Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) User Reviews (172)

Grips you like a vice. Hits you like a ton of bricks.

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 8/10 · 22 September 2006]

Before you watch this film, just be aware that you're not going to walk away from it with a big smile on your face. More like you'll want to slit your wrists. To say that Mr. Vengeance is a powerful, gut-wrenching nightmare is like saying that DaVinci merely dabbled in art.

The plot is so simple yet so complex. The direction is so elegant yet so hard-hitting. The simplistic nature of the story makes the descent into hell so shocking and captivating. You don't realize there is no going back until it's far, FAR too late.

Ryu is a deaf/mute who works in the loudest factory in the world, doing a really depressing job. His sister needs a kidney transplant, but they don't have the money to pay for it. He cannot give her one of his own because their blood types do not match. Ryu decides to go to black market organ traders to trade one of his own for one that matches his sister. Waking up naked and kidney-less in an abandoned building he now needs to raise money for his own kidney.

Ryu is now fired from his job by President Park, who is downsizing the company. His anarchist girlfriend Yeong-mi convinces him to kidnap Park's daughter and hold her to ransom. From then on, things get very, very, VERY heavy and the idea of who exactly Mr. Vengeance is is blurred and sympathy is felt for almost everyone. Revenge comes at a high price and seemingly never ends. Not that I am saying forgiving and forgetting is the way. But this movie will make you think twice about getting your own back.

The violence is spontaneous and extremely graphic without ever feeling exploitational. Sometimes it has a darkly comic feel to it, the rest of the time it's goddamn hardcore. You'll wince a great deal during this movie, that's for damn sure.

Park Chan-wook directs with such beautifully composed images that are far from the the garish MTV-style action/thriller movies produced in Hollywood these days. I don't want to sound like some sort of snob who proclaims all foreign films to be great and all Hollywood to be crap but it's not very often that Hollywood makes a film like this unless it's a remake. Written in a mere 20 hours in a single massive, creative outburst, this movie seems to have genius laced through every minute of it's running time.

Not a date movie, not a whogivesadamn pig-out movie. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is a film you will be sucked right into and you'll be far from happy when you emerge at the end. But what a horrific ride!

A Sensible Review

[stage_3_dan · 9/10 · 3 April 2004]

I've been reading over user comments on Sympathy, and I'm pretty shocked. What gore- fest were you people watching? I remember only a couple of really "gory" moments, but there was nothing that was too extreme (save for Ryu's murderous assault towards the end, and the very very brief torture scene). If you have weak stomachs, don't watch movies with any bit of gore in them. You're the wrong kind of people to be reviewing this kind of film. As a critic you should be able to put personal biases aside and give a fair and balanced review of the movie in question, but you've let a little bit of violence offend you. And that's not a bad thing, it's just that letting biases get in the way can really ruin a review.

Violence in cinema isn't a terrible thing. When there's blood on the screen and people write off the film as tripe automatically, it bothers me to no end. It's blood. So what? When the movie turns into something that only progresses to get to another gory, violent scene, that's a problem, and if you felt that way about Sympathy I feel for you and I apologize. That said, I definitely did not see it as being something that sought to continue just to display more brutality. The scenes in question were meant to create tension and drama, and in some ways show progression of character. They were not meant to be there simply because blood = good, and again, I do feel badly for anybody who took it that way, because that really isn't any fun.

What was fun, for me at least, was the whole of this film. I tend to be wary whenever "different abled" people are cast in lead roles in films, although you'll never hear me use that term in a serious tone. I must admit, having the lead be deaf made me nervous, as I've seen some pretty bad films and television programs featuring deaf characters. In my junior year in high school, I learned ASL, and I furthered the experience for years beyond that. Whenever I see any character, be they deaf, blind, mute, crippled, etc, portrayed in any film, I pray that the filmmakers get it right and not make a stereotype and a mockery of the character.

In the case of Sympathy, Ryu was excellent. His signing, though not the American Sign Language that I'm familiar with (it's Korea, for crying out loud), was spot-on, from the way he physically articulated the signs, to his facial expressions per sign. Shin Ha-Kyun plays Ryu perfectly, in fact he's so good that I am tempted to say that he's probably deaf himself. The way that Chan-wook Park makes use of his protagonist's deafness also is excellent-- his cuts, from Ryu signing to a black screen with translations of the signs, are really great. The, "person-is-speaking-but-you-here-nothing" shots are also wonderful, as is the shot of Ryu in the factory wearing nothing to protect his ears while everyone else is. It's these little things that help create the atmosphere, and to build on Ryu. Wonderful stuff.

Chan-wook Park also tends to get very inventive with the camera in other ways as well, so much so that I think he's one of the most unique directors around today. I want to see more of his technique-- thus, I am looking forward to seeing Oldboy whenever I have the chance to. He doesn't, however, go too crazy with things, which I appreciate, since a lot of directors try to be inventive and ultimately give you annoying camera work that seems more like that of an amateur than that of an auteur.

The story follows a deaf man (Ryu), who gives all of his saved money to thugs in order to get a kidney transplant for his sister (he was going to use it to just have a legal transfer done, but nobody matches his sister's blood type). He wakes up to find himself down a kidney, down 10,000 won, and down all of his clothing, and he later finds out that the hospital has found a matching donor, much to his chagrin. With no other recourse (as they see it), Ryu and his girlfriend kidnap the daughter of Dong-jin Park and hold her for ransom. With cycles of vengeance firmly implanted in the story, Chan-wook gives us a riveting narrative as Dong-jin Park searches desperately for the people who took his child. In the end, does everyone get their revenge?

Chan-wook would have you believe so, but he's more interested in generating sympathy for each character, as everyone is a victim in their own way, even the criminals (hence the title Sympathy For Mr.Vengeance). Many people become their own Mr.Vengeance, whether it is Ryu kidnapping Dong-jin Park's daughter for money as well as for retribution (Dong-jin fires Ryu from his job early in the film, after all), or the aching father hunting down the kidnappers one by one. It's one of the the few films I've seen do this, and it's something that I appreciate greatly. Not all criminals are motivated by an uncompromising hatred lurking within them-- so what does motivate them? You'll see.

If you're looking for something creative and fresh, and you don't mind a few graphic scenes here and there, then I would recommend this. ********* (out of ten)

Well crafted and challenging

[simon_booth · 9/10 · 12 April 2003]

Vengeance is one of humanity's more lamentable instincts, and one we'll have to overcome as a species one day. When one acts out of vengeance one seeks only to hurt, and when people start hurting each other because they're hurt themselves, everybody ends up hurting and nobody really gains anything.

I think that's the main message Park Chan-Wook wants us to take away from SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE, though the movie is complex and oblique and doubtless open to many interpretations. It is a challenging movie in many ways - the story is never spelled out clearly, leaving the viewer to deduce many key events and motivations. Dialogue is sparse, and this is not solely attributable to the fact that the main character is deaf and dumb. The movie also challenges - almost terrorises - with its bleakness and occasional scenes of quite disturbing violence and gore.

SFMV is an ambitious project, and one that doesn't fit into any established cinematic mould. The story, characters, themes and aesthetics are all very unusual and creative. I can't think of any other film that's quite like it, though at times I likened the experience to that of watching certain Takashi Miike movies. Actually, Kim Ki-Duk's movies are probably the closest point of reference, though Park Chan-Wook's film is smarter.

SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE is not a movie I'd choose for a movie night with friends, or one that I'd lend or recommend to most of the people I know. Perhaps I'm unfair in my assessment of my friends, but I can't think of many that would enjoy it. Actually I'm surprised that the film is held in such wide regard, as its not a conventional film or an easy film, and is far more art than entertainment. In my experience that narrows a film's audience significantly, but I've yet to hear anybody express a negative reaction to the film. I guess originality and technical virtuosity are still appreciated after all - perhaps more so by those that have gravitated to Korean cinema in recent years than in other groups, since they are most often to be found there.

With JSA and SFMV, Park Chan-Wook has definitely shown himself to be one of the brightest figures in the new wave of Korean directors. Both are very well crafted in pretty much every respect. The cast of SFMV also deserve commendation for their performances, which are all good. Song Kang-Ho steals the show with a wonderfully understated performance, though.

Recommended, but make sure you know what you're getting.

A stunning piece of work. One of the most impressive movies I've seen this decade.

[Infofreak · 5 February 2004]

I know absolutely NOTHING about Chan-wook Park, but after watching 'Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance' I would put him straight at the top of my most promising new directors list. This is a stunning piece of work which wipes the floor with contemporary Hollywood's so-called "thrillers". It's a very grim and depressing movie, full of violence, but also includes some great performances, some beautiful sequences, and characters you genuinely empathize with. Sadly very few people are going to see this brilliant movie, and the few who get to hear about it will be told about the more extreme and brutal scenes and will probably think it's just about shock for shocks sake. It's anything but. In many ways it harks back to the days when a dark and serious movie like 'Taxi Driver' could find a mass adult audience, rather than the moronic Bad Boys/Charlie's Angels movie culture we're now faced with. Ha-kyun Shin plays Ryu, an unemployed deaf mute who is desperate to help his sick sister (Ji-Eun Lim) who needs a kidney transplant. When his experiences on the organ black market fail (the movie deals with this and I don't want to spoil it) his politically extreme girlfriend Yu-sun (Bo-bae Han) hatches a kidnap plan. This sets off a tragic chain of events that you just have to see to believe! I was immediately fascinated with the movie and my interest never let up for a minute. The actors are all first rate, and Park's direction is difficult to fault. The movie continually surprises all the way up to its very compelling climax. 'Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance' is one of the most impressive movies I've seen this decade. Make sure you get to see it!

Modern masterpiece.

[seikeden-1 · 10/10 · 17 August 2005]

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is, simply put, the best film I have seen all year.

Chan-wook Park's mastery of cinematic language is stunning. I Recently saw Oldboy, and was intrigued by the style and freshness of that film. but where Oldboy sometimes degenerates (albeit in a very entertaining fashion) into simple violence and visceral satisfaction, Mr. Vengeance does not.

Those not accustomed to a slower paced film may say that there is too much postulation and ambiguity in this film, but they would be completely wrong. Never has a film managed to capture my attention so fully as this one. The majority of the time, we are left in quiet reflection of the events hat have taken place. The setting is rich and South Korea is shown in all its glory as a culture emerging from a somewhat torn past.

Every moment is beautifully framed and executed, and there are multiple ways in which the viewer is drawn into the lives of the characters that exist in this space. Colour is obviously very important to park, as each moment is perfectly balanced and flows from frame to frame in a way that would make most Hollywood directors green with envy.

The themes of vengeance and tragic fate are intertwined in such a way that almost numbs the senses after a time. Even though there is no "hero" or "villian" in this film, each character shares the spotlight in turn and the motivations for their actions are slowly revealed, justified, and then torn apart as fate intervenes to bring everything to a point of complete helplessness and futility.

A very powerful, beautiful film.

Crafted well enough to carve through the soul.

[ETCmodel02 · 10/10 · 17 January 2003]

There aren't to many times when credits roll on a film and I want to immediately start watching it through again. This is one of the rare exceptions.

Visually stunning with artistic merit to almost every shot. Deliberate frame composition with the eye of a classical painter married to lighting that underscores the narrative with sublime control. The shots alternate between tight intimate shots with strong angles that elude to POV and deep staged shots in full focus throughout that nearly ride the axis like looking down the barrel of a rifle into the deepest darkest corners of our characters' lives.

The light and textures on screen are lush and rich and the focus generally deep like Seven or Silence of the Lambs. Solid DOP, solid Cinematographer, solid Production Designer, Solid Art Director, across the board this film stands up as tight, smart, unexpected, sometimes abusive and always engaging like a car wreck in all the charmed ways.

Dialogue, though minimal, is always apt and loaded. Sign language feels like Tai Chi, delicate here, fierce there, somehow clear I believe even without subtitles.

This gem is deliciously horrific, a complete study of tragedy and of theater grotesque. Like Scarface the film is laden with stomach clenching non-gratuitous gore which is somehow infinitely more disturbing.

The driving narrative is about vengeance, layer upon layer, constantly underscored by social commentary both direct and sub-textual addressing inequities, rights, justice and the cruelty / fairness of commerce, fate and basic karma.

Well crafted, well delivered, well done. Excellent. And absolutely NOT for people with weak gullets, true that.

Dig two graves... or maybe ten.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 30 March 2020]

'Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance (2002)' is bleak, almost nihilistic. It's the start of Park's 'vengeance' trilogy, the spiritual predecessor to 'Oldboy (2003)' and 'Lady Vengeance (2005)'. It's linked to its siblings via themes of circular violence, endless revenge, universal cruelty and cosmic 'justice', presenting a world full of amoral heroes whose downfalls are all of their own doing. The movie is bathed in a cold, uncaring light, depicting its increasingly brutal events with a callous distance. That doesn't mean that its narrative isn't affecting or resonant, though; it actually stays with you for long after it's over. It isn't constantly dour - I mean, its occasional absurdity often borders on being comedic (although it never quite is) - but it is constantly ominous, slowly spiralling out of control and leaving you unable to do anything but watch. Its construction is actually masterful, with brilliant direction and editing highlighting the similarities between its two lead characters. It even manages to survive a near protagonist switch at its mid-point. The piece isn't always easy viewing, nor exactly enjoyable, but it's incredibly compelling throughout. It's pretty great, actually. 7/10

"I know you're a good guy... but you know why I have to kill you"

[the-english-gentleman · 10/10 · 2 December 2005]

Handing out a 10 star rating for a film is not something that should be undertaken lightly. Each rating affects the overall score of the film. People may be persuaded to watch the film or avoid it based upon this score and the comments behind it.

A perfect score handed out to the most undeserving of Hollywood trash dramatically lowers the credibility of a rating system and takes away attention from genuinely deserving masterpieces. Sympathy For Mr Vengeance is most certainly one of these masterpieces, and deserves every single star there is going.

Here's the story.

Ryu (Ha-kyun Shin) is deaf and mute. His sister is dying. She needs a kidney transplant quickly or she'll die. Ryu, an intelligent sort of guy, gave up his education to work in a factory (which is eerily reminiscent of a vision of Hell itself) to pay for his sister's medical expenses. He has very little, but he is focused and motivated and never once whines about the myriad misfortunes that plague his life.

His girlfriend, Yeong-mi (the extremely cute Du-na Bae) is a minor league anarchist and activist intent on 'bringing down the corporations'. She is quite the rebel. Her relationship with Ryu began when she was a fellow student at a deaf school from which she was later expelled after it became apparent she was only pretending to be deaf.

After conversation with his sister's unhelpful doctor, Ryu decides he'll turn to the black market to get his sister a kidney. But his transaction with the organ traffickers ends catastrophically, propelling him to get involved in the kidnapping of his boss's young daughter so that the ransom money can save his sister. This kidnapping, of course, goes tragically wrong, and at this point we become ominously aware that all of the heart-breaking things we have seen so far are nothing compared to what's coming.

Things quickly spiral downwards into a magnum opus of misery for all concerned. Ryu's boss, Park (Kang-ho Song), grief-stricken and furious, haunted and genuinely mystified why anyone would do what Ryu has done, is set on an irreversible path of brutal vengeance.

Ryu, meanwhile, has his own tragedy to deal with quite apart from Park's rampage. As things around him disintegrate, he is also compelled towards vengeance, primarily on the organ traffickers, but later (in an idea we would see taken to dizzying extremes in Oldboy) he decides to take revenge on PARK for taking revenge on HIM.

Needless to say, none of this ends well for anybody. I've tried very hard to get the themes and ideas of this film across without spoilers, but really, it wouldn't matter if you knew what was coming. Surprises aren't really important here. You know right from the outset that nobody's getting out alive. What matters here are motives, emotions, reasons, and, ultimately, extreme and brutal displays of violence.

The director, Chan-wook Park, gives a story with no easy answers. In fact, it's debatable whether he's asked us any questions. He presents a group of characters in a certain set of circumstances and sets them loose. He never passes judgement over any of his creations, leaving the audience to judge for themselves. That's the mark of a masterful director who has faith in, and respect for, his audience. The actions of his characters take place in a moral vacuum, where there is no right or wrong, only choices and consequences. There is no divine or poetic justice, only revenge.

The title of the film relates to perhaps the only real question in the whole film - who do we sympathise with? Do our loyalties lie with Ryu, who is motivated only by love for his sister and subject to misfortunes on a massive scale? Or with Park, who has always tried to be a fair and honest man, only to have his beloved daughter kidnapped and killed, albeit accidentally? Both men do deplorable things. Both men become savage murderers. Both men are, ultimately, the 'Mr Vengeance' of the title. So to whom to we give our sympathy?

The acting in this film is of uniformly excellent quality, from the main characters to the smallest of walk-on parts. Ha-kyun Shin and Du-na Bae learned sign language for this film and give such effortless performances you'd believe they'd been doing it all their lives. Kang-ho Song's turn as Park is heart-breaking, particularly the scene where the camera stays on him and only him as he looks on in horror at his daughter's autopsy, complete with sounds of cracking bone and surgical saws.

The photography is beautiful, showing the beauty and the ugliness of South Korea in equal measures. There is no real soundtrack to speak of, only the background sounds of the city and the various locales within it. There's traffic, howling wind and trickling water, depending on where we are.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about this film (doubly so if you've read this review to this point) is that it's a comedy. A very, very black one, but still a comedy. Chan-wook Park has given us the most tragic of revenge dramas through the filter of humour, and that's part of the reason it works so well. Unrelenting misery can only be tolerated for so long. Sooner or later you'll walk away from it unless you can give a wry smile or a genuine belly-laugh now and again. There are many of those here, although a few are definite guilty pleasures.

To sum up, this film is a solid gold masterpiece, vastly superior to anything spewed forth by Hollywood these last few decades.

The future of cinema is rising in the East.

It seems it set in the West a long, long time ago.

Class struggle as violence (the sound and the fury?)

[donqt · 7/10 · 17 June 2002]

There are two reasons to watch Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. The violence and the sound. Or rather, the sound and the violence.

The main character's lack of one sense drives the film, both form and function wise. Occasionally, we lose one of the two ways in which we interact with the film (sound, sight). The loss of one sense adds value to the other. It makes the normally assumed other seem all the more there. Unlike most Hollywood takes on this particular sense absence, we get a bit of a glimpse into what the absence means to the character, and not just what it means to us looking at the character as third person. What results are some very nice moments that are film using itself as a medium to one of its potentials.

This movie is well titled (english translation), but why won't become obvious until the last third of the film. The violence is a bit overwhelming, especially given the tone of the initial third. We start off thinking that maybe all planned actions will go as they should, without harm, and without significant consequence, that implied violence might only exist beyond the threshold of common sense. As plans slowly unravel, and as tragedy exerts its sometimes tender hold, we see an escalation of blood with few limits in depiction.

Mr. Park (and here I'm paraphrasing a translator's take) has stated that the violence in this film is less bloody, and less realistic (?) than that found in horror movies, or movies of other persuasion (action?). What he says is true, but in those movies we are distanced from the events via a somewhat thick veil of disbelief. Unlikely characters and unlikely events combine for a combustion that makes it easy for to be distant from the gore. While the characters in this film might be unlikely, they are drawn with the kind of SYMPATHY that allows their environs to seem more plausible (or possible). Mr. Park also stressed the elements of class struggle, although my familiarity with South Korean culture leaves me uncertain of all their applications. There certainly is a sense of have vs. have-not in the film, and this seems to reveal itself most significantly near the end.

The story may be told somewhat elliptically, so English (only) audiences beware, especially if you require the tried and true formulas that Hollywood so often provides.

Revenge is a dish best served by Chan-wook Park

[Gigo_Satana · 8/10 · 9 May 2005]

What an erratic and interesting ride it has been for violence infested movies throughout the long decades of cinematic experiments so far. Whether it was combinations of drama, horror, even comedy or the fusion of all three simultaneously, their results rarely attained much impact aside from delivering pure shock value and strong cult followings. Nevertheless, such unfortunate stereotypes didn't prevent me from seeking out films that most people proclaimed to be "hard to stomach". Better luck next time; Funny Games, Fingered and countless cannibal themed films from Italy, respectively of course.

I often come upon films that try very hard to make me look away from the screen and try even harder to make me empathize with the characters who are delivering and or receiving the poorly climaxed torment. Such cinematic pretentiousness finds no place in my mind and gets discarded as soon as processed.

And then came Mr. Vengeance. Possibly to aid the ever growing genre of dramatically pragmatic films, bravely dealing with real life stories in a bold and sometimes unseen fashion.

What made Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance all that much visceral was the fact that there was no pleasant music to tranquilize the painful story and beautify the scenery, nor was there any stylish before-and-after fight facial expressions and catchy lines to make the whole experience seem out of this world and cool. Not that there is anything wrong with using those elements in film. And it needs to be noted how interesting Kang-ho Song is always to watch, whether he's playing an aspiring wrestler, a small town inspector or a father on an avenging rampage. Credible acting is essential in films that have to deal with heavy biases for being mentally hard to digest and visually difficult to appreciate, gladly SFMV had those holes covered with an ease.

The entire flow of the story seemed very effortless and drag free. Both the action and reaction of each character seemed to be traveling at such fast speed that rarely gave you time to over-analyze their motives and directions, which ultimately helped the story to signify the depth and restlessness of each person on a mission to get their revenge.

Audiences are always mercilessly expressing their distraught over revenge flicks for one reason or another, so if you still have any room and temptation left to see a serious and sophisticated side of revenge then I can't recommend a better film, by a better director, to take you on the hybrid journey of pain, retribution and more pain.

Twisting and unyielding

[Vartiainen · 7/10 · 6 May 2018]

First in Park Chan-wook's Vengeance trilogy. A movie about a deaf-mute man, whose sister is in dire need of a kidney transplant, but unfortunately the man himself cannot be a donor. Through sheer desperation the man ends up performing deeds best left undone, all in the name of his sister.

It's not a pretty movie. The man's, Ryu's (Shin Ha-kyun), actions are understandable to a degree, and one could even argue that he never crosses that final line. Oh, he crosses lines, multiple of them, but he's more pushed over some of them than he is willingly walking. Not that it changes the end results in any way. And that's the "beauty" of it.

It's also a brutal movie. A lot of gore and blood is shown, the film certainly could be called tasteless by more conservative viewers and it certainly is not for everyone. But then again, you're watching a Park Chan-wook film. What did you expect? You either like his style or you don't.

The biggest problem I have with the film is the way it flows. Or to be more specific, how the scenes are joined together. There is more than one scene where you end up having no idea how the characters got there. That man shouldn't have that information or how did that guy find this guy or wasn't that girl supposed to be there instead of here. Those kinds of things. And yes, it's mood over logic kind of film, but most of these scenes could have easily been made to work with a line of dialogue. There's no need for it to be this clunky.

Still, it's a powerful film. Unapologetic, stylish and definitely memorable. It's not quite Oldboy, the second film of the trilogy, but if you liked that film, then this one should be right up your alley as well.

The Best Laid Plans of Brothers and Fathers...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 22 January 2022]

For all the right reasons, to help save a sister's life, off to a black market butcher and their double crossing knife. Through more formal operations, a matched kidney then appears, but the price is far too high for accessing the surgeons shears. A small ransom for a child, keep them hostage for a day, until the father drops a case of cash, then takes their kid away. Now the spiral has commenced, events cascade out of control, with the hope that dangled briefly, now scythed clean, no longer whole - and it doesn't make life easier if you're deaf as well as being metaphorically dumb and blind, no matter how desperate you might be.

Not as great as Oldboy.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 6 June 2006]

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Park Chan Wook's first movie in his Vengeance trilogy, is a brutal tale of love, death and revenge. It tells the story of Ryu, a green-haired deaf man who is dedicated to saving the life of his sister who desperately needs a kidney transplant.

When he is cheated out of his life's savings by unscrupulous organ traffickers (who also make off with one of his kidneys), Ryu, with the help of his political activist girlfriend, kidnaps the daughter of his ex-boss and holds her for ransom. However, when the little girl dies in a tragic accident whilst held by the amateur abductors, her father is determined to make them pay dearly for what they have done...

Despite having a solid plot and some terrific performances from the leads, the film ultimately fails somewhat due to the direction; every shot has been carefully planned, meticulously framed and precisely shot to such an extent that it detracts from the storytelling. The carefully structured style also feels totally at odds with the chaotic and gritty storyline.

The result is an aesthetically pleasing, but 'sterile' movie.

excellent photography does not make a good movie all alone when the story, for the most part, is too disengaging

[Quinoa1984 · 5/10 · 18 March 2006]

It's a bit surprising for me that not only the same filmmaker behind the intense and impactive thriller Oldboy made Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (claimed to be the first in the director's loose vengeance trilogy, with 'Lady Vengeance' ending it), but that this was the film made right before it. What a leap from one film to another like this! In a way I'm reminded of something Tarantino once said in an interview, talking about how a member of an audience for the most part while watching a film has a kind of umbilical chord to what's going on with the story and the characters. And for myself, when I'm watching a film, this is usually the case, and it's usually not too much of a problem. But even in a film like Sympathy for Mr. Vengeage, where director Chan-Wook Park has a cinematographer like Byeong-il Kim making such amazing images, if the story and characters disconnect at some point, it becomes a bore. Which is a shame considering its not like this throughout the whole film; the first half hour had a set-up that wasn't too confusing, with an entertaining bit or two, but...then there's a point where the main story takes its turn, and it never recovers. Even at the end, where the heap-load of exposition is laid out, its a bit too late, at least for me.

Ha Kyun-Shin, in a good enough turn, stars in a role without a line of dialog (though one moment he does utter some sort of vocal response), as a deaf/dumb guy who gets fired, along with his sister, from their job(s). There's a kidney transplant needed, there's a kidnapping of a boss's young daughter, and then there is a plot turn- a tragic one- that sets off a new set of events. This new set of events is where this disconnect happened for me. It's not just an issue of exposition, which was a part of my discomfort with the film. It's also that considering the subject matter- organ transplants, kidnapping, brutal slayings, revolution and vengeance shouldn't be this, well dull, and random. I don't mind a film that uses a keen, deliberate pacing (which for some may translate to slow which isn't far from the truth), or uses its photography to bring a viewer into how 'deep' it is.

But it reminds me too of the lesser films of Godard- you can see what the filmmaker is trying to do with the subject matter, and their cinematic eye is not very off. Yet the pretentiousness for me outweighs any worth in the style, and almost compounds what substance there is. In 'Sympathy' there are a few good scenes with Ryu and his kidnapped kid, and this whole sequence is of interest. But what's to make of the other "plot" that emerges involving the father of the girl, or is it an inspector, or the brother/sister who are also revolutionaries, etc? I wouldn't generalize something like 'a lot of South Korean dramas are as muddled and disconnected as this', as I've seen others from the country (aside from Oldboy, also Spring Summer Autumn Winter and Spring comes to mind) that aren't this way. I could tell there was talent here, but without any direction as a storyteller it's moot. Others may like it- and apparently it has its own solid cult following as Park's other films have- however it was just an experience leaving a bad taste in my cinematic mind.

Absolutely Stunning

[bluedeluca · 20 October 2003]

All I could think of during the last 20 minutes of this amazing film is how I am feeling the exact same way I felt as the final act played out in "Taxi Driver", were the only word floating through my brain and out my mouth was "Jesus". Anyway I was blown away.

I must admit that violence has not bothered me too much in my 25 years of watching films. It did affect me when I saw "Taxi Driver" for the first time, and it did truly mess me up when I saw "Irreversible" and now this film. I don't think I can handle too much anymore. I am glad that I was not prepared for the last act of this film. I was lulled into trance while watching the film unfold, it was mesmerizing. I loved everything about it, the acting, the story, again I had no Idea where it was going, I say again because I have mentioned this point in previous reviews, Asian films kick ass because they don't pander to focus groups or near sighted Hollywood suits, they take you places you either have no Idea where your going or take you places where you may feel the need to turn back but can't.

The relationships in this film are so pure, so real and beautiful, especially between the little girl and her captures. I love the way they set up the scene that would be the catalyst for the ensuing mayhem, even until the last second you aren't sure how far they were going to take it. I don't want to ruin anything so I will stop now.

I recommend this film to anyone who appreciates a films that break all the rules, films that are not easy to digest, films that are beautiful and tragic at the same time, and guaranteed if you see this film you will feel sympathy for anyone who is put into that postion, sympathy on both sides, Vengeance is like a pebble in the water.

Horror doesn't always have to be bad

[poppunkandskajew · 9/10 · 19 May 2005]

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, a work by one of my favorite new directors, was a very different movie then what i originally expected. Having seen Oldboy, I was expecting a much different film. However, Chanwook Park pleasantly surprised me with the first part of his revenge trilogy. The plot line is brutal, but the visceral appeal of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance lies in the motives. Nothing is random, everything is explained, and the viewer can understand why every action is called for. However, this is a brutal movie. The action is tough, the dialogue minimal, with no quick cuts or mindful music. That being said, it is never grotesque and the gore never gets to be too much. The visual images in this movie will stay with you for days, and the cinematography is flawless. I would recommend this movie for fans of the horror genre looking for an exciting new film, and people that do not watch horror movies because they are usually pointless works in gore. Few if any criticisms, the lack of music works both for and against the film, as I found myself sometimes shifting away from the screen. 9 out of 10, highly recommended, but brutal.

Best South Korean film ever made!

[doctorhumpp · 10/10 · 18 April 2003]

This extremely grim tale deals with a deaf mute who's fired from his job for a minor detail of neglect, he then gets ripoffed by vicious organ dealers and loses a kidney when he tries to raise money for his sister's kidney operation. He then kidnaps his rich boss' daughter inspired by an anarchist girlfriend, but things go fatally wrong and the daughter drowns. His boss is devastated by grief and sets out to kill him, meanwhile our deaf mute are after the organ dealers looking for revenge.

A 129 mins long flawless masterpiece which is incredibly gruesome and gory (not in a flashy Miike kinda way you can distance yourself to) but also very humane and beautiful. You really feel for both of these desperate people in their sad quest for 'justice'. The cinematography and especially the sound is top notch so try see it in a theatre.

Everybody was laughing during "Ichi The Killer" at the last Copenhagen Filmfestival, but not during "Sympathy", some were actually gaging in disgust of harsh images. There are also social comments on the have and have-nots and the conflict between the neighbor in the North, but not in the easy preachy way.

Chan-wook Park is a genius and has singlehandedly changed South Korea from an somewhat uninspired HK/Japanese copycat nation to a country one should look out for, in my humble opinion. 10/10

THE Weakest one of the Vengeance Trilogy

[SoumikBanerjee1996 · 6/10 · 10 June 2022]

While thematically intertwined; Park Chan-wook's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance seems like a distant cousin to his other works, as far as the execution is concerned. Being a part of the much-renowned "Vengeance Trilogy" comes with its own caveats; one of which is the dilated expectations from the audience. For me, the degree of eagerness was even larger as I recently watched and admired Oldboy, not a long time ago!

The core topic, the main concept of revenge, and retaliation might be the same but this doesn't even come close to what Oldboy demonstrated. That film was gritty, gruesome and above all, I was hooked throughout the entirety of the narration. Unlike in this case, where at frequent intervals, I found myself losing interest.

For a vengeance thriller, the Screenplay is quite indolent, and lethargic. While on one hand, I do happen to understand the director's eccentric expression of art, on the other, I felt a bit more momentum was needed. A compacted write-up would have made the circumstances different and the narrative more effective I reckon. That being said, I have to say, it's the technicalities that the director seems to have counteracted. Some of the cinematographic moments ooze elegance.

A challenging film that reveals Chan Wook-Park as a filmmaker of considerable depth as well as talent

[bastard_wisher · 9/10 · 30 November 2005]

Considering how much I love "Oldboy", it would be nearly impossible for this film to surpass it. But, that said, it does hold it's own quite well. It's actually a pretty different type of film than "Oldboy" in terms of style and tone. It's a much slower, more artistic film. It's also quite possibly more bleak than the intense-but-fun follow-up, although it has some odd moments of humor that I really appreciated. If the film somewhat lacks the flashy, visceral entertainment of "Oldboy", it also reinforces that Chan Wook-Park is indeed a serious filmmaker with a great deal of depth. "Oldboy" could be seen by some as just a stylish action film, but "Mr. Vengeance" blatantly reveals that there is much more going on with Park, if you didn't notice it in his other film. There is very little kinetic, flashy, camera-work, and instead many long, still, wide shots. Like I said, it is also significantly slower than it's fast-paced follow-up. Possibly a bit too slow, actually, and certainly at times too disjointed, particularly toward the beginning. But those are really my only complaints. Otherwise it is great film that reveals Chan Wook-Park as a filmmaker to take seriously, that reveals him to be one of the best newer filmmaker actually, I think.

good start to the Vengeance trilogy

[MikesIDhasbeentaken · 7/10 · 17 September 2011]

A lot of people might have started to watch the Vengeance 'series' when Oldboy started to gain its high cult status it rightly holds today.

Due to the success of Oldboy and Lady Vengeance, it's easy to forget the film that kicked the trilogy off. Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, although completely different, and a good film in it's own right, is often left in the shadow of it's more successful counterparts.

It's not a perfect film, at times it feels like a four hour film has been edited in half and your watching it in parts, the poor subtitles don't help, and certainly doesn't do the script any justice.

But what this film does hold is everything we have come to expect from these sort of films, an unknown direction, confusion, clever plot twists, and random comedy thrown in. And you won't find any of this done better than in this film.

Chan-Wook has gone on to be more successful, but this (and Joint security area) is a very good film and anyone that enjoyed either of the latter two in the trilogy should certainly watch this.

Probably Chan-wook Park's masterpiece.

[MOscarbradley · 9/10 · 5 April 2020]

Let's forget about the extreme violence for a moment, if that's possible, and just say than Chan-wook Park is one of contemporary cinema's great visual stylists and that "Sympathy for Mr Vengance" is a terrific looking picture. It's also highly original, a kidnap drama with a deaf mute hero who kidnaps a little girl so he can get the money to pay for his sister's kidney transplant. You might even say it would be darkly funny if the 'comedy' were more pronounced but then comedy isn't really Park's style. His style is violence which, for maximum effect, he keeps in the background until he's ready to spring it on us in a welter of blood-letting. as well as having a remarkable eye for composition; sometimes the sheer beauty of his images allows him to get away with things that other directors couldn't. "Sympathy for Mr. Vengance" is an horrific film with its horrors delivered so matter-of-factly they shake you up in ways more conventional films don't and I can't imagine an American mainstream director treating this material in quite the same way. This may yet prove to be his masterpiece but I'm not sure I'd ever want to see it again.

Violent and disturbing

[jarveyjayes-89231 · 7/10 · 28 March 2020]

Even by South Korean standards this film is violent and disturbing.

Vengeance Without Redemption

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 2 November 2007]

In Seoul, the deaf and dumb worker Ryu (Ha-kyun Shin) is very attached to his sister, who needs a transplantation of kidney. He tries to donate his own kidney to his sister, but his blood B type is not compatible with her. When Ryu is fired from Ilshin Electronics, he meets illegal dealers of organs and the criminals propose Ryu's kidney plus ten millions Won per a kidney suitable for his sister. Ryu accepts the trade, but he does not have money to pay for the surgery. His anarchist revolutionary girlfriend Cha Young-mi (Du-na Bae) convinces him to kidnap Yossun (Bo-bae Han), the daughter of his former employer Park (Kang-ho Song), who owns Ilshin Electronics. However, a tragedy happens, generating revenge and a series of acts of violence.

"Boksuneun Naui Geot" is the first movie of the Chan-wook Park's vengeance trilogy and also excellent. The story is very well developed, using ellipsis in a very appropriate way without disrupting the sequences. The characters and the situations are credible and there is no apology to revenge. On the contrary, the lead character does not find any redemption with his acts and even questions them in the end. The movie is very violent, therefore it is not recommended to sensitive persons. The relationship of the gorgeous Du-na Bae (Ruy's girlfriend) and Ji-Eun Lim (Ryu's sister) is a little confused to understand in the beginning, but becomes clear when Cha Young-mi convinces Ryu to abduct Yossun. However, I have not understood how the couple brought the little girl to their place. The masturbation scene supposed to be funny is actually very silly, but does not spoil this great film. The angles of camera work are magnificent. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Mr. Vingança" ("Mr. Vengeance")

Grim facts told with dark humor

[Anijo · 7/10 · 15 November 2007]

If you've ever been poor & if you ever had to work by a dirty machine for minimum wages just to be able to stay alive, you'll appreciate that director Chan-wook Park knows something about the pure desperation such conditions can bring about. And if you've ever lost somebody that you truly loved more than yourself, the most emotional scene in this film will probably make you cry.

'Sympathy For Mr Vengeance' deals with some very strong issues & grim facts. Chan-wook not only shows some real insight to these things, he also understands that he must use some artistic touch so the story doesn't develop as something that's just completely depressing from start to end. So a big part of this movie is told with a dark sense of humor & a twist of surrealism. I like this approach & I think there are some very good things both to enjoy and to contemplate in this work.

The plot revolves around a young man who tries to find a way to help his sister get a kidney she needs for a vital transplant. Since his economic resources are small he resorts to desperate measures which starts a devastating chain of assault & retaliation. Within the basic story there's exposition of some big subjects: the impossibility of true justice, the fact that what human rights you have mostly depend on where you happen to be born, and the sad truth that many of us value money more than human life.

As I said I like that Chan-wook applies a twisted touch to the story, but I also think that he goes a little overboard with these elements. Through the first half I felt like there was only a handful of scenes that was somewhat ordinary, and this both alienated me a bit from the characters & made some parts less believable. For instance, I certainly hope that it's not Korean reality that ordinary people take part in forensic autopsies. . . Then in the second half the movie becomes much more melancholy & straight forward, and people with a weak stomach should be prepared for some brutal violence. This left me with the impression that the first & second half of the movie was somewhat disjointed. I think the film would've felt more cohesive & convincing if the slightly twisted & the more somber parts had been more evenly dispersed throughout the story.

But all in all, Chan-wook Park still manage to tell an original & difficult story in a way that is much more impressive than depressive. That's worth 7/10 in my ratings. And he definitely made me feel very fortunate that I live in a country that values human life enough to ensure that everybody has the right to advanced medical care, regardless of the patient's bank account.

Why do Korean movies so rarely make sense?

[ts_nowhere · 3/10 · 21 September 2008]

Maybe its just me, because I am not from Korea, so I have trouble understanding these plots that maybe make sense in their culture. What do for example the four guys that masturbate have to do with anything? Is there some kind of point there? For me the whole movie - like so many Korean movies - is just a collection of grotesque ideas, with basically no connecting arc. Most of the events and twists are completely random, which makes it impossible to derive any message or meaning. And whats this fascination with deranged and disabled people? And why do they always do random acts of violence? Granted the imagery was powerful and of highest quality. That's just not enough to make a good movie.