Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005)
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A woman released from prison for a murder she didn't commit seeks a calculated revenge against the real perpetrator.
The story
Lee Geum-ja is a reformed female prisoner released after serving a sentence for the kidnapping and murder of a five-year-old schoolboy, a crime she did not commit. Having spent her incarceration becoming an inspirational model for reform, she reveals that her saintly behavior was a facade to facilitate her revenge. Now free, Geum-ja begins a methodical plan to track down the real murderer, Mr. Baek, a teacher who used her to lure the child. She gathers resources from other paroled inmates and begins her hunt, seeking to punish him for the child's death and for the life she lost while in prison.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Lee Geum-ja is released from prison after serving 13 years for the murder of a boy named Won-mo. While she appeared saintly in prison, it was a cover to plan her revenge against Mr. Baek, a teacher who actually committed the crime and forced her to take the fall to save her infant daughter. Geum-ja discovers her daughter, Jenny, was adopted by Australians and brings her to Seoul. Geum-ja kidnaps Mr. Baek with the help of his wife, another ex-convict. After subduing him, Geum-ja finds snuff tapes revealing Mr. Baek murdered many other children. Sickened by the scale of his crimes, Geum-ja and the original detective coordinate with the parents of the missing children. The group collectively tortures and murders Mr. Baek to ensure no one can implicate others. In the end, Geum-ja has a vision of Won-mo, and after a final moment of reflection with Jenny, she finds a bittersweet peace.
- Original title
- Lady Vengeance
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 115
- Production countries
- South Korea
- Original languages
- Korean; English; Japanese
- Directors
- Park Chan-wook
- Writers
- Jeong Seo-kyeong · writer; Park Chan-wook · writer
- Cast and characters
- Lee Young-ae · Lee Geum-ja; Kwon Yea-young · Jenny; Kim Si-hoo · Geun-shik; Oh Dal-su · Mr. Chang; Lee Seung-shin · Park Yi-jeong; Go Soo-hee · Ma-nyeo ("Witch"); Kim Byeong-ok · The Preacher; Ra Mi-ran · Oh Su-hee
- Genres
- neo-noir; psychological thriller; crime drama; crime thriller
- Themes
- revenge; misogyny; sexism; violence against women; prisoner reform
- Tone and mood
- neo-noir; psychological; baroque-themed
- Premise and plot tags
- revenge; crime; thriller; prison
- Franchise connections
- Vengeance Trilogy
- Content notes
- violence; sexism; misogyny
- Reception
- The film received favorable reviews from critics and achieved great financial success in South Korea.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 75 · scale: 100 · review count: 23; Metacritic · score: 75 · scale: 100 · review count: 23
- Awards and nominations
- Cinema of The Future · Young Lion Award · win; Best Innovated Film Award · non-competition section · win; Best Film · 26th Blue Dragon Film Awards · win
- Production trivia
- The film features a 'Fade to Black and White version' where colors gradually fade.; The score features an edited version of Vivaldi's 'Ah ch'infelice sempre'.; The character Geum-ja inspired the character Oh Geum-ji in Lowlife Princess: Noir.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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