Muddled character motivations got the short-shift in this American remake of the Korean original "Oldboy". As-is, the film's lean with mostly plot-driven footage, though there is a longer 3-hour cut that fleshes out the characters more, and I probably would have like to have seen that version because this theatrical version is just mundane in execution, and Josh Brolin doesn't seem like a good fit for the lead character. It's just a dour viewing experience, with the energy level piping up when Samuel L. Jackson is on the screen for a bit. Elizabeth Olsen does what she can, but her character is written head-scratchingly so.
I give it 2 stars, or a grade of C.
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