LADY VENGEANCE (CHINJEOLHAN GEUMJASSI) A film review by David N. Butterworth Copyright 2006 David N. Butterworth
*** (out of ****)
The third and final act of Chan-Wook Park's bloody revenge trilogy (begun in 2002 with "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" and continued a year later with the sensational "Oldboy") is yet another compelling tale of wrongful imprisonment, retribution, and cold, calculated murder. You don't need to have seen either of the afore-mentioned films to understand--or certainly enjoy--"Lady Vengeance" ("Chinjeolhan Geumjassi"), since all three films are conveniently self-contained, but it wouldn't hurt to get thyself to pretty much any South Korean movie these days, since that country has recently produced some real beauties ("Memories of Murder," "Save the Green Planet!", and "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring" all spring to mind). In "Lady Vengeance," revenge can be both bitter and sweet. 13 years after being imprisoned for a crime she claimed she committed, Geum-Ja Lee (a mesmerizing Yeong- Ae Lee) is finally released and, with the help of her former fellow inmates, seeks revenge on the one who betrayed her. Whereas Park's latest go-round lacks the sanguine immediacy of "'Mr. Vengeance" and much of "Oldboy"'s crafty humor, "Lady Vengeance" is nevertheless an exhilarating (if, at times, extremely grisly) ride due in no small part to the complex storyline, Park's visual flair for telling it, and Lee's all-encompassing performance as Geum-Ja Lee. It's a work of stark and staggering beauty, richly detailed and oddly moving but one that requires both patience (especially in the first half, where the clues are pulled together jigsaw-like) and (towards the end) a strong stomach, when those wronged don clear plastic rain garb and have at the guilty party with all manner of blunt and not-so-blunt instruments. Perhaps now Park can move on too.
-- David N. Butterworth dnb@dca.net
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