Review of Lady Vengeance (2005) by Rhanda D — 17 Apr 2009

Chan-wook Park's finale to his vengeance trilogy is a stunning and haunting film. Though not as strong overall as the first two installments, "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" and the jaw-dropping "Oldboy," "Lady Vengeance" nevertheless adds a new twist to the director's treatise on the complex bit of humanity known as revenge.

Park again is patient, taking time to set up characters and scene for a final act that is truly brilliant and strangely fulfilling. Yeong-ae Lee is remarkable in the title role and is surrounded by strong secondary actors and actresses; there are no missteps there.

While "Lady Vengeance" is not as complex or "thrilling" a film as "Mr. Vengeance" or "Oldboy," the emotions are just as real, just as honest and just as raw, making this another smart, moving mature film from Park and leaving me wondering what he'll do next.