Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Boksuneun naui geot) poster & wallpaper
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Ha-kyun Shin, Song Kang-ho, Lim Ji-Eun, Du-na Bae, Bo-bae Han ... see more see more... , Dae-yeon Lee , Jae-yeong Jeong , Ji-Eun Lim , Kan-hie Lee , Kang-ho Song , Se-dong Kim

Korean director Park Chan-wook followed up his highly acclaimed Joint Security Area with this tale of a deaf mute named Ryu (Shin Ha-kyun) trying to help his sister (Lim Ji-Eun) get a kidney transplan... read more read more...t. Because his blood type is incompatible and no donors are available, he turns to a group of black-market organ dealers who offer to find one in return for one of his and ten million won. The dealers rip him off, so Ryu conspires with his girlfriend, a political activist, to kidnap his former boss' young daughter and ransom her for the ten million won. But a horrible complication ruins their plans and things begin to spiral out of control as the girl's father (Song Kang-ho) decides to take matters into his own hands with the help of a sympathetic cop. ~ Tom Vick, Rovi

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85% liked it

37,099 ratings

Critics

55% liked it

53 critics

R, 2 hr. 1 min.

Directed by: Chan Wook Park

Release Date: June 14, 2002

Keywords: revenge

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DVD Release Date: November 22, 2005

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Stats: 2,410 reviews

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Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Boksuneun naui geot) Du-na Bae in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Boksuneun naui geot) Du-na Bae as Cha Yeong-mi Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Boksuneun naui geot) Sympathy for Mr Vengeance Shin Ha-kyun (left), Song Kang-ho (center) and Bae Doona Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Boksuneun naui geot)
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Flixster Reviews (2,410)

  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    November 14, 2011
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "The bad image kidnappers get is because of kids getting killed. But we're different. Give us the money and we'll return the kid pronto."

    A recently laid off factory worker kidnaps his former boss' daughter, hoping to use the ransom money to pay for his sister's kidney tr... read moreansplant.

    REVIEW

    It's only occasionally we see horror films that are also consummate works of art. This Korean story set in a murky world of exploitation and black market organ trafficking has many of the hallmarks of good European cinema - a meticulous attention to detail, beautifully composed shots, subtly interwoven symbolism, cinematography relying on skill rather than big budgets and natural, understated acting. The classiness of the production makes the use of 'video nasty' shots later in the film all the more shocking and effective. The title could be applied to several of the main characters, as they each generate sympathy in their own way in spite of the deadly deeds they feel compelled to perpetrate. Many film noir techniques are also in evidence - we watch scene after scene that grips and often intrigues, but the explanation of what is really happening is maybe only provided in the subsequent scene. Minimal dialogue focuses attention on the plot, internal struggles of the characters and stunning photography - not to mention minimizing any inconvenience that some cinema-goers seem to feel when presented with subtitles. Beautifully framed backdrops will sometimes introduce visually graphic nastiness - or cut to the next scene at the crucial moment, leaving the audience queasily awaiting the denouement of each episode, which always comes, often more gut-churning and original than you could have imagined. The film even adds a suggestion of political comment - the idea that terrorists do not have to be organised in any united sense but may rise up spontaneously to attack what they individually would agree to be a common enemy. This seems less relevant to South Korea now than twenty years ago, or current day impoverished and abused Arab states, but it is subtle enough to be ignored rather than preaching a 'message'. In fact the main impact of Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, if you have a sufficiently strong stomach to watch it, is one of considerable artistic integrity and originality.
  • blkbomb
    September 24, 2011
    blkbomb
    Cha Yeong-mi: The bad image kidnappers get is because of kids getting killed. But we're different. Give us the money and we'll return the kid pronto.

    "Revenge Was Never This Sweet"

    Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance is a decent revenge film. I liked it, but it could have been a lo... read moret better. The initial set up was awesome, but it lost some momentum down the stretch and didn't end up being the great film thought it was going to be. Still this movie gives me extremely high hopes for the next two parts in the trilogy, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance because I've heard those two are better than this one and this one wasn't too bad.

    Like I said the set up is cool. A deaf, mute has a sister who is dying, so he gives some organ traders some all of his money and his kidney in exchange for a kidney for his sister. He gets ripped off, so he has to try something daring with his girlfriend in order to get the money they need for the operation.

    Overall it's a pretty entertaining revenge film. I've seen better, but I've also seen way worse. The good thing about this film is that it never became boring or unwatchable. It just didn't elevate itself to the next level like I thought it would.
  • axadntpron
    August 24, 2011
    axadntpron
    This is a much better film than what I was expecting. Having only seen Oldboy, I was not terribly excited to go visit Wook's back catalogue.
    While it is really hard to classify this film, the best way to put it is Meet the Parents: From Hell. Park Chan Wook clearly has an eye fo... read morer great cinema. Some of these scenes are crafted with such finesse that you know you are watching the work of a great filmmaker. However, I would like to see him get his hands on something other than two hours of awful things happening to people with good intentions.
  • blacksheepboy
    June 8, 2010
    blacksheepboy
    The first film of the Vengeance Trilogy is a quite intense and tragic thriller in which the miserable characters get inadvertently stuck in a bleak circle of misfortunes and revenge. A stylish bloodbath masterly crafted by Park Chan-Wook.
  • DrZeek
    January 10, 2010
    DrZeek
    Park Dong-jin: I know you're a good guy... but you know why I have to kill you...

    The first part of director Chan Wook Park's vengeance trilogy. The others include Oldboy and Lady Vengeance. None of these films are literal sequels, just spiritually and thematically connected. ... read more

    In this movie, a deaf-mut man, Ryu, has a sister badly in need of a kidney transplant. After being laid off from his job and tricked by black market organ traffickers(causing him to lose all the money that could have gone to the ironic sudden twist of a Kidney arriving for his sister), Ryu is persuaded by his radical girlfriend to kidnap his former boss's daughter. This plan soon unravels and all parties involved face horrible consequences.

    Like the other films in this trilogy, this movie is paced deliberately slow. After the first 20 minutes, the story really begins to pick up, and you want to see where it will take you.

    Unfortunately, this is a very dark tale with some gruesome violence. Although it does manage to find some moments for humor.

    Other actors from the trilogy also pop up in this film, further providing for fun connections to be made, as well as show the diversity exhibited by its cast. The acting throughout is uniformly strong and fitting with the film.

    The look of this film is great. The cinematography is very well handled. The movie lacks the elegant score that the other films have, but it works for the way this movie is structured.

    It is also layered enough to make you want to re-watch the film to make sure you can pick up everything.

    A very good, dark revenge story.

    Cha Yeong-mi: 100%, for real.
  • 76Majikat
    July 30, 2009
    76Majikat
    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
  • imrealgod
    March 19, 2009
    imrealgod
    Another movie from which I'd great expectations, most of which remained unfulfilled.
  • matertenebraum
    October 8, 2008
    matertenebraum
    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 morearried 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.
  • garyX
    August 13, 2008
    garyX
    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 moresets 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.
  • arashxak
    August 11, 2008
    arashxak
    The first part of Chan-wook Park's vengeance trilogy is the most disturbing & unsettling one imo & it's not just that. unlike typical revenge flicks this is oddly cold & bitter & depressing with some of the most unsettling scenes I've ever seen, anyway It's visually stunning and ... read moreI liked its style and the main storyline is really good

View All Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Boksuneun naui geot) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Wesley Morris
October 28, 2005
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Park prizes craftsmanship over bargain-bin schlock. It's an odd testament to his spiritedness that, despite the coldblooded killing and trail of the dead, Mr. Vengeance feels warmly suffused with life. Full Review

Peter Howell
September 23, 2005
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

It is a worthy start to a trilogy and to a director who is fast establishing himself as a new light in Asian cinema. Full Review

Michael Phillips
September 8, 2005
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

It's all a little ultra-cool for me. Shakespeare was right. Revenge is a dish best served ice-cold, not cool. Full Review

G. Allen Johnson
August 26, 2005
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle

So bloody, scatologically violent and consistently shocking, it seems to have no larger purpose than itself -- which is pretty grim. Full Review

Gene Seymour
August 25, 2005
Gene Seymour, Newsday

Somehow you'd be more won over by his anti-revenge case if he didn't seem to be having such a good time making it. Full Review

Frank Scheck
August 23, 2005
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

This ultra-violent revenge thriller is far more notable for its baroque excesses than coherence or credibility.

V.A. Musetto
August 19, 2005
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

You'll likely be repulsed by much of Park's vision, but, as somebody once said: no pain, no gain.

Jami Bernard
August 19, 2005
Jami Bernard, New York Daily News

You can't look away, not only because the carnage is so masterfully photographed, but because the director sucks you into his bleak, poetic, even sensible vision of cosmic brutality. Full Review

Kevin Thomas
August 18, 2005
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is a stylish bloodbath relieved by shafts of dark humor. Full Review

Manohla Dargis
August 18, 2005
Manohla Dargis, New York Times

There is so much talent on display in Park Chanwook's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, it is a drag that the film never rises to the level of its director's obvious ability. Full Review

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