Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

If you're reading this, odds are that you've seen some of Park Chan-Wook's other films, particularly 'Oldboy'. Suffice to say, if you liked 'Oldboy' I can't imagine why you wouldn't like 'Lady Vengeance' as well, nor do I believe that this movie will convert you if you aren't already a fan. A few people will try and tell you that this is actually quite different from Park's last film, but I really don't know where they get this conclusion. 'Lady Vengeance' has unusual, stylish and artfully composed shots, surrealist inserts, skewed chronology and storytelling, themes of revenge, loss, family and reunification and an unpredictable mix of abrupt violence, black humor and surprising pathos. In short, it has all the stylistic trademarks that defined 'Oldboy'. It does, as the film moves along, eventually venture into more purely bleak pastures somewhat reminiscent of 'Sympathy...' in tone, but overall it still reminds far more of it's direct predecessor than of that other film. Arguably, it isn't much of a step forward from `Oldboy' in terms of style or content, but few people can pull off a film like this the way that Park can, so he's allowed to spin his wheels a bit if he so desires.`Lady Vengeance' follows the exploits of Geum-ja, a convicted child-killer who is just, as the film opens, released from prison after 13 years. She seemed to undergo a miraculous transformation in prison, converting to Christianity and earning herself the nickname, `The kindhearted Geum-Ja. This proves not to be a ruse, however, and upon her release Geum-ja immediately begins a quest for vengeance against one Mr. Baek, calling upon her various prison `friends' for help. Needless to say, it gets a lot more specific than that, but I don't want to give it away, even if it is more impressive in how it is shown, rather than the particular story which is being told`Lady Vengeance' is strikingly well made and slick, particularly for a non-Hollywood film. It's just gorgeous looking, with strong performances all around and a fine, seemingly inappropriate score which is alternately ironic and legitimately emotional. Though it's often violent and bleak, `Lady Vengeance' is simply a ton of fun to watch, particularly for the first hour or so. It has so much energy, style and humor that it's irresistible, and more flat-out watchable and entertaining than just about anything else I've seen this year. Furthermore, when they later go for a more serious, emotional tone, Park and company pull it off beautifully, and with out totally abandoning the flash and humor which made the first 2/3 of the movie so entertaining. Many people will tell you that Park's films are hollow and devoid of humanity, but I don't agree. I suppose I can see their position, as so many of his characters are far removed from anyone in the real world, but I don't have much trouble relating, and I think many of the later scenes are genuinely moving.Well, I'll just cut myself off here, I think. This is just a great movie. Best one released in American theaters yet this year, in fact. Check it out.Grade: A

the premise of the movie is great. the way the director opens up the story and builds the history and narrative is very interesting. the characters are interesting. It could have been a lot tighter though because I think there are sentimental distractions - like the reappearance of her daughter. It would have been better if the missing child remained missing and she was sort of a mystery that really fuelled her vengeance and the audience would be carried along with that feeling - it would create a sense of tension with the audience that was more authentic. I think that the catharsis he creates with the parents of dead children killing the teacher is okay. They're a little too emotional - my favourite was the grandmother who was the final vengeance taker because I felt that through her lack of histrionics she was more compelling and evinced greater authentic emotion than the other parents who were crying or having emotional fits. I would say less is more. You cannot ever really know the mix of feelings such a context would cause, and trying to outline them via acting comes out a bit superficially which why the external stoicism of the grandmother seemed more genuine. I think of an actress like Gong Li in Raise the Red Lantern. She was able to evince so much internal turmoil with great subtlety and finesse - she is an amazing "less is more" actor. I think it that the film is quite silly sometimes, like when the director tries to show the main character is struggling morally. She seems like 5 different people in one and the director can't really decide which she is suppose to be and while I think that she should be portrayed in all her complexity, I'm not sure it was done well here. Perhaps it was the way the film flashed back and forth between her history and present, reality and fantasy. I think of a director like Darren Aronofsky who is amazing at this but creates a very tight and cohesive narrative eve, and I think it was just done less well here. The one thing about this director is that I think he builds a great story but really falls short when it comes to the "reason" for why such a crazy story exists. Like in Old Boy, the story was so great and you were like what is the mystery, why is this happening to him. And when you realize that it's some rich playboy who has some weird incestuous relationship that the main character observes etc. etc., it's just so disappointing. I think his recent film, Stoker, is a great example of how alot of my objections in this film are cleaned up. His english language debut film was great.

This 2005 revenge horror thriller [aka: Lady Vendetta, aka: Sympathy for Lady Vengeance] revolves around the kidnap and murder of a 6 year old boy and the woman imprisoned for the crime. Thirteen years later and Lee Geum-ja (Lee Yeong-ae) is released after serving her sentence, but her soul is not at rest and she seeks vengeance, but who against, why and what for?This is really difficult to discus without giving away major plot-lines, but suffice to say there are plenty of interesting characters [each with their own past] picked up along the way and the first 45 minutes have you wondering what Geum-Ja is up to, so it plays as a jigsaw type detective thriller. The middle is a complete turn around, while the final third contains the truly harrowing scenes and concluding actions of the participants in the entire escapade. A nice touch is seeing a ‘Christian’ religious angle as seen from a Korean perspective. The story is good with some surreal imagery to add interest and the music is suitably atmospheric.The single disc offers play, scene selection, set-up [2.0, 5.1, 5.1DTS, English subtitles on/off] and extra features [Director interview, theatrical trailer, Asia Extreme trailer reel]. There are 3 sex themed scenes but most is suggested, there is no nudity and only mild swearing. What makes this an 18 are the really intense and disturbing scenes late in the film and the agonizing choices characters have to make. This isn’t an easy film to watch at the end, being quite dark and distressing.

Lady Vengeance Tartan Asia Extreme 5023965367129. Cert 18 Region 0. South Korean film 2006. Cj Entertainment presents a Park Chan-Wook film. From the makers of Oldboy. Bonus: interview, trailers, film notes, audio setup. I'm selling this. Follow the link in the title. Opening credits music is nice. The soundtrack from the previous film was awesome. First scene is during winter. A group of musicians in Santa Claus outfits play as Lee Guem-Ja leaves prison. I will be downloading the soundtrack. She was 20 when she'd been charged with the kidnap and murder of a child. In prison for 13 and a half years. I like the flashback scene explaining her background. Beautifully told story. Nicely edited. A good cast of actors. Powerful soundtrack. There is the boyfriend now ex that had stuck by her. He was fascinated by her as were the rest of the nation. He had bought her tofu. With world cinema it's good to hear the foreign languages.A new inmate has been introduced as Kim Yang-Hee. She was a prostitute. Now works as a hairdresser. Guem-Ja is out for revenge. The main actor from Old boy is in this. There is an American film by this director called Stokes. Woo So-Young is another inmate, in for armed robbery. A few characters narrate the story. Some humour in the film. Ko Sun-Sook is an elder woman. She was a spy from North Korea. Oh Sue-He is in for adultery. First thing is she goes down on a fellow prisoner. There is some good Asian lesbian porn that you might like. The Infamous Witch is the one demanding oral. She killed her husband and his mistress. You see the characters as they are now and as prisoners. See the TV shows Wentworth and Orange Is The New Black. Won-Mo was the victim. She went to visit the boy's parents. The detective happens on a chance meeting with her. Some might see these films as controversial. Mainly positive reviews. I recommend this film.

Lady Vengeance is a great revenge movie that reminded me a lot of Female Prisoner Scorpion series and at certain points even Bronson and Clockwork Orange. This is by all means a movie designed for me. I love revenge movies, I love dark humor, I adore over the top visuals and stylish cinematography. All the flaws felt meaningless to me because I really like these kind of films. Well you can argue that the script is weaker than Oldboy or that there are no substance aside from the visuals and acting. It's a style over substance film like Drive, Barry Lyndon, The House of Flying Daggers and other films. Lady Vengeance is more about the visuals, atmosphere, mood and emotions rather than plot. So lower your expectations and enjoy a film that is worth your time. Because Hollywood ain't the place where you can get these kind of films.As for all Tartan DVD releases the Video and Audio quality is good. There is no English dub only original Korean Audio which is a great thing. There are not very much extras on the DVD however. There is an interview and a trailer gallery and that's about it.*Edit* I recently bought their Blu-ray release of Lady Vengeance. Aside from from better Audio/Video quality, there is one major difference with their DVD version. The Lady Vengeance Blu-ray is the Fade to Black version, which means that color will fade through out the film, until it's completely Black and White. The DVD version is the regular version. It caught me off guard since they didn't print it on the case.There are more extra features on the Blu-ray release: The making of Lady Vengeance, The Style of Lady Vengeance , The Characters, Lady Vengeance on Venice and Trailers and TV spots.Lady Vengeance is a must own film if you love smart, well made revenge movies. But don't expect Oldboy, because it's nothing like it.

In dissent to other reviews, I propose this as the superior part of the vengence trilogy. It is not a film intending to surprise or confuse, and has a straightforwardness not unlike Tarantino's, equally matched by stylistic flare. The message also is more subtle perhaps than the plot of the other two films, and is a little focussed not just on the protagonists views about vengeance, but also the world's view. In this, and in the theme of the film, and indeed in the denoument, the film owes a lot to Fritz Lang's M, with a modern pace, but not the frantic action required of the demented and inane. Violence and pain are a part of the film, but played in the Alienesque what-you-don't-see manner that conveys much more brutality than the more obvious approach in the other two films. i had anticipated something along the lines of Takashi Miike's Audition (disturbing in itself and decidedly excellent to boot), but this is played on a different level where the agonising build up that sets Miike's climax so jarring is in this made beautiful, whilst the torture is lingering off camera.The final reflection must be cinematographic. The subtle blend of costume, character, lighting and CG make this an outstandingly beautiful film, and another one that is for owning, not for renting.

What I love about this film is how truly poetic it is. If Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance was highly abstract with barely any dialogue yet heaps of emotion, and Oldboy being for the 'bad boys' of the revenge film with a unique double twist (easily the most 'mainstream' of the three), this one takes a deeply poetic and feminist slant.Sympathy for Mr. vengeance will always be my favourite of the 3 though.Anyway, onto the blu-ray.It's a superb transfer, but one thing that should be noted is that this is the 'fade to black and white' version, meaning the last half of the film is entirely in black and white.It's an interesting effect, but I'm not sure whether or not it truly enhances the effect.So if your going to buy this, be warned, make sure you also keep your dvd copy (as that version is in full colour).