Credited cast: | |||
Kang-ho Song | ... | ||
Ha-kyun Shin | ... | ||
Doona Bae | ... | ||
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Ji-Eun Lim | ... |
Ryu's Sister
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Bo-bae Han | ... |
Yu-sun
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Se-dong Kim | ... |
Chief of Staff
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Dae-yeon Lee | ... |
Choe
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Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
Masashi Fujimoto | ... |
Peng
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Ju-bong Gi |
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Gyu-su Jeong |
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Jae-yeong Jeong | ... |
Husband of Dong-jin's ex-wife's
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Kan-hie Lee | ... |
Dong-jin Park's ex-wife
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Kwang-rok Oh | ... |
Anarchist
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Jae-woong Park |
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Seung-wan Ryoo | ... |
Delivery Boy
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In Seoul, Ryu, a deaf worker has a sister who needs a kidney transplant. He tries to donate his own kidney to his sister, but his blood type is not compatible with hers. When Ryu is fired from Ilshin Electronics, he meets illegal dealers of organs, and the criminals propose that he give them his kidney plus ten millions Won to obtain a kidney suitable for his sister. Ryu accepts the trade, but he does not have money to pay for the surgery. His anarchist revolutionary girlfriend Cha Young-mi convinces him to kidnap Yossun, the daughter of his former employer Park, who owns Ilshin Electronics. However, a tragedy happens, generating revenge and a series of acts of violence. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is, simply put, the best film I have seen all year.
Chan-wook Park's mastery of cinematic language is stunning. I Recently saw Oldboy, and was intrigued by the style and freshness of that film. but where Oldboy sometimes degenerates (albeit in a very entertaining fashion) into simple violence and visceral satisfaction, Mr. Vengeance does not.
Those not accustomed to a slower paced film may say that there is too much postulation and ambiguity in this film, but they would be completely wrong. Never has a film managed to capture my attention so fully as this one. The majority of the time, we are left in quiet reflection of the events hat have taken place. The setting is rich and South Korea is shown in all its glory as a culture emerging from a somewhat torn past.
Every moment is beautifully framed and executed, and there are multiple ways in which the viewer is drawn into the lives of the characters that exist in this space. Colour is obviously very important to park, as each moment is perfectly balanced and flows from frame to frame in a way that would make most Hollywood directors green with envy.
The themes of vengeance and tragic fate are intertwined in such a way that almost numbs the senses after a time. Even though there is no "hero" or "villian" in this film, each character shares the spotlight in turn and the motivations for their actions are slowly revealed, justified, and then torn apart as fate intervenes to bring everything to a point of complete helplessness and futility.
A very powerful, beautiful film.