Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
  • Studio: Tartan
  • Release Date: Aug 19, 2005
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance Image
Metascore
56 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.8 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 17 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Summary: The first film in the "revenge trilogy" by Korean director Chan-wook Park centers around illegal trafficking in human organs.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 20
  3. Negative: 4 out of 20
  1. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jami Bernard
    88
    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. Not for the faint-hearted!
  2. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    80
    The only constant in Park's brilliantly cruel world is this: No matter how badly things seem to be going, there's a twist of fate lurking around the next curve that will make them worse.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    60
    When it comes to serving up diabolical horror with bold, sophisticated glee, Park, best known for "Oldboy," is right up there with Dario Argento, Guillermo del Toro and Takashi Miike.
  4. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Luke Y. Thompson
    30
    A problem with Park's naturalistic worldview is that it's hard to find anyone to root for. The movie is beautiful to look at, but hideous in its narrative.

See all 20 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. DerekW.
    10
    This film is brilliant. It shows that no one is really evil or good. People upset that the film does not give them a "good guy" to go for, are extremely close minded. The world is gray and the characters are doing what they fill they must. The film is shot as well as oldboy but the story holds together much better. With this film there are no gaping plot holes.… Expand
  2. Peet
    10
    Merciless, depressing, brutally-complex, though very different to Oldboy - and actually exactly as brilliant.
  3. giulia
    8
    I finally watched all three movies. this one was probably the hardest one to watch, very cruel, but it felt honest. i liked it better than oldboy, i never was into that hypnose thing.… Expand
  4. matta.
    7
    Good story and acting, but even though the director is talented (and he proves that with his next film Oldboy) this film leaves alot to be desired in that department. You can tell that this came before Oldboy just because the overall style is so much improved with the latter film. Still, pretty amazing to look at, but not for the faint of heart. Contrary to what some critics said, the violence in this movie is much more brutal than the violence in Oldboy. Not fun, especially the shot of the achilles.… Expand

See all 8 User Reviews

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