Sympathy For Mr Vengeance on DVD (2002)

ichithekidda from Cornwall , 28/09/2004

If this were a British film it might have been made by Ken Loach as a gritty socio-realist study in human misery, perhaps.

Chan-Wook Park, however has created a blisteringly vivid cinematic ballet of human misery with breathtaking cinematography and a vibrantly colourful art direction which makes this film deceptively easy on the eye.

It’s an uber-noir exegesis of futility that inevitably sees all the characters overwhelmed by the consequences of their actions. Mr Park builds up such a gut– wrenching level of tension through smoulderingly paced scenes, long edits and static shots that when violence sporadically erupts it seems to heighten the sense of brutality and reawakens a sense of shock (pun) the lingering effect of which is unsettling rather than cathartic.

As harrowing as it gets the film reveals at its centre a coldly humorous black heart.

A stunner rather than a thriller.

Mr. Hitchcock must be turned-on in his grave.

  19 out of 20 people found this review helpful

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theOneliner.com from Truth or Consequences, Scotland , 18/08/2004

Brilliantly bleak tale from Korea. Ryu (Ha-kyun Shin), a young man sadly rendered deaf and dumb is made redundant meaning he cannot support his sister who's in dire need of a kidney transport. He's talked into kidnapping his ex-bosses daughter by his manipulative girlfriend Cha Yeong-mi (Du-na Bae), but the accidental death of the kid sets Ryu and the father, Park (Kang-ho Song) on a collision course that's as brutal as it is bleak. With astonshing use of sound design and a terrific performance from Ha-kyun Shin, feeling like a fully fledged character rather than a guy with a disability tacked on as a gimmick. It's only a few incongruous moments that seem to have been added only to make the film darker rather than further the story that marr an otherwise excellent tale, although it still remains one of the better and more powerful fims of recent years. Hardly a laugh riot, mind.

  14 out of 16 people found this review helpful

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bobbyperu from Merseyside , 20/04/2005

Having seen Park Chan Wook's magnificent Jacobean revenge tragedy 'Oldboy' at the cinema last year, I wanted to check out the first in his series of 'revenge' themed films (a new addition, Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, is out soon).

'Sympathy...' is a very different film from 'Oldboy'. It lacks the grandiosity, the baroque nature of that film, and the violence is more uncomfortably close to home. The film is a complex and ultimately very tidy series of revenges, the plot held together largely by three individuals.

To say more would surely ruin the film, but it is intelligent, well paced and thoughtful on its subject. However, it is not nearly as sure-footed as 'Oldboy' is, and the first half-hour is so confusing that you will probably find yourself, as I did, scanning backwards and forwards to check who is speaking in a certain scene, who is talking about who etc. Also (and I believe this to be a valid point, no matter how dark the subject of the film) the violence is often overly excessive, and towards the end of the film, often just plain nauseating.

It often detracts from the wonderfully tight structure the filmmaker has constructed, and takes the viewer out of the film. This aside, the film is still recommended, though I would check out 'Oldboy' first.

  13 out of 22 people found this review helpful

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andrew9 from london , 08/06/2005

After watching the famous Old Boy and thoroughly enjoying it, I read the reviews and they all pointed to this film as another great Korean masterpiece, so I rented it. I was not dissapointed, I really enjoyed it, it isn't like Old Boy, in fact it's not right to compare them other than the fact they are both Korean revenge films. The title really does explain it all, the sympathy you find yourself feeling towards the two main characters in their quest for revenge. There are a few very darkly humerous moments in the film, but not as many as the director seems to think, describing his film as "a comedy". I found the violence not to be over the top at all and thought it was very well contained so that you didn't feel it overpowering, it was graphic enough to show you what was supposed to be going on, but not so much as to make you squeel.

The other issue it brings to light is the problems with medical treatment in Korea and the great distance between the rich and poor health systems.

I would happily recommend this film to anyone as I think it is both moving and dark as well as comicly ironic in it's finale.

  9 out of 9 people found this review helpful

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