When director Park Chan-wook's “Oldboy” won the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival in 2004, this event not only marked an important point in is career, as he would even venture to Hollywood, but also a turning point for the South-Korean film industry as a whole, with many genre entries from then on carrying the undeniable mark from that movie. Perhaps this is also the reason the other entries of the “Vengeance”-trilogy are sometimes forgotten or ignored, which is especially saddening in the case of its conclusion, “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” – a feature not only showing a different shade to the overall topic of revenge, but also arguably one of the finest works of the director.
Regarding visuals, “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” (or just “Lady Vengeance” in some regions) returns the director's predilection towards artistic and creative patterns, mazes and elaborate hints, hidden within the smallest of details. Whether it is the block of tofu as a sign Lee Geum-ja is ready to be integrated into society again and atone for her past sins, or the design of her weapon, whose emphasis on style over function ironically sums up the protagonist's own development, a blend of avenging angel to a motherly figure, able to show kindness and compassion if necessary. Many of the images of “Lady Vengeance” are some of the most beautiful images of the director's collaboration with cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon.
Besides, “Lady Vengeance” marks the second collaboration of Park Chan-wook and actress Lee Young-ae after “Joint Security Are”. There is an interesting parallel between her performance and Meiko Kaji's as Nami Matsushima in the “Jailhouse Prisoner Scorpion”-series since both actresses play essentially women who have been violated by men and society, but whose biggest challenge proves not to be their quest for revenge, but rather their ability to find something that goes beyond. Lee emphasizes a woman struggling to come to terms with the idea of atonement, as well as the repercussions of the deeds she has to perform to bring justice to those who have wronged her. It is an incredibly passionate and nuanced performance with many layers to it, making each viewing unique in its own right.
At the same time, there are other aspects making “Lady Vengeance” one of the director's best movies. The performance by Choi Min-sik as the antagonist or the score by Jo Yeong-wook and Choi Seung-hyun are two more reasons to watch and, if you want, go a little deeper into the layers of meaning within the plot the final entry into this trilogy stresses the consequences of violence and revenge, but leads to a more hopeful path for the main character.
