Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Boksuneun naui geot
Park Chan-wook: The Vengeance Trilogy
Synopsis
Urgently in need of the money to pay for his gravely ill sister’s kidney transplant, Ryu, a punky deaf-mute factory worker, resorts to kidnapping the daughter of a wealthy industrialist—an act of desperation which leads to a series of events that spiral into a bloody cycle of violence and revenge.
Our take
Oldboy wasn’t even the half of it! South Korea’s Park Chan-wook began his famed “Vengeance Trilogy” with this wild, magnificently stylish thriller. Initially given only the smallest of releases, it became a cult phenomenon—and depending on who you ask, may be even better than its more famous cousin.
Critics reviews
It’s a difficult balancing act, but Park crafts his layers carefully and masterfully.
Tasha Robinson
August 16, 2005
This deeply twisted and bizarre movie from South Korea comes close to the spirit of Jacobean revenge tragedy, with its extravagant violence, its sentimental sibling relationship, brooding malcontentism and flair for piercing images of horror.
Peter Bradshaw
May 29, 2003
Korean Film
The end result is wondrous and horrible, a movie that will give you nightmares but leave you in awe of its power.
Darcy Paquet
March 29, 2002
Related films
Three... Extremes
Takashi Miike, Park Chan-wook, Fruit Chan, 2004
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Werner Herzog, 2009
Mother
Bong Joon-ho, 2009
Thirst
Park Chan-wook, 2009
Joint Security Area
Park Chan-wook, 2000
I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK
Park Chan-wook, 2006
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Sidney Lumet, 2007
Ichi the Killer
Takashi Miike, 2001
City of God
Kátia Lund, Fernando Meirelles, 2002
Night Fishing
Park Chan-kyong, Park Chan-wook, 2011