Bo-bae Han, Dae-yeon Lee, Du-na Bae

Deaf and dumb Ryu (Ha-Kyun Shin) is romantically involved with young revolutionary Young-Mi (Dun-na Bae) and loves his older sister so much that he sells his kidney on the black market to afford her ...( read more  read more... )a life-saving transplant. When Ryu find's he's been ripped off, Young-Mi hatches a better plan: She and Ryu will "borrow" the young daughter of the capitalist boss who fired Ryu and raise the necessary funds that way.

Flixster Users

87% liked it

32,656 ratings

Critics

55% liked it

53 critics

R, 2 hrs. 9 min.

Directed by: Park Chan-wook

Release Date: June 14, 2002

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DVD Release Date: November 22, 2005

Stats: 2,060 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,060)


  • September 20, 2009
    "i'm not entirely sure why everyone rants and raves about this one. it was very slow going much like sympathy for lady vengeance and alot of the time my mind drifted. maybe i have a short attention span, maybe i need to watch it more than once, or maybe this one should've been na...( read more)med sympathy for the audience".

    ok, that was what i wrote last time. now i've seen it a 2nd time. now i'm appreciating its nihilism and rather than having 20 questions i now have only 1 hole in the plot in my mind that i couldn't understand... which is... how did green haired dude know where to find the little girls father towards the end? y'know where the father set the door handle up to shock him...
  • July 30, 2009
    My least favourite of the Vengeance trilogy, yet still worthy of a watch. Didn?t think it quite made the standard of the other two, but was quirky in a sense and a good plot for a vengeance style film
  • October 8, 2008
    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 m...( read more)arried 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.
  • August 13, 2008
    A deaf-mute tries to sell a kidney on the black market to pay for a life saving operation for his sister, but when he wakes up left for dead minus both the money and his kidney he hatches a scheme to kidnap his ex-boss' daughter for the ransom. When she is accidentally killed it ...( read more)sets in motion a sequence of events that result in bloody vengeance for both men. The first chapter in Chan-wook Park's vengeance trilogy reminded me very much of a Tikeshi Kitano film; beautifully shot but very understated with moments of surreal humour, brief outbursts of grim violence and a typically nihilistic ending. He attempts to show the motivations and context of the actions of all involved and so the brutal acts of vengeance perpetrated by the characters who have become increasingly black-hearted through grief and loss garner little sympathy from the viewer. This means the film is extremely bleak and hard going as it is difficult to relate to any of them. I also found the plot a little too far-fetched to swallow and so I felt it was easily the weakest of the three, but that is hardly damning criticism as the others are amongst the best films I've ever seen. A technically excellent film that won't be for those with a weak stomach, but a memorably visceral experience for those able to stay the course.
  • July 25, 2008
    An excellent story is unveiled in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and the lead is fantastic in his role as deaf Ryu. My only qualm is the pacing is a bit wonky, and overall the film feels much longer than it is. Still, a great flick!
  • November 13, 2009
    Al numero sul podio della saga sulla vendetta.
  • November 12, 2009
    An unforgettable movie, BRILLIANT!
  • October 31, 2009
    Park Chan Wook throws everything but the kitchen sink at the audience here. Never have I seen a director shock and awe without gimmick the way Wook does in the first installment of his masterful vengeance trilogy. Bold, daring, and brilliant directing make this every bit as mind-...( read more)blowing as "Oldboy", the more celebrated sequel to this film.
  • October 14, 2009
    This is probably the most intricately designed and best executed revenge movie that I have ever seen period. The story is gripping from beginning to end, I got so into this movie that I forgot I was reading subtitles half way through. The movie is just so well done that I could n...( read more)ot help but get wrapped up into it. Just watch this movie, it is worth it. This is also the first in a Trilogy of films that are not directly connected but are connected in theme. Chan-wook Park calls it his "Vengeance" Trilogy and like most trilogies, I think the first one is the best one.
  • October 12, 2009
    we are all fool in front of the reality

Critic Reviews


August 18, 2005
Nick Schager, Filmcritic.com

vainly attempts to imbue foulness with socio-political subtext full review

View more Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Boksuneun naui geot) reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • dicksonah
    October 4, 2007
    I might be the only one but I think it's better than Oldboy and Lady Vengeance, though they are all great movies.
  • madmexicanhatter
    July 15, 2006
    This is asian extreme cinema sans the high flyin martial arts, the hypnotic john woo shootouts or the cult japanese weirdness but it really blows you away. the plots a bit rag tag in places but watch it all the way through and if your'e not heartbroken at the end then you have no soul

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