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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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41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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It's a rough ride, but an exhilarating and strangely moral one all the same.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
08/19/05
E! Online

Lucidly [explores] the grey-area complexities of guilt, morality, and the reactionary justifications that lead humane people to seek unspeakable retribution.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
08/19/05
Aaron Hillis
Aaron Hillis
Premiere Magazine

Park is the most exciting filmmaker to burst into my conscience in the last few years.

Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
08/19/05
Jon Popick
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy

[Director] Park is the real deal...

Full Review Source: Now Playing Magazine | comment Comment
08/18/05
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Now Playing Magazine

vainly attempts to imbue foulness with socio-political subtext

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
08/18/05
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Filmcritic.com

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is a stylish bloodbath relieved by shafts of dark humor.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
08/18/05
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There is so much talent on display in Park Chanwook's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, it is a drag that the film never rises to the level of its director's obvious ability.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/18/05
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times

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

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

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is so badly told that it ends up dissecting a corruption that exudes from nowhere but itself.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
08/17/05
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Park Chanwook's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance accomplishes a miraculous feat by being harrowing and humane in equal measure.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
08/16/05
James Crawford
James Crawford
Village Voice

Poorly edited, though not as much gore as some say.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
08/13/05
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Do roteiro moralmente complexo aos quadros impecáveis e repletos de significado concebidos por Park, este filme revela-se uma absoluta obra-prima.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
05/24/05
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

The end result is a forgettable movie, notable only for its copious gore and bloodletting.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
05/22/05
Shlomo Schwartzberg
Shlomo Schwartzberg
Boxoffice Magazine

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

These are visions from among the dark recesses of the mind, shoved in our faces with ruthless imagination. Even beauty.

Full Review Source: Offoffoff | comment Comment
12/12/03
Joshua Tanzer
Joshua Tanzer
Offoffoff
N/R

Click to read the article

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

There's no flow or rhythm, and sometimes it feels like scenes are missing.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
07/06/03
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
05/29/03
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/28/03
Channel 4 Film
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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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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