WATCH: The intense trailer for Spike Lee's Oldboy remake
Lee isn't pulling any punches with his Americanized remake of the cultishly adored South Korean thriller
Spike Lee's remake of director Chan Wook Park's Oldboy — a 2003 South Korean thriller that became a crossover hit in the United States — is just a few months away from hitting theaters. And with the release of the remake's first trailer on Wednesday, skeptical fans of the original film can finally see for themselves if Lee has managed to honor the original film's distinctive style and tone.
Based on this trailer, Lee has hewed fairly closely to the original film's basic premise. Josh Brolin plays a man imprisoned, without explanation, in a locked apartment. Twenty years later, Brolin wakes up in a park, wearing a sleek suit and carrying a large wad of money. "If you'd like to see your daughter alive again, answer two questions," says his captor in the trailer. "One: Why did I imprison you for twenty years? And two: Why did I let you go?"
Though the original was released just 10 years ago, the Oldboy remake has had a bumpy road to theaters. Steven Spielberg was originally slated to direct, with Will Smith as a possible star — but when that project fell apart, Lee stepped in as director, casting Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen alongside an ensemble cast that also includes Samuel L. Jackson and District 9 star Sharlto Copley.
Oldboy's pedigree is certainly strong, but will this Americanized remake do justice to the beloved original? We'll find out when Oldboy hits theaters on October 25.
Recommended

Joey Chestnut body slams animal-rights protester, wins hot dog eating contest

Patrick Radden Keefe's 6 favorite books about true crime

Minions has biggest Fourth of July opening weekend ever
Most Popular
