1. AaronM.

   10

   Incredibly powerful and intensley emotional storytelling. Pefect in a very dark, disturbing way that all drama should strive to be.

   • Helpful? 1 of 1 users said Yes.
2. Nesbitt10

   8

   Beyond the unsettling storyline, violence, and bloodshed-- there lies a splendor of exceptional film making by Chan-Wook Park, and a marvelous performance by Yeong-ae Lee to be admired. Chan-wook Parks "Lady Vengeance" is the third and last installment of the "Vengeance Trilogy", which are all linked by theme only--not literal sequels. Geum-ja is after gruesome justice of a distinctly personal nature. It's her overwhelming grief and anger, and her unflagging conviction in an act she knows will taint her beyond redemption, that gives her obsessive odyssey its intensity.
   "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" begins with Geum-ja (Lee Young-ae) walking out of prison after serving a 13-year sentence for kidnapping and murder. She is determined to track down and kill Baek (Choi Min-sik from "Oldboy"), the man she holds responsible for her imprisonment. Her incarceration not only cost her 13 years of freedom, but she was also forced to give up custody of her only daughter. Upon her release, she is presented with a plate of tofu; a tradition (a blank slate if you will), that symbolizes that she will never sin again. Instead of accepting this, she smacks it out of the givers hand. Geum-ja enlists the aid of her previous inmates, who had come to recognize her for her kindness and caring while incarcerated and were all too willing to assist in her revenge. It is revealed later that Geum-ja did help kidnap the boy, but she did not commit the murder. So why would someone lie about being a murderer and get thirteen years in prison for something they did not do?
   Nearly the entire first half of the film is spent trying to understand the protagonist and the sequence of events that led her do the things she may or may not have done. In typical Chan-wook Park's style, the scenes jump around a lot instead of following a linear narrative which makes some scenes seem unimportant at the time, but later reveals their importance. That being said, this style of editing demands the upmost attention to detail which some will turn some viewers off. Like the other two films of the trilogy, re-watching Lady Vengeance would be necessary to full appreciate the film.
   Looking back at "Lady Vengeance", it becomes apparent that each film in Park's trilogy focuses on different aspects of revenge. "Mr. Vengeance" centers on the irony of vengeance, and how the violent and impulsive acts of the main characters all stem from love. "Oldboy" focused on the madness inherent in the need for vengeance as summed up by its protagonist Oh Dae Su, who only desires revenge after being imprisoned for 15 years, but doesn't know what to do after he gets it. And finally, "Lady Vengeance" is about salvation and the morality behind vengeance. As the closing of a "theme based trilogy"--"Lady Vengeance" comes across as a combination of its predecessors, with the slick cinematography, gorgeous production design, an incredible musical score, and the pacing and static camera shots of "Mr. Vengeance." For moviegoer's, it's easy to draw comparisons to Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill." Both lead characters are attractive young women with similar circumstances. They both have children playing an integral part of the protagonist's motivation, and they were betrayed and exploited by men. While the conclusions are similar, their contrasting approaches are vastly different. The self-imposed sentence served is utterly brutal and gruesome, and yet unconventionally satisfying. Revenge is a dish best served cold, but only enjoyed when shared by a group of like-minded diners, accompanied by a classical Vivaldi score for a final banquet of closure.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
3. SteveK.

   7

   The movie drags its feet with an inevitable, merciless, and drawn out revenge. Much more complex in its exploration of revenge and its consequences than Oldboy, but a much less interesting plot. Geum-jah's brilliant plot for revenge is a Count of Monte Cristo wanna-be that feels hollow, underdeveloped, and under-explained. Less shock, less plot, but more emotionally moving than Oldboy. Its an exhausting and disturbing movie, that's worth a look, but Park could have paced this movie a lot better and kept it from sputtering to its clumsy, unresolved end.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
4. ChrisJ.

   2

   An extremely confusing and disjointed film. Twenty minutes into it I was looking at the time. Park should have steered clear of doing a flashback style movie. He flounders.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 2 users said Yes.

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