hailed as "the thinking man's Kill Bill," the third and final chapter in master film maker Chan-Wook Park's epic revenge trilogy, which includes the brutal and thrilling Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and the astoundingly moving Oldboy, is a fine ending to what Park reffers to as his "Revenge Trilogy." where Mr. Vengeance dealt with the futility of revenge, and Oldboy dealt with revenge as a spiritual experience, Lady Vengeance deals with revenge in a very different way, Lady vengeance is about the absolution of revenge.
gathering much of the cast from the first two films, Park weaves the story of a young woman who is sent to prison for murdering a young boy. of course she is framed for it, but she never admits this to the police. instead she lays in wait, deciding that her vengeance is best served personally, without the obstruction the law provides. during her time in jail, she is a model prisoner, helping and being kind, so much that she becomes known as "the kind-hearted witch." during this time she formulates a string of relationships with her fellow inmates, little do these friends know that they are simply pawns, but upon realization of that fact, they accept their place and are ready to help this woman with attaining her goal, for some it even becomes a personal mission of their own to see the wrong-doer brought to justice. upon release, the plan is set into action and we witness a kind of Kill-Bill "bloody satisfaction" romp as Kind Hearted Geum-Ja strives for her sweet vengeance. as is the usual with Park's films, there is a profoundly interesting twist ending, perhaps not as meaningful as Oldboy's, but certainly more straightforward and palatable to an audience who isn't aware of the films intent from the get-go.
the direction is top-notch, Park has opted to blend the very divergant styles he portrayed in Mr Vengeance and Oldboy, into a solid and beautiful looking presentation, much cleaner than his previous efforts, but with just as much blood dirt and gore. some of the comedic elements of the film work better than anything Park has attempted in his previous films, but just as many don't work. all the performances are fantastic, especially on the part of the now legendary Minsik Choi, who showed us all how it's done in Oldboy as the protagonist of that film: Dae Su.
some of the film is in English for plot reasons, and those scenes seem much less awkward than in most other films that blend language. if Park keeps this up he may just be offered to direct an English film, or an English adaptation of one of his own films, and that would be a sight to see.
all in all, i cant recommend this film more, it's easily the most light-hearted of the three revenge opera's, but that doesn't mean it isn't as heartfelt or human as Oldboy or Mr. Vengeance. the ironic thing is, that even though this is the last in the series, it's a good place to start, as it's the least experimental, and the most palatable to people who are unaware of the genre or style that Park dominates in his other ventures.
gathering much of the cast from the first two films, Park weaves the story of a young woman who is sent to prison for murdering a young boy. of course she is framed for it, but she never admits this to the police. instead she lays in wait, deciding that her vengeance is best served personally, without the obstruction the law provides. during her time in jail, she is a model prisoner, helping and being kind, so much that she becomes known as "the kind-hearted witch." during this time she formulates a string of relationships with her fellow inmates, little do these friends know that they are simply pawns, but upon realization of that fact, they accept their place and are ready to help this woman with attaining her goal, for some it even becomes a personal mission of their own to see the wrong-doer brought to justice. upon release, the plan is set into action and we witness a kind of Kill-Bill "bloody satisfaction" romp as Kind Hearted Geum-Ja strives for her sweet vengeance. as is the usual with Park's films, there is a profoundly interesting twist ending, perhaps not as meaningful as Oldboy's, but certainly more straightforward and palatable to an audience who isn't aware of the films intent from the get-go.
the direction is top-notch, Park has opted to blend the very divergant styles he portrayed in Mr Vengeance and Oldboy, into a solid and beautiful looking presentation, much cleaner than his previous efforts, but with just as much blood dirt and gore. some of the comedic elements of the film work better than anything Park has attempted in his previous films, but just as many don't work. all the performances are fantastic, especially on the part of the now legendary Minsik Choi, who showed us all how it's done in Oldboy as the protagonist of that film: Dae Su.
some of the film is in English for plot reasons, and those scenes seem much less awkward than in most other films that blend language. if Park keeps this up he may just be offered to direct an English film, or an English adaptation of one of his own films, and that would be a sight to see.
all in all, i cant recommend this film more, it's easily the most light-hearted of the three revenge opera's, but that doesn't mean it isn't as heartfelt or human as Oldboy or Mr. Vengeance. the ironic thing is, that even though this is the last in the series, it's a good place to start, as it's the least experimental, and the most palatable to people who are unaware of the genre or style that Park dominates in his other ventures.