20 Underwhelming Movies From Star Wars Actors You Must Avoid
12. Old Boy
Actor:
Samuel L Jackson (Mace Windu)
The Film:
Samuel L Jackson had been estranged from director Spike Lee for years, but they reunited for this remake of South Korea's Oldboy, probably because of how much Jackson loves the original. He plays a minor villain who runs the jail where Josh Brolin's protagonist is locked up for 20 years.
He's perfectly OK but it's a fairly typical sort of role for him and he's ultimately under-used. That being said, unlike with the Star Wars Prequels in which he gave a weak performance, he comes out of it fine.
Oldboy (2003) is one of my favorite films so there's admittedly some bias here, but even separating the two, this is a shallow and plot hole-ridden thriller which favors shocks and gore over emotional depth and genuine insight. It was a misfire for Spike Lee, who's essentially disowned it since.