Should Spike Lee direct the Oldboy remake?

The auteur director has confirmed rumors that he'll be directing an American version of the Korean cult classic, but will he do the source material justice?

Spike Lee
(Image credit: Michael Tammaro/CORBIS)

It's official. On Monday, Spike Lee confirmed rumors that he would be directing a remake of acclaimed 2003 Korean film Oldboy — an odd, arty, superviolent tale of imprisonment and revenge that won both the Grand Jury Price at Cannes and a devoted fan base. Is the polarizing Lee the right man to bring Oldboy to America?

He'll have his work cut out for him: I have to wonder if the auteur is up to the task, says Kevin Sullivan in Entertainment Weekly. From Do the Right Thing to Inside Man, he's certainly shown that he's a versatile director, but this is a unique challenge. The graphic imagery that drew fans to the original — a man eating a live octopus, for instance — will likely be too much for American audiences. "Lee faces the unenviable task of maintaining the shock value of the original, while attempting to not alienate a mainstream American audience."

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