Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Seen it?2002 | 129 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Sunday Safe BetWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Audiences rate it highly (7.5 out of 10), though it had a box office loss. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who likes to be kept guessing and action fans. If you loved Drive or Close Range, start here.
- The mood
- Tense.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 9 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated R: meant for adults.
- It's in Korean, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
A deaf man and his girlfriend resort to desperate measures in order to fund a kidney transplant for his sister. Things go horribly wrong, and the situation spirals rapidly into a cycle of violence and revenge.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsSolid
54% on Rotten Tomatoes, 59 on Metacritic
- AudiencesStrong
7.5 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Box office & staying powerWeak
$2 million worldwide on a $4 million budget
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 211K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
More like this
Drive
Friday Night FlickAnother critically acclaimed revenge drama.
Close Range
Saturday SpecialAnother kidnapping action film that's easy to miss.
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Foxy Brown
Weeknight WatchAnother revenge action film, though it's more of a weeknight watch.
Nowhere to Run Weeknight WatchAnother action film, though it's more of a weeknight watch.
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Cast & crew
Directed by Park Chan-wook
- Song Kang-hoDong-jin
- Shin Ha-kyunRyu
- Bae DoonaYeong-mi
- Im Ji-eunSister
- Han Bo-baeYu-Sun
- Lee Dae-yeonDetective Choi
- Ki Joo-bongEngineer Peng
- Kim Se-dongCEO
- Lee Yoon-miBoss
- Ryoo Seung-bumPerson with Cerebral Palsy