Oldboy

Perhaps it’s not fair, but the biggest factor in whether moviegoers enjoy the American remake of Oldboy might be whether they’ve seen the original.

The source material is a 2003 thriller from acclaimed Korean director Park Chan-wook that functions both as a darkly intriguing character study and a stylish crime saga.

This version from director Spike Lee jettisons some of the more intimate character-driven moments in favor of a more mainstream revenge thriller. The result is engaging enough for those not familiar with the first film, yet it lacks the freshness of the original concept despite some clever plot twists and moments of visual flair.

The story follows Joe, an alcoholic advertising executive whose life is falling apart when he is suddenly kidnapped and locked in solitary confinement for 20 years, tortured by a tedious routine and a series of unanswered questions, such as why he’s been accused of murdering his estranged wife.

Then he’s set free equally without explanation, determined to reunite with his now-grown daughter, to declare his innocence with the help of a nurse (Elizabeth Olsen) and a local restaurateur (Michael Imperioli), and to find his captor.

After abandoning his drinking for a regimen of martial-arts self-training, Joe’s efforts to rejoin society seem to be secondary to revenge, leading to a ruthless cat-and-mouse game that clearly won’t turn out well for anyone involved.

To its credit, the remake doesn’t water down the sex or violence, while also using it more to drive the seedy urban story than for exploitation or shock value.

Lee, working from a screenplay by Mark Protosevich (Poseidon), brings a gritty visual texture to the film, and keeps his camera moving with an array of overhead shots and tight angles, creating images that are evocative without turning manipulative.

Brolin gives an audacious performance in the lead role, which requires him to find sympathy and redemption in a troubled character that might not deserve either one.

The film requires a significant suspension of disbelief, and must battle against characters and subject matter that are inherently off-putting. Yet despite its flaws, Lee and Brolin combine to make Oldboy a solid piece of deliciously sinister genre entertainment that’s more crafty than cerebral.

Rated R, 104 minutes.