MUBI

The second of Park’s Vengeance trilogy, Oldboy, is astonishing. Its energy fairly bristles off the screen, and nearly every scene is graphic in its intensity. But Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, the one that got the ball rolling, stands in total contrast. The tone is much more subdued, and though early on it is a bit confusing, things fall into place soon enough. In Sympathy, there are many surprises (even when you see them coming, they don’t play out they way you might expect) but there’s also an inevitability that was nonexistent in Oldboy, where every moment was a surprise. The crux of this story is a “noble” kidnapping gone wrong. The deaf/mute Ryu is desperate to pull together the funds for his sister’s kidney transplant after being ripped off by black-market organ dealers. He and his girlfriend concoct a plan that goes awry, pulling a rich man who has nothing to lose into the picture. Each character is as much victim as victimizer, and I found my sympathy bouncing around like a ping pong ball. Every scene of this movie could stand alone as its own mini-film – it is that perfectly rendered and exquisitely beautiful (until the bloodbath that you know must come, but even that is very different from the hyperkinetic frenzy of Oldboy). This is a significantly more restrained work of art, but gory art it is.

at last i concluded my vengeance trilogy with this film, which ironically is the first entry of the three film. And having finished watching all three, i can conclude that this is, while not having a wow factor such as Oldboy, or didn’t have a beautiful images and score as Lady Vengeance did (that’s why this is my least favorite ), but this is still a beyond average revenge movie out. The script is the main power of Mr. Vengeance. With a story of a shakespeare-an tragedy and many mise-en-scene that would make coens brother looks like seltzers brother,.and in my opinion, this is the most violent of all three.