Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

Name: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime
Released: August 19, 2005
Duration: 129 min
Rating: 56

2005

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Mixed or average reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews

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Generally favorable reviews based on 79 Ratings

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8.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 79 Ratings

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Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance

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Movie Details & Credits

Tartan | Release Date: August 19, 2005 | R

Summary: The first film in the "revenge trilogy" by Korean director Chan-wook Park centers around illegal trafficking in human organs.

Director: Chan-wook Park

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 129 min

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Critic Reviews

Jami Bernard

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! Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Maitland McDonagh

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. Read full review

V.A. Musetto

Savage yet spellbinding. Read full review

James Crawford

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. Read full review

Kevin Thomas

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. Read full review

Daniel Wible

Certainly a stylish affair, but also an extremely bleak and unpleasant one. Read full review

Brendan Bernhard

Slowly degenerates into a gory revenge thriller that is never thrilling, but is often boring and frequently repulsive. Read full review

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User Reviews

DerekW.

Mar 16, 2009

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 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

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kylea.

Nov 6, 2005

One of the most disturbing films of all time. Beautiful, horrible, wonderful, terrifying. Underappreciated and destined to be a classic.

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Peet

Dec 3, 2005

Merciless, depressing, brutally-complex, though very different to Oldboy - and actually exactly as brilliant.

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giulia

Aug 8, 2007

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.

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Broyax

Jul 16, 2017

Il y a les films coréens déjà sérieusement barrés en général et en particulier, puis il y a les films de Park Chan-wook encore plus mabouls que l'ordinaire du pays du matin calme, des films qui n'ont à dire vrai rien de calme, surtout dans le cas qui nous occupe ici, lorsque se déchaîne laIl y a les films coréens déjà sérieusement barrés en général et en particulier, puis il y a les films de Park Chan-wook encore plus mabouls que l'ordinaire du pays du matin calme, des films qui n'ont à dire vrai rien de calme, surtout dans le cas qui nous occupe ici, lorsque se déchaîne la rage de la colère de la vengeance... et tutti quanti !

Voici donc une sorte de parabole à moins que ce ne soit une fable terriblement cruelle sur la vengeance, une double vengeance, voire une triple si affinités. Le réalisateur coréen filme ses acteurs lentement et déplie son drame tout aussi lentement, ce qui peut agacer... à la longue. Mais on ne perd jamais rien pour attendre dans ce Sympathy, on est en effet toujours "récompensé" pour notre patience avec soit de la folie, soit de la violence, soit un humour grinçant, glaçant.

C'est sans doute le film le plus cynique qu'on ait jamais fait sur la vendetta (d'où souvent sa drôlerie complètement cinglée et décalée) qui se nourrit des malheurs et des drames des uns et des autres. Et tout se met en place et se répercute des uns sur les autres. On ne règle pas ses affaires au flingue mais à la batte de baseball et au tournevis, éventuellement au couteau ou avec la panoplie du petit électricien. Il n'y a d'ailleurs aucune espèce de morale, aucune leçon dispensée ici, sinon que le regard imperturbable et cynique sur un cercle infernal de violence. Oui, ce film est vraiment bizarre et déconcertant, heureusement interdit aux moins de 16 ans comme le Old Boy du même réalisateur... Mais contrairement à Old Boy qui sombre finalement dans le n'importe quoi à force de faire dans l'excessif, le Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance tient encore debout, même après tous ses morts. Car voyez-vous, il n'y a pas de rédemption dans la vengeance, ni d'espoir ou de message : seulement la mort. Et le rire narquois du spectateur.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Xan_Ryil

Dec 3, 2015

The best part of watching Mr. Vengeance was the perspective it was presented from and how it included other persons into it. And also the fact that it was in linear style, while most of the director would have opted to do a non linear style with all the Ryu story in flashbacks but Park ChanThe best part of watching Mr. Vengeance was the perspective it was presented from and how it included other persons into it. And also the fact that it was in linear style, while most of the director would have opted to do a non linear style with all the Ryu story in flashbacks but Park Chan Wook made this movie in his own way because he wanted to show the roots instead of glorifying film editing. Although one would expect something bigger and more astonishing act for which revenge is going on but it works the way it was presented. At moments the movie is so light as in the clouds and then it turns to be so stomach hurting intense which is amazing. Every one on the screen just fits the role they are performing. Every department has worked very good to create this cult movie.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Verdugo

Aug 20, 2012

An somehow to subtle piece of horrifying vengeance. It shows the devastating Side of Vengeance ending in the Death of a lot of people. But overall a not very satisfying experience.

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