Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is the first film in Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance Trilogy. It came before Oldboy and Lady Vengeance, and while it’s not as polished or gripping as Oldboy, it’s still a powerful story about revenge, guilt, and loss.

The film follows Ryu, a deaf-mute factory worker saving money for his sister’s kidney transplant. When he loses his job, he turns to the black market to buy a kidney. But the deal goes horribly wrong. The organ dealers steal his money and one of his kidneys.

Desperate, his girlfriend suggests kidnapping his former boss’s daughter to get the money. What starts as desperation leads to a tragic chain of events filled with pain and revenge.

The movie moves slowly, taking time to show Ryu’s quiet world and the despair that pushes him toward terrible choices. Park doesn’t rush anything. He lets the sadness build naturally. The violence isn’t constant, but when it comes, it hits hard and feels painfully real. No flashy action scenes, just the emotional weight behind every violent act.

Visually, the movie is stunning. Park finds beauty in bleak places like gray factories, narrow streets, and empty apartments. Everything looks lifeless, which perfectly captures the characters’ misery. His camera work is sharp and thoughtful, turning simple shots into something meaningful.

The film does have flaws though. The beginning feels rushed and confusing. Important details slip by quickly and it takes a while to understand what’s happening. But once it finds its rhythm, it becomes a sad and gripping story about how easily lives fall apart. Park mixes tragedy with dark humor in unsettling ways. You might laugh one moment and be shocked the next.

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is a dark, thoughtful tragedy about desperation and the heavy price of revenge. Every character suffers and nobody wins. It’s slow and painful, but it stays with you long after it ends. Not easy to watch, but worth it.