Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), directed by Park Chan-wook, is a bleak, uncompromising crime drama-thriller about desperation, consequence, and the corrosive cycle of revenge. The film follows Ryu, a deaf-mute factory worker whose sister needs a kidney transplant. When he is laid off and cannot afford the operation, Ryu is drawn into illegal organ-trafficking and—urged on by his radical girlfriend—agrees to kidnap the daughter of his former boss to raise the money. When the plan collapses, a chain of tragic, violent reprisals unfolds that leaves everyone irrevocably altered. What you will experience: - A slow-burning, tightly plotted story that shifts from quiet, human desperation to sudden, brutal violence. - A cold, atmospheric visual style and restrained direction that make every moral choice and brutal consequence feel inevitable and harrowing. - Intense, affecting performances (notably Shin Ha-kyun, Bae Doo-na and Song Kang-ho) that convey pain and culpability more through expression and silence than exposition. - Themes of class, dignity, and the unintended fallout of vengeance, presented without neat moral resolutions. - A heavy emotional weight—the film is confronting and often disturbing, designed to unsettle rather than comfort. Trigger warnings: strong violence, kidnapping, bodily harm, organ trafficking, and intense emotional distress. This is the first film in Park’s Vengeance Trilogy and will appeal to viewers who appreciate morally complex, stylistically bold, and emotionally brutal cinema.

Actors: Kang-ho Song, Shin Ha-kyun, Bae Doona

Director: Park Chan-Wook

Runtime: 129 min

Genres: Crime, Drama, Thriller

7.2 /10 59 /100 7.5 /10 6.9 /10