Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

South Korea 2002, 121 minutes
Dir. Park Chan-Wook
In Korean with English subtitles
Rating: [R18]
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Suspense/Crime / Hostages & Terrorism

Feat. Kang-ho Song, Ha-kyun Shin, Doona Bae

Aroview: Incredibly bleak suspenser witnesses the disastrous efforts of a deaf-mute man and his girlfriend (who is on the fringes of a terrorist cell) to negotiate for a kidney on the organ-transplant black-market, in order to save his ailing sister.

Marking the opening chapter of dir. Park Chan-Wook's 'Vengeance Trilogy' (see OLD BOY for part two), this sports a powerfully nihilistic vision of cause and effect, as the couple venture into a little kidnapping to raise the necessary funds, leading to chain of grimly brutal consequences. Thoroughly recommended to the adventurous.

Member Reviews

Average rating (Very Good). Showing 1-4 of 4 member reviews.

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3 stars (Good Enough) Not as good as Old Boy, and a little too rough at times, but otherwise a decent, if grim, revenge story told in Park's unique style. ~Tom H
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4 stars (Very Good) Certainly not as good as Old Boy, but lives up to the title in that you invest in everyone's story, leaving you with violence as grim as it's stylish. A great tilt after the first act. Messy, but affecting. ~Pop&Coffee
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4 stars (Very Good) There's wrenching violence here, for sure, but it's the pervasive pessimism that really stings: this is as much a tragedy (or nihilistic farce) as a neo-noir thriller. Hard-boiled AF and, for consistency of vision, I say it beats Old Boy. ~fairbrother
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4 stars (Very Good) It had some great offbeat comedy moments but it was also very violent. The violence without the comedy mix may have been unpalatable but together, for the most part, it worked. ~Tubbs