Review of Lady Vengeance (2005) by Charlie F — 13 Dec 2008

I think I'm becoming a fan of Par Chan-Wook. Simpathy for Lady Vengance is another vengance story on a different line to Oldboy, but with the same style. Once again, the cinematography, imaginery and the use of color, make every scene shine.

The edition, and deployment of the story is also magical. But, in contrast to oldboy, this is not such a "wild" movie. Don't get me wrong, this still is asian cinema, and you'll see things you'd never see in american movies.

But Simpathy for Lady Vengance is not that loaded of action or extreme situations, such as the character learning to fight through shadow boxing. Actually I'd say that lady vengance sets the viewer in a more realistic scenario (although the story may not be realistic), in which questioning and dilemas come into play, in contrast to oldboy, in which it's more about the twists on the story.

Yet this movie has many shocking images, relied on the context of the events, and in what these events would mean in a real situation.