Spike Lee says studio re-edited his one-shot hammer scene in Oldboy

Last Updated on July 22, 2021

Spike Lee's OLDBOY hits cinemas in just a few days and if you're excited to see Lee's spin on the classic hallway/hammer fight from the original film, which was an impressive single-shot, side-scrolling and unblinking scene in which Choi Min-sik battled a sea of baddies armed with nothing more than a hammer and a ferocity for revenge, you may notice something in there that the director never intended – a single cut.

In Lee's film, that fight now moves vertically on two levels in a sequence that Josh Brolin reportedly trained six weeks for, and was also shot in one unbroken take. But you won't see it that way in cinemas. Talking to The New york Times, Lee shared…

“It’s not one shot. There’s a cut in it. Shouldn’t be, but there is a cut…there’s no reason to try and even attempt that shot unless it’s a one-take. That’s the scene from the original! That’s the scene!”

So why did it have to get altered? Lee remains mum on that, only saying…

"Tough business.”

That is disappointing to hear as, like many of you, I'm not only a fan of the original scene, but find single-shot action sequences quite thrilling. It would've been great to see what Lee had originally envisioned for us. Hopefully the cut doesn't take away from the carnage onscreen!

OLDBOY will star Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, Samuel Jackson, Bruce Hornsby, and James Ransone and was directed by Lee from a script by Mark Protosevich. The film was produced by Roy Lee, Doug Davison, and Nathan Kahane. Look for it in theaters on November 27, 2013.