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Trailer

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

2002Movie2 h 9 minR

Drama
66
GoodGoodWatch score
IMDb7.5Metacritic597.8Rotten Tomatoes53%84%

A nerve-racking, relentlessly bleak action movie about everyday modern life and crime, with standout direction and sound design.

Good for thought-provoking · adults · solo watch

Skip it if you want something to laugh at · you need an uplifting mood · graphic violence bothers you

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Not for warmth, uplift or comfort.

Movies with

Story

Revenge was never this sweet.

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.

Feels like

  • Gritty Neo-Noir Thriller
  • Disability Representation
  • Desperate Descent into Crime
  • Atmospheric Sound Design
  • Dark Social Realism
  • Unrelenting Tension
  • Moral Ambiguity
  • Visceral Action
  • Tragic Family Drama

Cast

23 of 23

Crew

Directed by
Park Chan-wook
Written by
Park Chan-wook, Lee Mu-yeong, Lee Jong-yong
Produced by
Lee Jae-soon, Lim Jin-gyu
Music by
Bek Hyun-jin, Jang Young-gyu, Lee Byung-hoon

Everyone

Pick a department, or search for a name or a job (“editor”, “stunt”).

Facts

March 29, 2002 · 2 h 9 min · R

Released
March 29, 2002
Runtime
2 h 9 min
Age rating
R
Content
Violence, Strong Language, Disturbing Imagery
Genres
Action, Drama, Thriller
Original language
Korean
Made in
South Korea
Budget
$4 million
Box office
$2 million
Available in
15 countries

Tropes

Kafka Comedy, He Who Fights Monsters, All for Nothing +9

  • Kafka Comedy
  • He Who Fights Monsters
  • All for Nothing
  • Karmic Death
  • Lady Macbeth
  • Inciting Incident
  • A Match Made in Stockholm
  • Trailers Always Spoil
  • Electric Torture
  • What Happened to the Mouse?
  • Chekhov's Skill
  • Black Market

12 of 76 tropes. From TV Tropes.

Q&A

6 questions, like "Where can I stream Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance?"

Questions about Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance?

PhiloAMC+Shudder

In the United States, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance streams on Philo, AMC+, and Shudder. It also streams in 8 other countries.

Is Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance worth watching?

66
GoodGoodWatch score

Mostly, it's well received, with a GoodWatch score of 66 (IMDb 7.5, Rotten Tomatoes 53%, and Metacritic 59). Audiences rate it higher (79 out of 100) than critics (56).

Will I feel good after watching Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance?

BleakHopeful

Probably not: the title analysis rates it 9 of 10 for bleakness and 5 for melancholy, against 1 for hopefulness.

Was Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance a box office flop?

Budget$4 million
Box office$2 million

Yes: it cost about $4 million to make and earned $2 million worldwide, 49% of its budget.

Is Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance in English?

Korean

No, it was made in Korean.

What tropes does Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance use?

Kafka ComedyHe Who Fights MonstersAll for NothingKarmic DeathLady MacbethInciting IncidentA Match Made in StockholmTrailers Always SpoilElectric TortureWhat Happened to the Mouse?Chekhov's SkillBlack Marketand 64 more

TV Tropes lists 76 tropes for it, including Kafka Comedy, He Who Fights Monsters, and All for Nothing.