JoBlo have posted a reader's reaction to a test screening of Spike Lee's Oldboy. Apparently it was only a rough cut, coming in at just over 2 hours. He praises Josh Brolin's performance as Joe above all, comparing his character to anti-heroes like Beaking Bad's Walter White. "You feel for him, you root for him, but that does not make him a good guy." He also says Sharloto Copley "blew him away" as the villain, and was almost unrecognizable in the role. He only seemed to have some issues with Elizabeth Olsen, who he praises but seems to feel she didn't have enough to do.
As far as similarities to the original go, from this account I get the impression that this movie sticks a bit closer to the Manga while also working as a remake. The reviewer mentions a few minor differences, but the overall plot seems pretty much the same. He says the hallway fight is there, with a few tweaks, and that infamous ending hasn't been changed either.
"The ending is even more incestuous than the original. The “big twist?” Still in there as is. However, the villain’s character…let’s just say the best thing about incest is that it’s the game the whole family can play!" Sounds even more disturbing! Anyone fearing that the violence would be toned down for American audiences needn't worry either.
"The violence hasn’t been downplayed even a little bit as its just as sick and twisted as the original. If I had to summarize the violence in three words, they would bloody, gratuitous and hammer." He also praises Lee's direction but didn't seem to have liked the score -- or lack thereof -- for the film.
In summing up:
"Overall, I really enjoyed the movie and I can’t wait to see the final version of it in theatres. Even after seeing the original, I could say that I like them equally as much. The acting, story, and action all outweigh the negatives of the film, which can (and hopefully will be) fixed up before the final cut‘s release. I’ll give it an 8/10. And, as a quick note, the film was presented without a title, so we might have to start referring to it as something else sometime soon."
Sounds good to me. Be sure to click on the link below to read the report in full.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.