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SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE (2005) (***1/2)

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South Korea is a hotbed of a lot of really cool cinema right now. Director Chan-wook Park is leading this revolution. His OLDBOY from earlier in the year has grown on me the more and more I think about it. The twist at the end of that film is truly shocking. Like OLDBOY, SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE grips you from the start with its kidnapping tale and then spins in directions that you can’t imagine where it will go next.

Ryu (Ha-kyun Shin, SAVE THE GREEN PLANET!) is deaf and dumb and works a hard labor job in an effort to take care of his sick sister (Ji-Eun Lim), who desperately needs a kidney transplant. When he is laid off, his anarchist girlfriend Cha Yeong-mi (Du-na Bae) devises a plan to kidnap the daughter of his former boss, Park Dong-jin (Kang-ho Song, JOINT SECURITY AREA).

The film weaves a tale of crime and revenge that is quite unexpected, moving into the worlds of illicit organ trading and terrorist gangs. The style of the film is ultra-hip, but it never lets that get in the way of the characters and their motivations. The film doesn’t present traditional good guy and bad guy roles for the main characters.

The story has confidence in its audience that it will set up its scenario and lead its audience down a path, but have no clue where it leads. In doing so, we are torn, because we understand and relate to both Ryu and Park’s motivations. Without supplying us with a clear-cut villain and hero to hate and root for respectively, the film really feels like it could go in any direction. This is wonderfully refreshing.

The end twist is kind of expected, but it is a fitting end to the film. The cinematography is awesome, providing some iconic imagery you will never forget. The film really displays the adage that a picture speaks a thousand words. The imagery in this film raises the material from a simple revenge story to something more emotional and profound. Thrillers don’t get any cooler than this one.

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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks