davidlee2014

A friend of mine who saw this film suggested I watch since I'm a huge Park Chan-Wook fan and he felt that it had a lot of similarities to his work. I didn't see things the way he did, but I was very surprised by this film.

First let me say what I liked about this film. It is a very dark film. Very violent. Nic Cage is great in the way that he shows us his different levels of Rage. He's unhinged for most of the film, but you can feel why, his character is put through the ringer. The script and the story has an ending that really kicked me in the gut. The ending was the reason my friend had suggested the film. While I don't this ending is as shocking as say Oldboy I do think that the overall feel of the film and darkness did remind me of Korean cinema and how they handle such dark material and violence.

What I didn't like. Some of the acting and the directing is a bit uneven at times. There are some brilliant scenes in the film but there are also a few that don't reach the same level of brilliance which is a bit of a let down.

Overall Nic Cage is a violent mess but it works because the film is about a man's life falling apart around him. No one does despair like Cage. If Park Chan-Wook had directed this movie it would have been insane. But director Paco Cabezas does a good job still worth checking out.

Park Chan Wook is the master of Korean cinema and if you have seen Stoker you will know why. It's beautiful and scary, moody and keeps you on the edge. That's what Park does, he can give you so many different emotions with his camera - he is a true master.

I was a bit surprised that he chose Stoker as his debut in the states because the storyline is very simple. it has a few twists and turns and keeps you on the edge but just because it's not as dense as his Korean work does not mean it disappoints. It is a study in insanity bubbling under the surface for everyone involved, as you watch the film you know something horrible is going to happen and that's what is great about Park.

The performances are stellar. If you like this movie check out Parks Korean films - you will love those.

Why would they remake a film by the master? The whole idea behind remaking films is to remake something that was maybe a good idea but had bad execution. The original Oldboy is a 10 top to bottom, story, script, action, actors, direction, why did they try to remake perfection.

Josh Brolin is good but when you start comparing him to the pain and anguish Min-Sik Choi convaed in the Korean version there is no way to compare the two. Also I like Spike Lee and some of his work but he was the wrong choice for this.

Still not sure who thought this was a good idea, it's like eating a McRib when you can have Korean BBQ, which one sounds better to you. Watch the Korean version.