A recently laid off factory worker kidnaps his former boss' friend's daughter, hoping to use the ransom money to pay for his sister's kidney transplant.
Director:
Chan-wook Park
From metacritic.com
Get the best new trailers in under a minute, including Pet Sematary and Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Related News
-
Michael Shannon & Alexander Skarsgård Highlight First Look At Park Chan-Wook’s ‘Little Drummer Girl’
30 July 2018 | The Playlist -
The Little Drummer Girl Trailer Showcases AMC John le Carre TV Adaptation
09 November 2017 | Den of Geek -
Park Chan-wook and Florence Pugh Teaming Up for John le Carré Adaptation ‘The Little Drummer Girl’
03 November 2017 | Indiewire
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
7 wins & 1 nomination.
See more awards »
Learn more
More Like This
Lady Vengeance
(2005)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Thriller
Director:
Chan-wook Park
Stars:
Yeong-ae Lee,
Min-sik Choi,
Shi-hoo Kim
Thirst
(2009)
Drama
|
Horror
|
Romance
Director:
Chan-wook Park
Stars:
Kang-ho Song,
Ok-bin Kim,
Hee-jin Choi
The Chaser
(2008)
Action
|
Thriller
Director:
Hong-jin Na
Stars:
Yoon-Seok Kim,
Jung-woo Ha,
Yeong-hie Seo
Mother
(2009)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Joon-ho Bong
Stars:
Hye-ja Kim,
Won Bin,
Goo Jin
I Saw the Devil
(2010)
Action
|
Drama
|
Horror
Director:
Jee-woon Kim
Stars:
Byung-Hun Lee,
Min-sik Choi,
Joon-Hyuk Lee
Joint Security Area
(2000)
Action
|
Drama
|
Thriller
Director:
Chan-wook Park
Stars:
Yeong-ae Lee,
Byung-Hun Lee,
Kang-ho Song
Oldeuboi
(2003)
Action
|
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Chan-wook Park
Stars:
Min-sik Choi,
Ji-tae Yu,
Hye-jeong Kang
Memories of Murder
(2003)
Action
|
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Joon-ho Bong
Stars:
Kang-ho Song,
Sang-kyung Kim,
Roe-ha Kim
The Man from Nowhere
(2010)
Action
|
Drama
|
Thriller
Director:
Jeong-beom Lee
Stars:
Won Bin,
Sae-ron Kim,
Tae-hoon Kim
A Bittersweet Life
(2005)
Action
|
Drama
Director:
Jee-woon Kim
Stars:
Byung-Hun Lee,
Min-a Shin,
Yeong-cheol Kim
I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK
(2006)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Chan-wook Park
Stars:
Soo-jung Lim,
Rain,
Seong-hun Cheon
Edit
Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| Kang-ho Song | ... | Dong-jin Park | |
| Ha-kyun Shin | ... | Ryu | |
| Doona Bae | ... | Yeong-mi Cha | |
 |
Ji-Eun Lim | ... | Ryu's Sister |
|
|
Bo-bae Han | ... | Yu-sun |
|
|
Se-dong Kim | ... | Chief of Staff |
|
|
Dae-yeon Lee | ... | Choe |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
|
|
Masashi Fujimoto | ... | Peng |
|
|
Ju-bong Gi | ||
|
|
Gyu-su Jeong | ||
| Jae-yeong Jeong | ... | Husband of Dong-jin's ex-wife's | |
|
|
Kan-hie Lee | ... | Dong-jin Park's ex-wife |
|
|
Kwang-rok Oh | ... | Anarchist |
|
|
Jae-woong Park | ||
| Seung-bum Ryoo | ... | Retarded Boy at River (as Seung-beom Ryu) | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (178) »
Storyline
In Seoul, Ryu, a deaf worker has a sister who needs a kidney transplant. He tries to donate his own kidney to his sister, but his blood type is not compatible with hers. When Ryu is fired from Ilshin Electronics, he meets illegal dealers of organs, and the criminals propose that he give them his kidney plus ten millions Won to obtain a kidney suitable for his sister. Ryu accepts the trade, but he does not have money to pay for the surgery. His anarchist revolutionary girlfriend Cha Young-mi convinces him to kidnap Yossun, the daughter of his former employer Park, who owns Ilshin Electronics. However, a tragedy happens, generating revenge and a series of acts of violence. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Plot Keywords:
sign language | three act structure | dead woman in a bathtub | four word title | make love |Taglines:
Revenge Was Never This SweetMotion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for strong gruesome violence, strong sexuality, language and drug use | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
South KoreaRelease Date:
29 March 2002 (South Korea) See more »Also Known As:
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance See more »Filming Locations:
South KoreaEdit
Box Office
Budget:
$4,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$9,827, 21 August 2005, Limited ReleaseGross USA:
$45,289, 16 February 2006Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$1,954,937, 25 March 2007Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
Edit
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
When Ryu (Ha-kyun Shin) runs up and hits the organ seller over the head with the baseball bat, the filming crew was surprised as he was told to walk up behind and hit him, not sprint and strike. See more »Goofs
When Ryu rides the elevator with the police with Cha Yeong-mi's dead body, the sheet used to cover the body gets "pulled" down instead of coming down on it's own. See more »Quotes
Cha Yeong-mi: The bad image kidnappers get is because of kids getting killed. But we're different. Give us the money and we'll return the kid pronto.See more »
Crazy Credits
The title card of the film is shown in both Korean and English. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
Enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with Prime Video.
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is, simply put, the best film I have seen all year.
Chan-wook Park's mastery of cinematic language is stunning. I Recently saw Oldboy, and was intrigued by the style and freshness of that film. but where Oldboy sometimes degenerates (albeit in a very entertaining fashion) into simple violence and visceral satisfaction, Mr. Vengeance does not.
Those not accustomed to a slower paced film may say that there is too much postulation and ambiguity in this film, but they would be completely wrong. Never has a film managed to capture my attention so fully as this one. The majority of the time, we are left in quiet reflection of the events hat have taken place. The setting is rich and South Korea is shown in all its glory as a culture emerging from a somewhat torn past.
Every moment is beautifully framed and executed, and there are multiple ways in which the viewer is drawn into the lives of the characters that exist in this space. Colour is obviously very important to park, as each moment is perfectly balanced and flows from frame to frame in a way that would make most Hollywood directors green with envy.
The themes of vengeance and tragic fate are intertwined in such a way that almost numbs the senses after a time. Even though there is no "hero" or "villian" in this film, each character shares the spotlight in turn and the motivations for their actions are slowly revealed, justified, and then torn apart as fate intervenes to bring everything to a point of complete helplessness and futility.
A very powerful, beautiful film.