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I understand that the intent is for this movie to stand-alone, but the fact that it is associated
with the other two movies thematically, and the fact that this is part of a series for
this website, means that I am obligated to make comparisons.
The story is about as subtle as a round-house kick to the head. Oldboy was really good at
with-holding information and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance did a great job at keeping the
audience guessing regarding each character's next move, but this tale is more of a straight
up revenge plot that's more black-and-white. I think Park Chan-Wook thought the same thing,
so he exaggerates the imagery with touch-ups like giving her a halo and having her dream
of shooting a dog with her target, Mr. Baek's face.
My biggest problem is the main character, Guem-ja. I don't want to see her story continue
because I preferred her when she was in prison and more kind-hearted. I'm not sure whether
it's the actress or the director, but Guem-ja's constant blank expressions really just made
me not want to watch her. Even Choi Min-Sik isn't as compelling to watch.
The script isn't too flashy either. It's not the multi-layered cat-and-mouse game that
Oldoy was and it's not the spiral into madness that Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance was. It's
a straight-up revenge plot told sequentially with a couple of flash-backs thrown in which
is just not very interesting to watch. The back-stories of the supporting cast are far
more interesting. I want the movie to follow the crazy couple or the guy that opens up
a bakery because I'm not engaged in this story of vengeance because of the monotone performances
and the fact that the end is predictable and unsatisfying, completely unable to justify
the almost two-hour running time. The film is carried almost entirely by Park
Chan-Wook's camera-work. There are some of the most beautiful landscape shots in this
film and a great use of location, be it in Seoul or Sydney and the film, despite its
dark tone, actually manages to use colours effectively.
Unfortunately, that doesn't make the film any more engaging. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
or, as I like to call it, the South Korean answer to Kill Bill, 'Kill Baek' feels like
it was made solely because Park Chan-Wook felt like he needed to have a Trilogy of films
but this one lacks the inspired feel of the last two. It's a revenge film, straight up,
with no twist. The script is predictable, the cast is okay but they're never given the
chance to really show-case their talents because the tone of the film is so serious and so
dark, the camerawork and the visuals are very good but do they engage? No, because it doesn't
fix the slow pacing and the uninspired story. This is not the worst movie I have ever seen,
it is far from that. But it is the weakest of this trilogy by far. I had no Sympathy
for Lady Vengeance, nor did I get any entertainment from sitting through this film.