[center]Sympathy For Mr Vengeance (2002) [left]The first part of a loose trilogy that continues with Old Boy and ends with the upcoming Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, Park Chan Wook's Symapthy For Mr Vengeance is a dark, nihilistic tale of vengeance that is not for the faint hearted. The vengeance in the film,
does not belong to one man or person. In this murky, dystopian urban tale, black and white becomes blurred into an unrecognisable grey, and moral amibiguity is the order of the day. It is difficult to say who is the villian and who is the hero, because they are all clouded by their hatred at the center of this Greek Tragedy. We are first introduced to Ryu (Shin Ha Kyun) a deaf-mute who works a hard life to support his ill sister. While fate deals him a poor hand, he is at heart a kind person, driven to desperation and later, to vengeance. His girlfriend, played by Bae Do Na, is the only friend he has, and is the only one who can understand this. As a series of unfortunate events force Ryu deeper into desperation his life intertwines with Park (Song Kang Ho), a wealthy businessman, and tragedy ensues. Whilst grim and bleak, it is however tempered with moments of humor and fun, like how Ryu's girlfriend tells him about "good kidnapping" and "bad kidnapping". But as the film progresses, it draws inexorably to its dark and gritty conclusion. There is no redemption here, no deus ex machina to make for a happy ending. The violence here is visceral and copious, certainly not for the fainthearted. And somewhere between the violence and the mood of despair that permeates the film is a social commentary of how the poor are marginalised. In a sense, Ryu is the composite figure of the poor and disabled, wanting to make a honest living yet driven by circumstance to crime. While that does not excuse his actions, it does point a finger at society for how it treats its less able citizens. The direction likewise is tautly handled. While not as good as Old Boy, the solid sound effects and music as well as noirish cinematography and play of light and dark is used to good effect in the film. Song Kang Ho (Memories of Murder, JSA) and Shin Ha Kyun (Save the Green Planet, JSA) put in stellar performances, matching each other point for point, while Bae Do Na likewise leaves a memorable impression. Overall, whilst not for the squirmish, Sympathy For Mr Vengenace is a wickedly dark film filled with pathos that deserves a look. [center]Swordsman (1990) [left]Again, we have another film that, while good in and of itself, is nevertheless surpassed by its sequel. While Swordsman was a good and enjoyable film, it is however still eclipsed by Swordsman 2. Now, by today's standards, Swordsman looks terribly dated. And in attempting to adapt Jin Yong's epic tale Xiao Ao Jiang Hu into the big screen, the story feels cluttered and compressed. Trust me when i say that Jin Yong's story is better experienced as a 40 episode HK drama series than as a 2 hour film. Yet, nevertheless, under the direction of no less than 6 different credited directors. Even though having a film under different hands will make it fragmented, as is evident in the show, but luckily, when the 6 directors have names like King Hu, Tsui Hark, Ching Siu Tung, Raymond Lee, Andrew Kam and Ann Hui, what results may be inconsistent but still brilliant. Of special praise is the theme song sang by Ling Hu Chong which is simply addictive. Easily one of the most memorable songs in praise of brotherhood, it rocks totally. The action thankfully, is still decent, even if the special effects are lame by modern standards. The actions play their roles with elan, although i still prefer Jet Li as Ling Hu Ching rather than Sam Hui, and Jacky Cheung as Lim Ping Zhi is rather jarring to me. Still, those out for those early 90s wushu films should certainly consider the Swordsman trilogy which should eb considered essential viewing. [/left] [/center] [/left] [/center]
May 15, 2005
