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Movies / On DVD / Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

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Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2005)

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Reviews Counted:53

Fresh:29

Rotten:24

Average Rating:6.1/10

Consensus: Though Park directs with stylistic flair, this revenge thriller is more excessively gruesome than thrilling.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong gruesome violence, strong sexuality, language and drug use

Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Aug 19, 2005 Limited

Synopsis: RYU (SHIN Ha-kyun), a young factory worker, has recently quit art school in order to look after his sister, who is dying a slow, agonizing death for want of a kidney. When a doctor tells Ryu that... RYU (SHIN Ha-kyun), a young factory worker, has recently quit art school in order to look after his sister, who is dying a slow, agonizing death for want of a kidney. When a doctor tells Ryu that he is an unsuitable donor and that the chances of finding one is slim, Ryu turns to the black market. But the old lady who runs an underground organ ring cheats him, taking both his life savings and his kidney and leaving him without the kidney she promised in exchange. Ryu's girlfriend, a Raggedy-Ann leftist named YOUNGMIN (BAE Doona), urges Ryu to kidnap the four-year-old daughter of industrialist owner PARK DONG-JIN (SONG Kang-ho), who recently laid off Ryu and many other workers from his factory. Ryu agrees, but just as the plan is on the verge of success, Ryu's sister discovers what Ryu and Youngmin have been up to, and kills herself in despair. Compounding the tragedy, Ryu loses track of his little illicit charge during a visit to his childhood haunts, and she drowns in the river Ryu and his sister played in as kids. Dong-jin's deep grief quickly turns to rage and he embarks on an implacable quest for vengeance. At the same time, Ryu goes after the organ traders, knowing that if they had come through, none of the tragic occurrences would ever have happened. Bound by their common sense of loss and deep-seated anger, the two are on a collision course of revenge. --© Tartan Films [More]

Starring: Ha-kyun Shin, Kang-ho Song, Doo-na Bae

Starring: Ha-kyun Shin, Kang-ho Song, Doo-na Bae

Director: Chan Wook Park

Director: Chan Wook Park
Screenwriter: Chan Wook Park
Studio: Tartan Films

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Release:

Nov 22, 2005

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Reviews for Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
09/28/06
Sight and Sound
N/R

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Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
10/29/05
Boston Phoenix
N/R

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Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
AV Club
N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
07/08/03
Guardian [UK]
N/R

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Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/28/03
Channel 4 Film
N/R

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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/15/09
Derek Elley
Derek Elley
Variety
N/R

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Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
01/07/06
Film Threat

Park's worldview is grotty to such extremes that it becomes hard to recommend [this] in good conscience, no matter how virtuosic the delivery.

Full Review Source: The Stranger (Seattle, WA) | comment Comment
09/08/05
Andrew Wright
Andrew Wright
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Sporting one of the greatest titles ever, Park Chan-wook's 2002 thriller is similar to Oldboy in its subject matter but far plainer in its execution.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
08/17/05
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

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

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
08/18/05
Brendan Bernhard
Brendan Bernhard
L.A. Weekly

The movie begins as a tragic tale of sacrifice and love... intense and understandably moving. It gets a little less interesting when it turns into a gore-fest.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
09/30/05
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

Confirms Park's mastery of a niche style of cinema that is glossy, morbid and childishly provocative.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Daniel Eagan
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International

Slightly more enjoyable than getting a kidney transplant.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/14/07
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A daisy wheel of revenge-fueled gore speciously intercut with delusions of social commentary.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
02/14/05
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

This ultra-violent revenge thriller is far more notable for its baroque excesses than coherence or credibility.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
08/23/05
Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter

A stylish exercise with some agreeably weird touches, but as a whole it substitutes atmosphere for coherence or credibility.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
11/01/05
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

So bloody, scatologically violent and consistently shocking, it seems to have no larger purpose than itself -- which is pretty grim.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
08/26/05
G. Allen Johnson
G. Allen Johnson
San Francisco Chronicle

Somehow you'd be more won over by his anti-revenge case if he didn't seem to be having such a good time making it.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
08/25/05
Gene Seymour
Gene Seymour
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
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Latest News for Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

May 15, 2009: Cannes 2009: The Tomato Report – Thirst’s Vampires Descend on the Croisette
Park Chan-wook is best known for his exceptional Vengeance Trilogy -- Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance -- three blood-soaked, expertly drawn films that... More...

March 17, 2008: Charlize Theron Has Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
She'll spend the summer blending humor and superhero action with Will Smith and Jason Bateman in Hancock, but Charlize Theron already has Vengeance on her mind. More...

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