Review of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) by Phil P — 25 Aug 2015

"I know you're a good man but you know I have to kill you".

'Park Chan-Wook' is now a fairly well known name, well in the movie lover circles. Thanks to the second film in his Vengeance Trilogy 'Oldboy', the film that put him on the map worldwide. And has since joined the very small number of Asian directors with English, Hollywood movies - with 'Stoker'. Joining 'John Woo' and more recently 'Kim Jee-Woon'. 'Sympathy For Mr.Vengeance' is the first in the Vengeance Trilogy and seems to be pretty divisive, and could be viewed as a test for what was to come next.

I for one liked, I liked it quite a lot. It's hard to get a handle on its tone with it quickly veering between comedy, drama and strong violence. But I think that's one of the reasons I liked it so much, others may consider it inconsistent and jarring but it all clicks for me. 'Ryu' (Shin Ha-kyun) a deaf-mute is struggling to get an urgent kidney transplant his sister needs after losing his job. Eventually resorting to a shady group of people who end up ripping him off. Leaving him with no money and no kidney. His odd girlfriend 'Cha Yeong-mi' (Bae Doona) suggest getting back his boss 'Park Dong-jin' (Song Kang-ho) by kidnapping his daughter and ransoming her. The first 30 minutes or so are fairly easy going. Most of the scenes involving 'Cha' (my personal favourite character - her song about Korea and overall strange demeanour are wonderful to watch) are comedic and over the top with a strange conversation about the 'plan'. Despite the severity it's got a tongue in cheek feel to it.

Things heat up when the simple plan of the money and returning the daughter becomes more complex and goes down an unintended path. Which brings me to a bit of a problem and that's the subtitles, what's there is good but there's some important parts missing. Notes and signs are generally ignored making a note 'Ryu' gets a little confusing (though it's fairly easy to discern some indication should have been there).

It becomes a circle of vengeance for 'Ryu', 'Cha' and 'Park'. They all come off as lost, people who had something at one point but are no single minded. Resulting in some gruesome methods and in the case of 'Ryu' being screwed over - cathartic violence. It has that 'all the misery and violence is at the end' kind of thing going. I have to admit the ending is a little weak in my eyes, intending to close the ring up (which it does) but it felt like there was more in the story to come.

The visual style can't be argued with. The close-ups of 'Park' at the mortuary without showing anything are great (noticeably different when he's looking at someone later in the film).

I may be in the minority but I really liked 'Sympathy Mr.Vengeance' quite a lot. It's tonal differences throughout the film work for me. The comedic moments are as funny as they are dark. The circle of single-minded revenge is interesting and the back heavy violence is stylistically relaxing. None of the main characters deserve to die, but at the same time they do. It's all very grey and loved it.