One of Chan-wook Park's vengeance trilogy (also Lady Vengeance and Oldboy), Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance showcases Park's talent in a part social commentary, part thriller, part drama. If you enjoy brilliant camera angles, sharp dialogue, and a steadily building plot, this is one for you. Despite rolling my eyes at the two-hour runtime (I'm severely A.D.D. when it comes to movies), I never found myself wishing it would pick up; my attention remained fixed for the entire duration.If I had to say one thing "bad" about the film, it would be that you begin to see a pattern toward the end, so there aren't any major twists. But, at the same time, this wasn't a flaw since this is what the movie was going for. So why am I saying anything "bad" at all? Well, one of my grad school professors just recently marked me down for only giving positive criticism to another group, so I'm making up for it here!
The last thing I want to mention is the clever whit of the characters. Whether it was the actual dialogue or corporeal mannerisms, the humor was mixed perfectly into this otherwise grim tale to make a cocktail only Park can serve.
I was very surprised at how the film took shape, as soon as you are settled with the first lead, the story is handed over to a completely new character. Very odd but it immediately caught my attention as something unique and very very cool. Glad you liked this one, even if Im sure we can both agree it doesnt touch OB
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't think Park will ever beat Oldboy. Not even with the recent Thirst. How many more will jump on the vampire bandwagon?
ReplyDeleteThe day the Hollywood remake of Oldboy comes out will make me want to vomit. Let's just remake Pulp Fiction too!
ReplyDeleteJaded - Agreed!
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