Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Boksuneun Naui Geot)
The first and probably the least well known entry in the trilogy; so let's take a look.
So we follow this guy, a deaf mute with green hair.. But that's the least of his worries. Considering his sister, to whom he's very close, is very sick, and in desperate need of a new kidney. When they don't have a suitable donor available at the hospital, he turn to the black market. And well, that's always a bad idea. Especially when you have to meet up at a shady (although cinematographically interesting location) where you have to pay with both a shit load of cash, and on top of that one of your own kidneys.
So yea, he gets fucked over and is back to where he started. Well, minus his life savings and his left kidney that is.. Then, when they do finally have a kidney available at the hospital, he needs money, and fast. So together with his rebellious girlfriend, they decided to kidnap the daughter of a big business ceo; in order to ask for a ransom. And although that seems like a comprehensive description of the movie's plot, it's really just the start. I won't spoil everything, but trust me, you'll get your vengeance served while watching this one.
First of all, this movie is no balls to the walls gore-fest. If anything it's way more, dare I say, an art film. With long shots, almost no music, artistic cinematography. There isn't even that much violence in the whole movie. I mean when it's there, sure it's pretty out there; but it never feels too gratuitous. Long shots like i just mentioned, does make for a long movie. And at a little over two hours it could have perhaps been shorter with a faster pace; but that really would have made it a completely different movie.
You see, when I saw the movie for the first time, and that's years ago. After seeing both old boy and the third installment, sympathy for lady vengeance. I always thought this was the raw one. Not as polished, and definitely not as artistic as the other two (air quotes). But after recently re-watching this movie again (after a lot of years), I realized that that's not true at all. Because, the cinematography is amazing. Well, it's perhaps not mind blowing, it does really make the movie. And, for me at least, there are quite some memorable, just iconic scenes. Really, if you take your time to sit through it; the cinematography, together with the editing is very well done. But is it disturbing? I know it's not the most important question when talking about this movie... But, is it? It funny how a lot of critics on rotten tomatoes criticize the movie for being overly violent, and shocking just for the sake of being shocking. Maybe I just don't see it any more after reviewing so many videos of disturbing movies. But I didn't think it was too much of any of that. Like I said, sure it can be violent, but I feel like that's not the main focus at all. First and foremost what intrigued me the most was the way the story line unfolds.
It gets quite emotional and intense. But I love the fact that not everything is spoon fed, you know, you sort of have to fill in some minor parts yourself. Although, the voice over at the very very end is a little insulting to the viewers, but besides that, it's not like the movie really relies on big plot twists; it's just that the plot twists and turns a lot. In other words, you really never know what's going to happen next. And that's probably even better, because then if you re-watch the movie after a good while, there's a big chance that you forgot how to solve the plot point, which would make the movie exciting again. Something that is definitely less the case when you have a movie that has such a huge plot twist that you'll never ever forget about it in your whole life. Next up is Old Boy. First off, the story, a man gets locked up for no apparent reason, that sucks, and then fifteen years later he is released, again for no apparent reason. Then from here on, he goes on a quest to find out the identity of the person responsible for this; and then when he does, he is given five days to find out the reason behind his imprisonment, otherwise his new love interest will be killed. A, well not as detailed description as the previous movies, but for now it's really all you need to know... I mean, it's really a great set-up, right? First of all, the story, unlike the other two movies in this trilogy which are based on original screenplays, Old boy is based off a manga. And while it was already a little bit of the case with the first movie, this one is definitely larger than life. I mean, technically it could happen in real life *laughs*, but it probably won't. But it doesn't matter, it's great, the story is mysterious, it's interesting, it gets intense. And as previously stated in this review, it comes with a big twist, which I won't spoil of course. Although some say that stating something will have a twist is already a spoiler in and of itself, but I don't think so... I hope...
It's really good though. And besides the story, the movie is just a treat for the eyes and the ears.. It looks and sounds great. The cinematography once again, very well done. But the big show stealer for me in this one is the sounds track. One of the few cd's that I actually own, the music just amplifies all the right emotions you go through while watching the movie; it adds so much on to the overall experience. It's a very well directed and produced movie, with an interesting setup and an amazing pay-off... I mean, what else to you want? Oh! and out of the trilogy, I guess this one is the most disturbing. It's quite violent, definitely more-so than the first one. Ahhh, the hallway fight scene? It's classic. And although it can get a little violent, this movie refrains from turning into a gore-fest; which is good, because it's something this movie definitely does not need in order to shock or whatever. So, in the end, while some plot points in the movie may seem a little far-fetched. It really isn't hard to suspend your disbelief while watching. You accept the story and how it unfolds while watching; and in this oldboy universe as I like to call it, it all makes sense. Making watching oldboy an over-all intense and entertaining viewing experience. Unlike Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, oldboy was upon it's release both a critical and financial success. And not just only in korea, but internationally winning among a lot of other prizes, the de grand prix at the Cannes Film Festival, which is a very prestigious prize to win; so that's nice. And then he made the third and final installment of the trilogy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. Let's see, this lady, let's call her Lady Vengeance, gets released from prison after serving thirteen years for the murder of a child. Now she's out for revenge on the man who actually murdered the kid and bribed her to confess to the crime. It's a lot more straight-forward than the first two movies, though the movie itself is anything but straight-forward, but that's mostly due to the structure. The movie keeps jumping back and forth from present time to her time in prison and even the time before. In other words, the story is told in a very non-chronological order, which is probably going to feel very confusing during your first watch. This one also feels very different compared to the first two. Throughout most of the movie it has an almost comedic sort of a feel to it, until it suddenly turns really sad and dark, grim, towards the ending. But still, I would say this is the least violent one of the bunch. One scene in particular that could've been a complete gore-fest shows virtually nothing, and instead focuses more on the emotional and psychological aspect of that particular scene... Once again, great choice. Yea I like that, over all in all these three movies they balance the violence really well.. And I actually see that in more South Korean movies.. It's like, they can be really violent, but without turning into mindless, torture and gore movies that we've seen so much while going through disturbing videos. What's also nice is the visuals style in this title. Sometimes this movie turns quite surreal with graphical features, and it's not shy to break the fourth wall... All of which makes the movie pretty quirky; until like I said early, it turns pretty dark later in the movie.
The first and probably the least well known entry in the trilogy; so let's take a look.
So we follow this guy, a deaf mute with green hair.. But that's the least of his worries. Considering his sister, to whom he's very close, is very sick, and in desperate need of a new kidney. When they don't have a suitable donor available at the hospital, he turn to the black market. And well, that's always a bad idea. Especially when you have to meet up at a shady (although cinematographically interesting location) where you have to pay with both a shit load of cash, and on top of that one of your own kidneys.
So yea, he gets fucked over and is back to where he started. Well, minus his life savings and his left kidney that is.. Then, when they do finally have a kidney available at the hospital, he needs money, and fast. So together with his rebellious girlfriend, they decided to kidnap the daughter of a big business ceo; in order to ask for a ransom. And although that seems like a comprehensive description of the movie's plot, it's really just the start. I won't spoil everything, but trust me, you'll get your vengeance served while watching this one.
First of all, this movie is no balls to the walls gore-fest. If anything it's way more, dare I say, an art film. With long shots, almost no music, artistic cinematography. There isn't even that much violence in the whole movie. I mean when it's there, sure it's pretty out there; but it never feels too gratuitous. Long shots like i just mentioned, does make for a long movie. And at a little over two hours it could have perhaps been shorter with a faster pace; but that really would have made it a completely different movie.
You see, when I saw the movie for the first time, and that's years ago. After seeing both old boy and the third installment, sympathy for lady vengeance. I always thought this was the raw one. Not as polished, and definitely not as artistic as the other two (air quotes). But after recently re-watching this movie again (after a lot of years), I realized that that's not true at all. Because, the cinematography is amazing. Well, it's perhaps not mind blowing, it does really make the movie. And, for me at least, there are quite some memorable, just iconic scenes. Really, if you take your time to sit through it; the cinematography, together with the editing is very well done. But is it disturbing? I know it's not the most important question when talking about this movie... But, is it? It funny how a lot of critics on rotten tomatoes criticize the movie for being overly violent, and shocking just for the sake of being shocking. Maybe I just don't see it any more after reviewing so many videos of disturbing movies. But I didn't think it was too much of any of that. Like I said, sure it can be violent, but I feel like that's not the main focus at all. First and foremost what intrigued me the most was the way the story line unfolds.
It gets quite emotional and intense. But I love the fact that not everything is spoon fed, you know, you sort of have to fill in some minor parts yourself. Although, the voice over at the very very end is a little insulting to the viewers, but besides that, it's not like the movie really relies on big plot twists; it's just that the plot twists and turns a lot. In other words, you really never know what's going to happen next. And that's probably even better, because then if you re-watch the movie after a good while, there's a big chance that you forgot how to solve the plot point, which would make the movie exciting again. Something that is definitely less the case when you have a movie that has such a huge plot twist that you'll never ever forget about it in your whole life. Next up is Old Boy. First off, the story, a man gets locked up for no apparent reason, that sucks, and then fifteen years later he is released, again for no apparent reason. Then from here on, he goes on a quest to find out the identity of the person responsible for this; and then when he does, he is given five days to find out the reason behind his imprisonment, otherwise his new love interest will be killed. A, well not as detailed description as the previous movies, but for now it's really all you need to know... I mean, it's really a great set-up, right? First of all, the story, unlike the other two movies in this trilogy which are based on original screenplays, Old boy is based off a manga. And while it was already a little bit of the case with the first movie, this one is definitely larger than life. I mean, technically it could happen in real life *laughs*, but it probably won't. But it doesn't matter, it's great, the story is mysterious, it's interesting, it gets intense. And as previously stated in this review, it comes with a big twist, which I won't spoil of course. Although some say that stating something will have a twist is already a spoiler in and of itself, but I don't think so... I hope...
It's really good though. And besides the story, the movie is just a treat for the eyes and the ears.. It looks and sounds great. The cinematography once again, very well done. But the big show stealer for me in this one is the sounds track. One of the few cd's that I actually own, the music just amplifies all the right emotions you go through while watching the movie; it adds so much on to the overall experience. It's a very well directed and produced movie, with an interesting setup and an amazing pay-off... I mean, what else to you want? Oh! and out of the trilogy, I guess this one is the most disturbing. It's quite violent, definitely more-so than the first one. Ahhh, the hallway fight scene? It's classic. And although it can get a little violent, this movie refrains from turning into a gore-fest; which is good, because it's something this movie definitely does not need in order to shock or whatever. So, in the end, while some plot points in the movie may seem a little far-fetched. It really isn't hard to suspend your disbelief while watching. You accept the story and how it unfolds while watching; and in this oldboy universe as I like to call it, it all makes sense. Making watching oldboy an over-all intense and entertaining viewing experience. Unlike Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, oldboy was upon it's release both a critical and financial success. And not just only in korea, but internationally winning among a lot of other prizes, the de grand prix at the Cannes Film Festival, which is a very prestigious prize to win; so that's nice. And then he made the third and final installment of the trilogy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. Let's see, this lady, let's call her Lady Vengeance, gets released from prison after serving thirteen years for the murder of a child. Now she's out for revenge on the man who actually murdered the kid and bribed her to confess to the crime. It's a lot more straight-forward than the first two movies, though the movie itself is anything but straight-forward, but that's mostly due to the structure. The movie keeps jumping back and forth from present time to her time in prison and even the time before. In other words, the story is told in a very non-chronological order, which is probably going to feel very confusing during your first watch. This one also feels very different compared to the first two. Throughout most of the movie it has an almost comedic sort of a feel to it, until it suddenly turns really sad and dark, grim, towards the ending. But still, I would say this is the least violent one of the bunch. One scene in particular that could've been a complete gore-fest shows virtually nothing, and instead focuses more on the emotional and psychological aspect of that particular scene... Once again, great choice. Yea I like that, over all in all these three movies they balance the violence really well.. And I actually see that in more South Korean movies.. It's like, they can be really violent, but without turning into mindless, torture and gore movies that we've seen so much while going through disturbing videos. What's also nice is the visuals style in this title. Sometimes this movie turns quite surreal with graphical features, and it's not shy to break the fourth wall... All of which makes the movie pretty quirky; until like I said early, it turns pretty dark later in the movie.