Review XV
Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy
As you already know from my Joint Security Area review, I would call Park Chan-wook an outstanding director. In fact, I would go as far as to say that he is definitely one of my favourite directors of all time. Oldboy was the first film I watched from him a few years back. I thought it was a film that stood alone, but when I found out it was actually the second installment in a trilogy from Park Chan-wook, I made it a goal to watch the other films as well. First, obviously, we shall start with the first film of the trilogy, Boksuneun naui geot, or, as it is known in English, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance.
--
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
After 2000's Joint Security Area was a huge success, Park Chan-wook was given la carte blanche to make whatever film he wanted. He completed the vengeance-minded script he had been writing before Joint Security Area. This became the next film Park Chan-wook directed and wrote, and it became known as Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance.
Ryu (Shin Ha-kyun) is a deaf and dumb man whose sister (Lim Ji-eun) is in desperate need for a kidney transplant. When he is laid off from his job at a factory and loses the money to pay for the transplant when he tries to sell his own kidney to a group of illegal organ donors, Cha Yeong-mi (Doona Bae), his anarchist-supporting girlfriend convinces Ryu to kidnap his old boss' (Sang Kang-ho) daughter in order to get the money they need. Things go terribly wrong, however, which results in revenge from both sides.
I didn't get to watch the film in one sitting, but I still enjoyed it. The first thing I really liked about it was the vengeance and revenge was not one-sided. You felt for both Ryu and Park Dong-jin (Song Kang-ho's character) in the anger they felt. It wasn't like Ryu was the bad guy because we saw the hard life he endured with both his sister and his own life; the same goes for Park Dong-jin - he may be the head of a large company, but he isn't shown as a sadistic man who only cares about money. He loves his daughter, and he, too, is enduring hard circumstances in life. This results in the viewer not being able to choose sides, which leads to an even more emotionally-tearing film.
I also liked the characters themselves. Ryu was sweet, trying his hardest to do the right thing for his sister, but never quite making it. Park Dong-jin's character was, again, a sympathetic man who was not just a "big boss". He was also sweet, and the viewer could sympathise with him, just like the title suggests. Not to mention the acting was pretty good! Ryu pulled off a deaf and dumb man very well, and, well, Song Kang-ho delivered a great performance as usual.
Nonetheless, I found the film a bit slow. It took a little too long for things to get going. In fact, if I recall correctly, the first hour is just the build-up to the kidnapping of the daughter, and the film is two hours long. After that, I found the film went about nicely, but the fact that it took half the duration of the film to get to the main point of the film, and introduce the other protagonist seems a bit too exaggerated for me.
I'd give the film a seven point six on ten. I thought the story was interesting, the acting grand, the actors compelling, but still, it was a slow-moving film for a good part of the film. It's definitely worth a watch. Also, if you can, I heard there's a version that goes from colour to black and white. I didn't see that version, but it might be interesting to watch.
--
Oldboy (2003)
The second film in the vengeance trilogy is, I would say, the most recognised film in the trilogy, as well as one of the films Park Chan-wook is best known for internationally. It is actually based on the Japanese manga Old Boy from Tsuchiya Garon and Minegishi Nobuaki, though Park Chan-wook adapted it into a screenplay. I couldn't tell you how accurately it follows the manga as I never read it, but the main idea is the same. Also, I haven't watched this film in a few months so please bare with me in the review.
Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik) gets drunk one night on his daughter's birthday. He's taken into a police station in response to his disorderly conduct, but his friend, No Joo-hwan (Ji Dae-han) thankfully bails him out. Suddenly Oh Dae-su is kidnapped and taken into solitary confinement for fifteen years, finding out through the televised news that his wife was murdered, he has been accused as the murderer, and his daughter was put in the care of foster parents. One day he finds himself on top of a roof in a suit and is determined to find out why and who placed him in that room for fifteen years. Along the way he befriends a woman, Mi-do (Kang Hye-jeon), but the journey to finding the truth is a lot worse than Oh Dae-su is expecting.
The two times I watched this film, I watched it with English dubbing (it was the only version available at the video store), and it was horribly dubbed. Nonetheless, I really loved the story and characters. It definitely deserves all the recognition it gets. As I mentioned, the story is well written - I should definitely check ou the manga. Park Chan-wook managed to take the story and make it into a wonderful film. However, the actors and actresses definitely made the film even better. Choi Min-sik, well, you already know he is a wonderful actor (I Saw the Devil, for example). Kang Hye-jeon takes Mi-do's character and makes her even more sweet than expected. I was actually shocked to see she was the Director's Wife in Three... Extremes. She definitely has some good acting abilities! Yu Ji-tae (he comes in later in the film) is also takes his character and makes him his own. It was an amazing performance that made him completely believable in his role. I thought the beginning with the drunken scene was a bit unnecessary. There were other means to show he had a daughter and wife without including a ten minute scene. It's funny because while I thought the intro to Ryu in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance was too long, here I thought it was a little too short or even just unnessary. Still, it helps put into place Oh Dae-su's character, and we get to see Choi Min-sik act drunk. The only major complaint I really have would just be the dubbing performance, but that's not the fault of the director and the actors. It was definitely a wasteful performance, and I hope the dubbed version international audiences watch is a lot better than the one I watched because it's distracting.
I'd give the film an eight point two on ten. The story was interesting, the acting great, and just an overall entertaining but sad film. My favourite from the vengeance trilogy, and a film to show to your friends to introduce them to the works of Park Chan-wook.
--
Lady Vengeance (2005)
The final film, Chinjeolhan geumjassi (Korean title), in the vengeance trilogy. It has also been called Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, but for whatever reason, in certain areas, the film is only known as Lady Vengeance. Reminds me of a bit of Dead Alive...
Lee Geum-ja (Lee Yeong-ae), also known as Kind-Hearted Geum-Ja, is finally released from prison after serving a sentence of thirteen and a half years for the kidnapping and murder of a little boy, Park Won-mo, a crime she actually did not commit. While she showed a good nature in prison (helping others and displaying a strong Christian faith), now that she is out, she is out to get revenge on the real killer, Mr. Baek (Choi Min-sik). Even when she meets her daughter again, her mind is focused on revenge, and it seems like nothing will get in her way.
The film, I find, was a bit more comical, at least in terms of the visual effects. If you've watched the film, I'm pretty sure you'll see from where I'm coming from. Nonetheless, the story is definitely very dramatic and heavy. I don't find it as suspenseful as Oldboy and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, but there is one scene later in the film that I thought was actually very interesting. I won't give anything away, but watch the film, and I'm sure you can guess which scene it is. I thought the acting was good. Not the best, but good. I'd say the reason for this is that the characters were not, in my opinion, super well developped. I found the film lacked the depth that both Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy had. The story was good, but it wasn't as good as the films before it. The characters seemed a bit rushed overall, and while Lee Yeong-ae and Choi Min-sik didn't deliver bad performances, I think had the characters been more developped, their performances could have been phenomenal. However, I did enjoy seeing all the main characters of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy in the film as well. Make sure to look out for them!
I'd give the film seven point five stars on ten. It lacked a serious tone throughout the film that bothered me a bit. I found the film a bit rushed, and just not as good as the films before it. It's better than the average film, that's for sure, but in terms of what I expected considering Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy, it was a bit disappointing. Although I sound like I didn't like the film, I did. I thought it was funny, and the final scene is heart-wretching. You do feel for Lee Geum-ji, but I would have preferred that throughout the film, not just one scene. I think had Jenny (Lee Geum-ji's daughter) suffered a similar fate as Park Won-mo (the little boy), I think it would have made a better film. While I think satisfying selfish revenge was what the point of the film was, I think in terms of story, the death of Jenny would have been better. However, that's just my take on the story. It's still worth a watch, but I wouldn't say it was my favourite in the trilogy. There was just something it lacked, though I can't quite put my finger on it.
