter eventuality really annoyed me; as did the notion that this film was only being made for those lazy fuckers who just could not be bothered to watch a film with subtitles.

Then I saw the trailer and I found out that Josh Brolin was involved and my interest piqued. Is it going to be different enough to make it worthwhile? Is it going to do something interesting with the story? Otherwise, what is the point? but you know what? Then I found out that Spike Lee is involved and that interest scaled up a whole other level.

This movie went from having very little potential in my eyes to being something I might actually pay to see.