Movie No. 165 (2013): SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
Director: Chan-wook Park
Cast: Ha-Kyun Shin, Kang-Ho Song

In this movie, good people (are forced to) do bad things, all in the name of vengeance. One exacts vengeance, another gets hurt; the one who gets hurt will retaliate, and it goes on in a cycle. In the end, no one wins. That's always been since time immemorial. This is the clear message.

It starts with a selfless desire: a deaf-mute wants a kidney transplant for her very sick sister. He can't donate his kidney because his blood type is different from his sister's. There's no available donor at the moment, and his sister is dying of pain. He gets laid off from his job. He gets to the black market that trades organs for cash and his own kidney. He gets ripped. He exacts revenge. He kidnaps his Boss's daughter for ransom. Something goes wrong. The Boss takes the matter in his own hands, with the aid of a sympathetic cop. And so on...

This is Chan-wook Park directing. Gore, graphic violence to a certain level, and shock factor are expected. But there's more to it than these. The movie itself is well-crafted (on the basis of film grammar) despite its being grim and bleak. 

Rating: 3.5/4.0

Date seen: September 4, 2013