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Movies / On DVD / Lady Vengeance
Lady Vengeance

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Lady Vengeance (2005)

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Reviews Counted: 80

Fresh: 60

Rotten:20

Average Rating: 7/10

Consensus: Stylistically flashy and gruesomely violent, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance fits in nicely with the other two films of Park's revenge trilogy.

Rated: 18

Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release: 10-02-2006

Synopsis: South Korean maestro Park Chan-wook concludes his Revenge Trilogy with the operatic, mesmerizing SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE. Unlike the first two films in the trilogy--SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE and OLDBOY--this time around, the... South Korean maestro Park Chan-wook concludes his Revenge Trilogy with the operatic, mesmerizing SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE. Unlike the first two films in the trilogy--SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE and OLDBOY--this time around, the hero is a heroine. On the heels of her release from prison, Lee Geum-ja (Lee Yeong-ae) embarks on a mission to track down the man responsible for her imprisonment, which also resulted in her being forced to give up her daughter for adoption. Hardened by years in the penitentiary and endlessly fantasizing about the right way to exact revenge, she enlists the help of former cellmates to accomplish her goal. But what she uncovers is a secret so horrifying that no revenge seems fitting. Employing the same techniques (symphonic music, electrifying cinematography, sharp editing) that made OLDBOY such a thrilling cinematic experience, Park Chan-wook concludes his trilogy on a somber note. Beginning as a flashy, almost lighthearted spectacle, SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE gradually reveals itself to be a poignant commentary on the futility of revenge. Fortunately, the director's sheer audacity and technical virtuosity keeps it from succumbing to total darkness. This filmed screened as part of Lincoln Center's 2005 New York Film Festival. [More]

Starring: Yeong-ae Lee, Choi Min-Sik, Yeong-ae Lee

Starring: Yeong-ae Lee, Choi Min-Sik, Yeong-ae Lee

Director: Chan Wook Park

Director: Chan Wook Park
Studio: Tartan Films

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Reviews for Lady Vengeance

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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Ratings Image

Pound-of-flesh cinema, you might say.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Ben Walters
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Slick and frequently mesmerising, but ultimately it feels as calculated as the murky, melodramatic denouement.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Tough, unrelenting and powerfully moving.

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
02/18/06
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus
Ratings Image

The first hour will test the patience of all but diehard fans of the genre, flipping randomly through time before things settle down for a final 50 minutes examining the ethics of revenge.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
02/10/06
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]
Ratings Image

An unsettling mix of stylish visuals, surreal fantasy, and shocking violence.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
02/07/06
David Mattin
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders | comment Comment
11/08/07
Jonathan W. Hickman
Entertainment Insiders
Ratings Image

The kind of glorious sensory rush that you can only get when a supremely confident director fully kicks out the jams. Submerged within the flash, however, is a nihilistic worldview that may be even more curdled than its predecessors.

Full Review Source: The Stranger (Seattle, WA) | comment Comment
10/21/07
Andrew Wright
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
Ratings Image

in Lady Vengeance, revenge is ultimately a shabby, sordid business that leaves everybody soiled and in need of purification - or at least of a pie in the face.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
07/10/07
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film
Ratings Image

If you have a taste for revenge or just a taste for wickedly well-done filmmaking, help yourself to a serving of Lady Vengeance.

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
04/19/07
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org
Ratings Image

What most will take from Lady Vengeance is a director in love with film and the ability to express that passion through the language of his medium.

Full Review Source: UGO | comment Comment
03/24/07
Brian Tallerico
UGO
Ratings Image

Exciting, nerve-wracking and utterly original.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Lewis Beale
Film Journal International
Ratings Image

No capítulo final de sua trilogia sobre a Vingança, Park (com seu dom habitual para criar belíssimos quadros) concebe um conto de moralidade surpreendente, complexo e assustador, levando o espectador a confrontar sua própria percepção sobre o assunto.

comment Comment
12/31/06
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena
Ratings Image

Park Chanwook's latest revenge thriller isn't as graphic as earlier ones, but may be even more psychologically violent -- and that's a compliment, as it leads to astounding revelations about guilt and justice.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
12/30/06
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News
Ratings Image

Didn't have enough heart for me to find its soft spot.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/20/06
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ratings Image

The theme of how all-around bad revenge is starts to wear a little thin... But there's always a perverse delight in just watching how a Park movie is executed.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
12/03/06
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies
Ratings Image

A collideorscape it is, and a very fine one.

Full Review Source: Nation | comment Comment
11/11/06
Stuart Klawans
Nation
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full review in Greek

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
10/03/06
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses
Ratings Image

It has an operatic scale and an emotional eloquence and, along the way, in the juxtaposition of its variously conflicting elements, we see how vengeance turns to redemption.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
09/14/06
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Ratings Image

may be the most emotionally affecting, perversely amusing and deeply disturbing of the trilogy.

Full Review Source: Capital Times (Madison, WI) | comment Comment
08/17/06
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Ratings Image

Park cleverly shows us that justice and revenge can be equally horrifying

Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
08/12/06
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Lady Vengeance

March 17, 2008: Charlize Theron Has Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
She'll spend the summer blending humor and superhero action with Will Smith and Jason Bateman in Hancock, but Charlize Theron already has Vengeance on her mind. More...

See More Topics...

Related Forums for Lady Vengeance

REEL_REVIEWER
Park Chan-wook completes his 'Vengeance' trilogy in the USA on April 28, 2006!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 9/29/06


REEL_REVIEWER
Park Chan-wook completes his 'Vengeance' trilogy in the USA on April 28, 2006!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 9/29/06


REEL_REVIEWER
Park Chan-wook completes his 'Vengeance' trilogy in the USA on April 28, 2006!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 9/29/06


REEL_REVIEWER
Park Chan-wook completes his 'Vengeance' trilogy in the USA on April 28, 2006!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 9/29/06


Time Will Tell
by: Tarantino's Tourniquet 8/16/06
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