Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

2002 Mystery & Suspense

Korean director Park Chan-wook followed up his highly acclaimed Joint Security Area with this tale of a deaf mute named Ryu (Shin Ha-kyun) trying to help his sister (Lim Ji-Eun) get a kidney transplant. Because his blood type is incompatible and no donors are available, he turns to a group of black-market organ dealers who offer to find one in return for one of his and ten million won. The dealers rip him off, so Ryu conspires with his girlfriend, a political activist, to kidnap his former boss' young daughter and ransom her for the ten million won. But a horrible complication ruins their plans and things begin to spiral out of control as the girl's father (Song Kang-ho) decides to take matters into his own hands with the help of a sympathetic cop.

Director: Park Chan-wook

Starring: Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-Gyun, Bae Du-na, Im Ji-eun, Han Bo-bae

 25 Reviews  2 Awards

Reviews

  • The violence in the final 45 minutes of Mr. Vengeance is tough to watch.

    Wesley Morris - The Boston Globe

    19 January 2013

  • Savage yet spellbinding.

    V.A. Musetto - New York Post

    19 January 2013

  • When it comes to serving up diabolical horror with bold, sophisticated glee, Park, best known for "Oldboy," is right up there with Dario Argento, Guillermo del Toro and Takashi Miike.

    Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

  • There is so much talent on display in Park Chanwook's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, it is a drag that the film never rises to the level of its director's obvious ability.

    Manohla Dargis - The New York Times

    19 January 2013

  • This ultra-violent revenge thriller is far more notable for its baroque excesses than coherence or credibility.

    Frank Scheck - The Hollywood Reporter

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Chan-wook Park

    Fant-Asia Film Festival (2003)

  • Best Feature Film

    Philadelphia Film Festival (2003)

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