Review of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) by Leor L — 05 Nov 2010
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, the first of Chan Wook Park's Vengeance trilogy, is quite an interesting work. This film is a strange being that I do not think I have ever encountered before: a mix of beautifully shot scenes, bizarre and seemingly nonsensical occurrences, convincing acting performances, and ultraviolent bloodbaths, all held together with a convoluted plot (doesn't this describe a David Lynch film?).
As the film came to it's middle, Sympathy almost lost me with it's series of confusing plot developments and a sudden change of character perspective. Yet I was still drawn in for the majority of the running time, curious to see where Park will take the characters.
The ending scene has a certain snap to it, and left me satisfied. I feel that some work can be done to lessen the confusion of the plot, but overall Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is a standout film that makes me even more interested to watch the second part of the Vengeance trilogy, Oldboy.
This review of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) was written by Leor L on 05 Nov 2010.
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance has generally received positive reviews.
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