The Josh Brolin Thriller Flop Heating Up On Netflix
Sometime in the past 20 years or so, Josh Brolin went from being "that "Goonies" guy," to one of Hollywood's most electrifying performers. "Goonies" was, of course, Brolin's first credited acting gig, and remains a touchstone moment not just in his career, but for 1980s cinema. The actor would spend the next decade-plus working largely on the fringes of Hollywood's A-list with a string of film and television appearances, including notable spots in the small screen Western "The Young Riders," David O. Russell's "Flirting With Disaster," and Guillermo del Toro's "Mimic."
Brolin's current A-list status was arguably cemented with his captivating performance as a wily Texan seeking to claim a fortune in "lost" drug money in the Coen Brothers' Oscar-winning masterpiece "No Country For Old Men." In the years since, Brolin has appeared in some of the biggest films of the past decade, including Marvel's "Avengers" flicks and "Deadpool 2." He's also worked with a veritable who's who of lauded filmmaker's, including Ridley Scott ("American Gangster"), Gus Van Sant ("Milk"), Paul Thomas Anderson ("Inherent Vice"), and Denis Villeneuve ("Sicario" and "Dune").
You may have forgotten, but Brolin added Spike Lee to that list in 2013, with the pair collaborating on the remake of a beloved 2003 thriller from legendary South Korean shockteur Park Chan-Wook. That remake was, unfortunately, a critical (per Rotten Tomatoes) and commercial (via Box Office Mojo) failure when it hit theaters. However, it's finally getting some well-deserved love on Netflix, where it's currently on the list of the Top 10 Movies in the U.S.
Oldboy is a wild mystery flick fronting a fierce performance from Josh Brolin
The film in question is the hyper-violent, and often hyper-sexual, mystery "Oldboy," which was indeed a remake of Park Chan-Wook's 2003 shocker of the same name. If you're unfamiliar with the film, "Oldboy" tells the story of Joe, a seemingly ordinary man who's imprisoned for two decades by a mysterious tormentor for reasons unknown to him. Just as unexpected as his imprisonment is his unceremonious release, with a near-omnipotent presence pitting him on the path of vengeance.
As Joe spends the bulk of his imprisonment transforming into a lean, mean killing machine, that path gets bloody in ways you likely cannot fathom, with Brolin's ad-man turned hammer-wielding mad man brutally dispatching of an army of assailants in pursuit of the person who masterminded his incarceration. But even if Brolin's "Oldboy" pulls a few more punches than its predecessor, the action is as viscerally thrilling as it is wildly unsettling.
"Oldboy" is, however, a revenge film with more on its mind than mere violent retribution. And as Joe begins to untangle the well-knotted mystery at the center of "Oldboy" (with the help of a kindly nurse played by Elizabeth Olsen), well, let's just say things get twisted in ways that'll leave your head spinning and your skin crawling. Make no mistake, "Oldboy" is not a film for the faint of heart. But if you can withstand the shocking violence and wrenching narrative twists, you'll find "Oldboy" a stylish, propulsive thriller well worth a spot in your Netflix queue.