It’s been a long time since I visited a Spike Lee joint. The last film I saw that he directed was 2004s THE 25th HOUR with Edward Norton. I did have plans to see MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA with my Dad but he wanted to go see it so bad he just snuck off and saw it by himself. After seeing it, he calls me up saying something along the lines of “it was a f*cking disappointment”. Needless to say, dad was not pleased.
My Father’s thoughts on film aside, it looks like Lee will be helming the remake of OLDBOY. The original was directed by Park Chan-Wook and centered on, “a man who is kidnapped on his daughter’s birthday and held for 15 years in solitary confinement without explanation. He is eventually released and sets out on a path to take revenge on those who destroyed his life.” In 2004, the film won the Grand Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Basically, if you haven’t seen it by now, you need to.
Early in the development of the remake, Will Smith and Steven Spielberg were involved while Dreamworks was still attached. Now Mandate Pictures have taken over with a screenplay by Mark Protosevich (I AM LEGEND) and Lee directing.
Check out the trailer below if you have not seen the original.