2) Oldboy
Seen as a tentpole of Asian filmmaking, Oldboy is actually based off a Japanese manga. In a reverse of the usual situation, the film actually upped the violence and death. Its cult appeal in the US was such that it was adapted again in 2013, with Josh Brolin in the lead – if you haven’t heard of it, that’s because it was a huge flop.
The three versions of the story differ in certain ways but all feature the same basic premise, about a man who wants revenge for being locked up in a hotel room for a long period of time. As if to one up each other, every version has extended that time period, from a decade in the manga to 15 years in the Korean film and 20 years in the remake.
1) A History Of Violence
And, finally, another film which is as far away from the costumes and capes that most people associate with comic book movies is David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence. The movie sees Viggo Mortensen as an ordinary man who confronts some robbers to protect his family – but gets pulled into a world of violence and crime.
The film is a rendering of a graphic novel of the same name from Vertigo Comics, written by John Wagner (who is most known as the creator of Judge Dredd). It’s also a classic of its kind, with Mortensen calling it the best film he has ever worked on. A History of Violence might not be widely known as a comic book adaptation, but it might just be one of the best out there.
