Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
by Chan-wook Park
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Actor: Bo-bae Han, Du-na Bae, Ha-kyun Shin, Ji-Eun Lim, Kang-ho SongDirector: Chan-wook Park
Brand: Genius
Writer: Chan-wook Park
Producer: Dong-jun Seok
Producer: Jae-sun Lee
Writer: Jae-sun Lee
Producer: Jin-gyu Lim
Writer: Mu-yeong Lee
Writer: Yong-jong Lee
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Korean (Original Language); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 129 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-11-22
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Tartan Video
DVD Reviews of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
DVD Review: Pictures, water, winning, and loss: Everything that is classic and more
Summary: 5 Stars
Money makes the world go round. That seems to be the motto of the movie, until something terrible happens. a kidnapping turns into a babysitting job that involves a man that cannot hear, and that evolves into a tragedy that makes everything so much more than green. With the accident found out and a fahter's wrath on the loose, a few things begin to happen. People who have some necrotic desires find themselves falling on sharpened blades, batteries seem unchecked until they hook to ears that don't really seem to like this new designer wardrobe, and a knife does things to a person's leg that are horrific to check out. all the while other plots play out, like one involving terroists, a few involving electroshock, and some that involve near-misses. Its certainly not a beautiful day in that neighborhood.
Of the three revenge movies, this was the first I had the joy of watching and the one that makes me cringe the most. It has a graphicness to it that makes the torment all-the-more realistic, and the people that are being tortured seem to go that extra mile. That's one thing I can say about the direction here - the body reacts in ways you would expect it to react when put under certain stressors, and this is enough to make you cringe. Place that with the understanding of why the money is needed, what was supposed to happen versus what turns out to be the case, and how terrible the person feels in this and you have a perfectly tortured soul added to the fray. Honestly, i felt sorrow for quite a few of the people in this movie, something I'm not accustomed to feeling, and that told me that the movie was doing a great job. It also pointed out how accidents happen and how little things can become big things when the world spins out-of-control.
If you liked Old boy or simply like a good revenge movie with a nice plot, then this will suit you. It has all the staples that a person would want from a nice movie of this kind, including the speed of the movie and the terrible things that befall each and every person in the film. It has no winners - that's another good thing I think people might appreciate, knowing that forgiveness is not a solution and that revenge has its price as well. The one thing I think I have to not is that it is grapic, extremely so in some cases, adn that should be known ahead of time. Still, in movies like this, you expect alittle terror to mingle with your tragedy.
This is highly recommended.
DVD Review: Great movie that gets better and better
Summary: 4 Stars
With moments of dark humor, this film will have you twirling in your seat when the 'events' occur. The slow pace might be challenging for many impatient viewers, but the wait is worth it. Violence is a part of life and some of it is accidental. Park shares a story line that you will believe can happen to you and delivers it with a dexterity that is rarely seen. DVD Review: Modern day William Shakespeare.
Summary: 5 Stars
The material here is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. Little more needs to be said other than buy it now.
This film is a 10/10 for me.
DVD Review: A Remarkable Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
Five stars isn't enough for this film. While watching I was reminded of the best Western directors and consider Park better than any other Korean director, regardless of genre, and the equal of any living Japanese director. I can't even think of a Hitchcock film that I'd put above the craft and storytelling of this film. A telling endorsement is from Film Comment which I used as the title for this review.
A mistake others seem to make is to tag this film as "horror." Sure there is violence but it falls under the same type category as Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill. Even the title tells you that it is about vengeance, and there are no demons, evil spirits, or even serial killers in the normal sense. If categorizing the film it would be much closer to MacBeth than to any recognized horror film.
Others call the violence "extreme" but if you're a fan of modern horror or gangster films you can find much worse gore in mainstream releases. Much of it is like Hitchcock in that it occurs either off-camera or in the far background, so that the viewer is left to imagine much of the terror going through the victim's mind. By doing this the viewer becomes more actively engaged so that the scene has even more impact. (Note: if you want pure gross-out violence then try Ichi the Killer, which is also excellent.)
Although Oldboy and Lady Vengeance are excellent in their own right, when put against this film they come across as severely flawed. If you watch only one film from this director then this is the one to see.
DVD Review: Bloody Good
Summary: 5 Stars
Weee, what a film of extreme violence, not since "Scar Face" or "Sopranos" have I seen such a film graphic violence.
Asian actors put to shame American or English actors, similar to some races having naturally better rhythm.
There acting is so much more real and authentic and show a love for the craft.
The style of this movie had a special feel and unpredictableness to it that you don't see in American films.
Description of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Unable to afford proper care for his sister dying from kidney failure, Ryu turns to the black market to sell his own organs only to end up cheated of his life savings. His girlfriend urges Ryu to kidnap the daughter of wealthy industrialist Dong-jin, who recently laid him off. Ryu agrees, but unforeseen tragedies turn an innocent con into a merciless quest for revenge. Bound by their personal losses and deep-seated anger, the two men are thrust into a spiral of destruction.Before he made the notorious cult hit Oldboy, South Korean director Chan-wook Park created Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, an equally gruesome yet elegant meditation on revenge. Desperate to get a kidney transplant for his dying sister, a deaf and dumb young man named Ryu (Ha-kyun Shin, Save the Green Planet!) kidnaps the daughter of a wealthy industrialist named Park (Kang-ho Song, Shiri). Despite Ryu's best intentions, things go horribly awry, setting in motion a series of escalating revenges--to describe the plot in more detail would undercut the movie, because much of its power comes from the spare and skillful storytelling. Chan-wook Park is careful to ground the audience in the characters' emotional lives; when the violence begins, the bloody events unfold with the hypnotic power of the revenge tragedies of the Shakespearean era, which had over-the-top plots and littered the stage with bodies, yet were full of rich poetry. Park's eye for startling images and careful editing creates a visual poetry, grotesque yet often haunting. Certainly not a film for everyone--squeamish viewers had best beware, while anyone who wants their violence flagrant and guilt-free will be disappointed--but cinephiles looking to have their hearts squeezed along with their stomachs will enjoy Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. --Bret Fetzer
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