#sympathy for mr. vengeance

[kaipanzero]

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

복수는 나의 것 (2002)

[olvaheiner]

복수는 나의 것 // Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)

[rwpohl]

the wind, victor seastrom 1928

[cemyafilmarsiv]

The Vengeance Trilogy

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

Oldboy

Lady Vengeance

Park Chan-wook

[jasper-rolls]

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance / 2002 / dir. Park Chan-wook

"I know you're a good guy. You understand...why I have to kill you?"

[oceangloww]

복수는 나의 것 (2002)

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)

[mebluddust]

Park Chan-wook's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is my favorite film of his. (My second favorite is Thirst, and if you’re into vampire movies, you have to watch it. This film is breathtaking—visually stunning.)

In Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, there’s this idea of a "harmless kidnapping." (Which, as we all know, DOES NOT EXIST. It’s not a thing. Not even remotely.) The protagonist's girlfriend convinces him by saying, "We just take the kid, keep them safe and entertained for a little while, and then return them to their father. No one gets hurt." (Of course, that beautiful, dreamlike illusion lasts for all of five minutes. Park Chan-wook NEVER romanticizes child abduction.)

If Frank were that kind of person, he probably would’ve used a similar argument when Joey objected to kidnapping a 12-year-old:

"Her dad left her home alone. You know what’s more dangerous than us? A house with no adults in it. We’re just taking her for a while, looking after her, No, I won’t, you do it, and then sending her back. Let’s give her five whole fucking tubs of ice cream and let her binge-watch fucking TikTok and YouTube, drowning in their garbage algorithm recommendations."

Of course Joey still would’ve been pissed off as hell.

But PETER NODDED. maybe. haha.

[laestoicamillennial]

[directlyfrompluton]

[pablolf]

Film Journal

"Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" by Park Chan-wook

[whimsymascara]

Shin Hakyun as Ryu | Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)

[unionfatal]

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance AU

as always, a movie reference

[steampunkforever]

We love movies where people have a bad time. Even Americans, a population so scared of a sad ending that they class "European Film" as synonymous with "Depressing movie," like a movie where the guy has a bad time. I myself have written on Oldboy as an entry into this genre, but recently I watched Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy's predecessor in Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy, a series of movies unconnected by plot but sharing the thematic throughline of vengeance.

What stood out to me is that Mr. Vengeance does something really interesting with the cuts. A lot happens offscreen, and while sometimes it can feel like a stageplay with not enough budget to show off the cool stuff, as a stylistic device it grows on you. Not everything has to be spelled out, and the ambiguity almost gives it a Bamboo Grove feeling as you try to parse things out like "did he eat those guys' livers?"

This is less of a neo noir than an astutely observant character drama, but in being a crime film it shares much of the same exploration of the nature of man and the corruption of a cruel world as it asks which of the two central characters is more justified in his vengeance.

If you've seen Oldboy you need to see this one too, and if you haven't seen Oldboy you should watch this as well. Masterfully done.

[rwpohl]

terror in the midnight sun, virgil w. vogel 1959

[chlebushek]

sympathy for mr. vengeance (2002) dir. park chan-wook

[vindicated-truth]

From reel to real (at least for a while)

I’ve just learned that Shin Hakyun and Bae Doona dated for a while shortly after co-starring in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and wow—that’s a powerhouse acting couple right there.