"Oldboy" was a South Korean movie that became an international classic. Movie fans embraced the film all over the world for its thrilling story, spectacular fight scenes and a twist to rival "The Sixth Sense." A Hollywood was anticipated, but it took all of ten years. Hollywood maverick Spike Lee was up to the task.

Expectations were high, as Spike Lee is a no-holds barred director. He has proven that he can go beyond racially driven films when he directed "The Inside Man" with Clive Owen. This is the movie that is most similar to "Oldboy" and probably the one that earned him the nod to direct the remake.

Amid high expectations, Spike Lee has had mixed reviews. He seemed to have fallen in the dilemma of all remakes-crossing the line between being faithful to the original material and making the movie your own. Spike Lee chose the former.

With the excellence of the material, that is not such a bad proposition. Spike Lee has also employed a credible ensemble cast. Screenrant's Ben Kendrick described Josh Brolin as "a good fit for the character and delivers in several challenging moments that, without his full commitment and talent, could have drastically hurt the film's emotional punch." Still, Kendrick would admit that the performance is not "groundbreaking." Elizabeth Olsen was solid as the woman in the picture who evokes stability amid crazy men with strange intentions. Was that Oldboy's message-men run the world that's why it's crazy?

As the actors drive the movie, their portrayals are a microcosm of the film. It is not a bad film but underwhelming when because of the expectations on Spike Lee. Screenrants review expounds:

"Lee's remake is little more than an Americanized adaptation, swapping out English-speaking Hollywood actors for the original subtitled (or dubbed) Korean performers - while failing to improve upon any of the original film's plot twists, visual aesthetic, or action set pieces."

It is still recommendable, though: "Despite the updated American setting and full decade since Park's Oldboy, Lee includes very few fresh ideas - failing to build any meaningful or thoughtful additions onto an already strong foundation. As a result, moviegoers who are off-put by subtitled foreign films will now have opportunity to enjoy the Oldboy story competently brought to life with familiar Hollywood faces."