WHAT IS IT ABOUT: The final movie in Park Woo Chun's revenge trilogy sees a woman at the centre of the plot. Geum-ja Lee was set up for 13 years in prison for a child murder she didn't commit. In the mean-time, the real killer has killed again, and again. Now Geum-ja Lee has the perfect plan to clear her name and gain terrible vengeance on the killer who set her up, and she needs the help of many of the prisoners she met during her 13 year sentence.
IS IT ANY GOOD: Yes, very! What strikes me most about this film is the creativity and thought that has gone into the plot; it's a very good story in its own right, and (as I've said in other reviews of Park's films) it allows the viewer to revel in seeing really bad people have really bad things happen to them. Park's overall message in the trilogy was how vengeance is never fulfilling, and always causes pain for everyone involved, but they sure do revel in it in this film.
The revenge trilogy (made up of Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, Old Boy, and this film) is not linked in storyline, and can be watched in any order. Old Boy is an amazing film, whereas Mr Vengeance and Lady Vengeance share some common weaknesses. To begin with, the pace of the film rises and dips at different times, and sometimes has a lull that may turn casual viewers off. Secondly, the film contains some scenes that are very disturbing, such as scenes of child abuse, which I found impossible to watch, and again this will ruin it for some.
The end 30 minutes of the film is the best, as we see a beautifully planned retribution brought onto the evil Mr. Baek.
The film is a Korean language film, and has subtitles, so be prepared for some reading!
In conclusion, probably the second best in the revenge trilogy, Lady Vengeance is an ambitious story that causes viewers to question the point of vengeance, and does so with occasional extreme violence, torture and abuse. If you liked this film you should watch the rest of the trilogy, along with Ichi the Killer, an insane movie along a similar theme.
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blackmagicstar4 08.01.2009 09:31
Great review- sounds interesting must check this out! x
It's rare that a movie combines extreme violence, visual panache, and gut-wrenching ... more
emotion, butLady Vengeanceis just such a movie. Geum-ja Lee (the lovely Yeong-ae Lee,Joint Security Area) is sent to prison at the age of 19 for kidnapping and murderin...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
It's rare that a movie combines extreme violence, visual panache, and gut-wrenching ... more
emotion, butLady Vengeanceis just such a movie. Geum-ja Lee (the lovely Yeong-ae Lee,Joint Security Area) is sent to prison at the age of 19 for kidnapping and murderin...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Following the hugely successful Oldboy, Lady Vengeance is another showcase for the ... more
extraordinary talents of Park Chan-wook.Lee Guem-ja has been released from jail having served 13 years for the kidnapping and murder of a child. A seemingly unassuming p...
The cinematic flair and narrative surprises that marked Park Chan-Wook's Sympathy for Mr. ... more
Vengeance and Oldboy continue in this third and concluding part of the director's thematically-linked trilogy of revenge. Intense and inventive the film follows ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Lady Vengeance [DVD] [2005]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78491030.jpg "Lady Vengeance [DVD] [2005]")
Jan 7th, 2009
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