SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE
DVD Review by David Blackwell
DETAILS: 122 minutes, first look at Lady Vengeance, director's commentary, original theatrical trailer, photo gallery,
Tartan Asia Extreme previews
STUDIO: Tartan/ Palisades Pictures
RELEASE DATE: 11-22-2005
SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE is brutal. It takes no prisoners as it will offer no happy endings once the tragic chain of
events begins. Ryu, a deaf mute, has a sister who needs a kidney transplant. When he loses his life savings meant to pay for
the operation after trying to buy a kidney off the black market, the events take a bad turn as a kidney is finally available
and Ryu is fired from his job. His communist girlfriend hatches a plan to kidnap the daughter of the guy Ryu used to work
for. Once they kidnap the girl, a the chain of events begin which leads the father and Ryu to seek vengeance against each
other. OLDBOY has elements that SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE lacks. It is a darker and more brutal tale than OLDBOY. It can
be hard to watch once one brutal thing happens after another. Once you're on the train, there is no stepping off until the
end of the movie.
VIDEO: 2.35:1 (Anamorphic Widescreen)
AUDIO: Korean 5.1 Dolby Digital, Korean 5.1 DTS, Korean 2.0 DS
The video and audio aren't as good as OLDBOY on DVD, but Tartan does a great job compared to transfers from other DVDs
of the movie from around the world.
Subtitles: English, Spanish (movie only)
SPECIAL FEATURES: For extras material, it is light for a Tartan DVD release. An audio commentary (director Chanwook Park
and guest) is included in addition to the original theatrical trailer and a photo gallery. You learn some useful info
and trivia from the director. In way of previews, there is a first look at LADY VENGEANCE (which has been previewed
on many recent Tartan DVD releases) and Tartan Asia Extreme previews for OLDBOY, H, and SPIDER FOREST.
FINAL ANALYSIS: If you're a fan of OLDBOY, check out SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE. See the film that came before Park's masterpiece
(OLDBOY. On September 26th, the Vengeance trilogy will be complete with the release of LADY VENGEANCE.
this review is (c)5-26-2006 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission (except for excerpts and a link
to the review). Look for additional content at http://enterlinemedia.livejournal.com and send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com
