Lady Vengeance
  • Studio: Tartan
  • Release Date: Apr 28, 2006
User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 31
  3. Negative: 3 out of 31

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  1. Nesbitt10
    Feb 2, 2013
    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
  2. SteveK.
    Apr 11, 2007
    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.… Collapse
  3. RG.
    Jan 16, 2007
    9
    A little slower than oldboy but a great finish to his triliogy. movie takes its time to gather its forces and then get in its flow. didnt like the flashback style and first but then expecting it made it very stylistic tack on the themes of a modern man and this movie hits all the right emotional highs. in the end i thought the style represents shards of humanity in a disjointed way. some very impressive scenes with great music that stick to you after the movie.… Expand
  4. MarcK.
    Nov 9, 2006
    8
    The first hour is extremely disjointed and hard to follow, and I almost turned it off. Thankfully, I hung in there, the movie became more linear, and it was magnificent! Very interesting, creative, and visually stylish.
  5. mattb.
    Nov 6, 2006
    9
    Not at all confusing, honestly. i have seen it several times and wrote a paper on it, and had no problem with it in my first viewing. if you have seen his other movies, the themes (isolation, loneliness, technology, media, revenge, futility) are all the same and still relevant. the third act is as gruesome as it is moving. stunning use of mood and color. the female lead and her situation adds a new wrinkle to the trilogy and makes it unique in comparison to the other, too. see it!!… Expand
  6. ChrisJ.
    Oct 11, 2006
    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.
  7. [Anonymous]
    Oct 2, 2006
    6
    A high-brow melodrama.
  8. AaronM.
    Aug 16, 2006
    10
    Incredibly powerful and intensley emotional storytelling. Pefect in a very dark, disturbing way that all drama should strive to be.
  9. Darkever
    Jul 15, 2006
    7
    An overlook on the concept of vengeance, seen as both sin and act of justice. The contrapposition in Guan-Ju between her research for purity and her desire for vengeance is deep and well rapresented by the character, even if the second one is clearly dominating. I didn't see the first two chapters of the trilogy, but I liked this one anyway. A good movie, still not over a 7,5 vote.
  10. Ben
    May 12, 2006
    10
    Seriously now, there's nothing quite like Park Chan-wook's masterful revenge trilogy. Holding this film up to Sympathy for Mr. Vengence and Oldboy is inevitable... but this film stands on its own two feet way above any film that has been released so far this year. More comedic and equally just as tragic as his two past revenge films, Mr. Chan-wook has created a wonderfully visual and dramatic piece of art that I believe will be honored for years to come. BRAVO! magnificent theater.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Michael Ferraro
    80
    A brutal mystery that's more beautifully poetic than the previous entries but still just as captivating. From opening to closing credits, every image is photographed as if it were a painting; even those involving ferocious violence are wonderful to look at.
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  2. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Frank Scheck
    70
    Mixes comedy and melodrama to a typically baroque degree. Like his "Oldboy" and "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," the film displays an audacious visual and narrative style, often sacrificing credibility and coherence along the way. But there is no denying its originality.
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  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Derek Elley
    70
    A wildly inventive, highly cinematic director's showcase that looks likely, at least in the West, to enthuse fans of Asian -- especially Korean -- genre movies more than general auds.
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