A Haunting Re-Make

One of the most highly anticipated films of the fall was "Oldboy." It is a re-make of the 2003 South Korean original, this time directed by Spike Lee. "Oldboy" is a cult classic, and highly violent film. It's part of a revenge trilogy.

I, of course, knew none of this when I went to watch the American re-make. I, like actress Elizabeth Olsen who said she didn't know the ending of her own film until she saw the premier, was taken back by the story. To call it grim would be underselling it greatly.

But it got me thinking, this seems to be a dour trend in films of this type. I loved the American re-make of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo," to the point I put it on my top 10 list for the year it came out. But the story wasn't exactly the feel good type. It involved rape, abuse, incest, murder, and Nazis. Not exactly the kind of stuff you want to spend your time focusing on.

"Oldboy," similarly, has a lot of dark content. It includes murder, substance abuse, copious violence, and incest. Not the stuff you want to focus on. Maybe that's why it failed to make the top 10 at the Box Office during its opening weekend despite glowing reviews and being near the top of "Entertainment Weekly's" Must List.

There is no question the film is well put together. The fact you are repulsed by the ending is a credit to how it's put together. But it also reminds me of another critically anticipated film that flamed out — "Shutter Island."

That one — directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio — focused on a man who was haunted and not totally aware of all his issues. When he became aware of who he really was and what he'd really done, he chose imprisonment and, ultimately, a lobotomy so he could let go of what he'd done.

The quote that stuck with me was this, "Which would be worse — to live as a monster? Or to die as a good man?"

We get a similar end with "Oldboy." Realizing what he's done — or rather what he's been tricked into doing — Joe (Josh Brolin) chooses voluntary imprisonment over trying to face the truth and live his life. The answer to the question, in seemingly both these films, is it's better to live in oblivion than to have to face what you've done or become. That's a dark reflection of our society that bears consideration.