While thematically intertwined; Park Chan-wook's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance seems like a distant cousin to his other works, as far as the execution is concerned. Being a part of the much-renowned "Vengeance Trilogy" comes with its own caveats; one of which is the dilated expectations from the audience. For me, the degree of eagerness was even larger as I recently watched and admired Oldboy, not a long time ago!
The core topic, the main concept of revenge, and retaliation might be the same but this doesn't even come close to what Oldboy demonstrated. That film was gritty, gruesome and above all, I was hooked throughout the entirety of the narration. Unlike in this case, where at frequent intervals, I found myself losing interest.
For a vengeance thriller, the Screenplay is quite indolent, and lethargic. While on one hand, I do happen to understand the director's eccentric expression of art, on the other, I felt a bit more momentum was needed. A compacted write-up would have made the circumstances different and the narrative more effective I reckon. That being said, I have to say, it's the technicalities that the director seems to have counteracted. Some of the cinematographic moments ooze elegance.
The core topic, the main concept of revenge, and retaliation might be the same but this doesn't even come close to what Oldboy demonstrated. That film was gritty, gruesome and above all, I was hooked throughout the entirety of the narration. Unlike in this case, where at frequent intervals, I found myself losing interest.
For a vengeance thriller, the Screenplay is quite indolent, and lethargic. While on one hand, I do happen to understand the director's eccentric expression of art, on the other, I felt a bit more momentum was needed. A compacted write-up would have made the circumstances different and the narrative more effective I reckon. That being said, I have to say, it's the technicalities that the director seems to have counteracted. Some of the cinematographic moments ooze elegance.