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Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
  • Studio: Tartan
  • Release Date: Aug 19, 2005
User Score
8.9 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13

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  1. ChadS.
    Oct 20, 2005
    8
    There's a scene in "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" that uses the long take in a most brilliant manner. It starts off so innocuously, and then the little girl hands her captor a letter... Another brilliant scene shows a crime in the background which had the uncanny effect of making me whisper directions to the character. Director Chan-wook Park is obviously talented and doesn't need to turn little girls into cadavers. That scene in the autopsy room plays like an ode to Janet Leigh's violent exit from "Psycho", but here, instead of edits to convey the notion of gory violence, Park makes effective use of sound and reaction shots from the father. It's almost bloodless, but incredibly disgusting. This is a brutal, brutal film, redeemed by great screen compositions and gravitas. Don't bring grandma.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. giulia
    Aug 8, 2007
    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.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. kylea.
    Nov 6, 2005
    10
    One of the most disturbing films of all time. Beautiful, horrible, wonderful, terrifying. Underappreciated and destined to be a classic.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. Peet
    Dec 3, 2005
    10
    Merciless, depressing, brutally-complex, though very different to Oldboy - and actually exactly as brilliant.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. kevinf.
    Sep 3, 2005
    9
    This film never bogs down or relents for a moment, maintaining a crystalline economy of black humor, wit, moral mutability and extraordinary visual adeptness. The grisly scenes are never gratuitous, but enrich the film with a clarity and competence so rare that they appear to be an almost completely new language of violence. The highly praised 'Oldboy' is less coherent and falls into a more conventional mode of favoring one character as 'good' and the other as 'bad' - whereas in this film there is no such easy parceling and channeling of audience sympathy. This film also employs Park's masterful flatness of affect to maximum effect, much like Kitano at the height of his powers. This lean, funny, cruel and beautiful film is among the best of the new millenium.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. DerekW.
    Mar 16, 2009
    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.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. matta.
    Dec 15, 2005
    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
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
56 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 20
  3. Negative: 4 out of 20
  1. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Tasha Robinson
    70
    It's a difficult balancing act, but Park crafts his layers carefully and masterfully. He's the kind of filmmaker who can meaningfully craft the gory details of an eye-gouging without ever forgetting the message that an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.
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  2. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: James Crawford
    70
    A revenge tragedy as brutal and Byzantine as "Titus Andronicus," Park Chanwook's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance accomplishes a miraculous feat by being harrowing and humane in equal measure.
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  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    25
    So badly told that it ends up dissecting a corruption that exudes from nowhere but itself.
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