Boy, Hollywood Needs To Stop Remaking Old Material!

   

 To all that have seen the original Korean film and refuse to watch this one...check it out.  It is almost completely faithful.  Almost as...about 85%.  Now the things they changed is why dude was imprisoned, the amount of time he was imprisoned and what he did when he found out who his daughter is.  That really is it, honestly.
     I am gonna say I do not really get into remakes very much, especially when it is an Asian film to begin with.  I have another post about that particular subject so if you want to know just find it.  This remake or re-imagining as Hollywood likes to call it, although we all know it just a simple remake, was directed by non other then Spike Lee.  To me this story seems a bit odd for Spike considering his past films.  This is very far from any of those, but I don't think a director should stay with what works all the time.  I do believe in taking some chances because it has gone both ways in the past.  I think he did good in this case with the exception of the ending change.  The way I see this is, if your gonna do a remake of a beloved Korean film and for the most part stay true to the original but then skimp out on the dramatic ending of the original, don't do it.  Most of the time the filmmakers say they couldn't do the remake the same because American audiences don't understand or they can't handle it, well I say bullshit to that!  I have been watching foreign films for years now and I always understand them and there may have been times where I say to myself...That was fucked up!...but I never thought it should or needed to be changed.
     I do have to say that the acting in it is really well done.  All the actors in it do a very good job selling their characters as being real.    So I have absolutely no complaint from that department.
     Special effects are really only some blood and cutting of human flesh but not much else.  The hammer scene is done differently here then the original but it is still entertaining to watch.  But I think that's where the special effects budget was spent and not a total waste either.
     I won't lie and say I hated it like so many other people that have sworn off remakes like the plague and refuse to watch them just for the reason that they are remakes.  I watch all remakes and very few have come close to the original but I enjoyed this except for obvious dislike for the changing the ending.  I think all should watch this who like revenge and movies that ask questions you have to figure out.