The Vengeance Trilogy

Reviewed by Drav3n

Format: Blu-ray

Release: March 16, 2010 (Best Buy Exclusive); June 15, 2010 everywhere else

Rated: R

Runtime: Sympathy - 129 Minutes, Oldboy - 120 Minutes, Lady Vengeance - 112 Minutes

"I dont show violence for it to be enjoyable, I show it for the audience to feel the pain that the victims are feeling." - Park Chan-wook

The Movie(s):

I can't praise these films enough. Park Chan-wook's Oldboy is how I got into foreign cinema, and I believe he is the best foreign director that's around today. I know not everyone enjoys foreign cinema, some due to a silly reason because they don't like watching movies with subtitles, but I can't recommend these movies enough. The Vengeance Trilogy consist of three movies: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Lady Vengeance. Each movie is a separate movie on its own, but is linked through the theme of revenge and vengeance.

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance was released back in 2002. It's about a deaf guy, Ryu, who is taking care of sister who is dying from kidney failure. When Ryu realizes he is unable to afford the proper care for her, he turns to the black market to sell his own organs. Unfortunately, he ends up getting cheated out of his savings and when the doctors let him know they found a donor for his sister, he is now unable to pay for it. His girlfriend then convinces him to kidnap the daughter of his former boss's friend, Dong-jin. After the kidnapping occurs, tragedies takes place, including the accidental death of Dong-jin's daughter. Through their personal losses and anger, Ryu and Dong-jin are thrust into a sprial of destruction to get revenge.

One of the most brutal scenes in this film is during the daughters autopsy. They don't show anything, but you can hear everything being done to her and watching the reaction on Dong-Jin's face is enough to easily put you into his shows and allow you to feel the emotions that he is feeling.

Oldboy was released in 2003 to critical acclaim. This movie is about a businessman, Oh Dae-su. After a night of drinking, he gets abducted and locked up in apartment. He has no idea why he is there or who did this to him. 15 years later he wakes up to release he has been set free. He has been given a brand new suit and a cell phone. He learns he has five days to discover who imprisoned him and why or his new love interest will be killed. The hunt for revenge begins on everyone involved, and soon finds out that his enemy's torture has only just begun.

Lady Vengeance was released in 2005. The final film in the trilogy focuses on a woman, Lee Geum-ja, Lee Geum-ja, who is finally released from prison after thirteen years for a crime she didn't commit. Once she is free, she goes looking for her daughter to learn that she had been adopted and currently lives in Sydney, Australia. After she returns back to Seoul with her daughter, Geum-ja begins her brutal, yet elaborate, plan for revenge against the true criminal.

What makes these movies amazing is the fact that the violence that occurs can actually be viewed as more realistic than over-the-top. Once you put yourself into the character's shoes that's out to get revenge, you will probably find yourself saying "This is what I would do too," or think about doing things even worse.

The cast in all three movies are top-notch. Actor Song Kang-ho in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (and also Thirst, The Host, and Memories of Murder) has become one of my favorite foreign actor's. I love how foreign movies can tell a story through emotion and be able to tell it so well. Plus the music that is used in all three films really sets the tone of the movie.

Most people feel that Lady Vengeance is the best out of the three movies. As great as that movie is, I personally feel that Oldboy is the best one. The events that happen in that movie are completely unpredictable. The climax in the movie is such a shocking event that it leaves you speechless and in awe (and/or possibly disgusted). And the final moments of the movie are so ambiguous, that it makes for a great discussion among people.

Here's an excellent fan-made tribute video for The Vengeance Trilogy

Presentation:

As you can see from the photo, all 3 movies each titled the "Ultimate Revenge Edition" come packed inside that beautiful tin case. There is also a 32 page booklet that includes photos and essays about the films from leading filmmakers, including Eli Roth.

All three films are presented in full 1080p with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1.

Sympathy looks great on blu-ray! Skin tones are really smooth, facial features are very detailed. Image detail and backgrounds are very detailed. Blacks are deep. The colors are very strong, especially with green is the predominantly used color throughout the movie. There are a few scenes that don't look as sharp as the rest of the film, but overall this is a HUGE upgrade from the dvd version! (4/5)

Oldboy is probably the weakest looking of the three, but still looks good . Oldboy was previously released on blu-ray in 2007. Now comparing the two versions, I didn't notice much of a difference, but there were a few scenes that did look better on the "URE." Overall the film does look soft, but some scenes look amazing (the end of the movie looks beautiful!). While this won't be a movie you will use as a reference to blu-ray, it still looks better than the dvd. (3.5/5)

Lady Vengeance is, easily, the best looking of the three films. Whether you choose to watch the theatrical or the "fade-to-black" version, the result is simply stunning! Colors really pop, image and facial detail is very fine and sharp. Overall an excellent transfer for the final film in the trilogy! (4.5/5)

Audio:

Sympathy is given a Korean 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. It's not a mind-blowing experience, because there's not a whole lot going on, the audio sounds better than its dvd counterpart. The dialogue is very clear, the music comes through sounding real nice and smooth. The best part of the audio is the sound effects. Hearing the sounds from the autopsy will put you on the same level as the way the character is reacting. (4/5)

Fans of Oldboy are gonna feel a bit disappointed here. The original blu-ray release had the Korean 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Now, on the back of the box it does say this version has the DTS-HD track as well but... it's nowhere to be found on this disc. There is still the Dolby Digital-EX 5.1 and, English Dolby Digital 5.1 and a Korean & English 2.0 track. It still sounds good, but there are definitely scenes that suffer from not having the 7.1 track. It's something the average movie-goer will notice, but audiophiles will pick it up on it. (3.5/5)

Lady Vengeance has a Korean 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, and yes it is on the disc! This film has the least amount of fighting and much more dialogue. And because of that, there are no issues with the audio at all on this disc. Everything comes through really clear. (4.5/5)

Bonus Material:

Eventhough all the bonus features are in SD, this box set will please all fans!

• Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
• Audio Commentary - featuring director Park Chan-wook and actor Ryoo Seong-Wan
• The Process of Mr. Vengeance (480p, Runtime 32:05) - A very informative featurette that shows the actors learning sign language for their roles, film locations, and the actors thoughts once they finished filming the movie.
• My Boksu Story Retrospective (480p, Runtime 17:22) - Song Kang-ho, Bae Doo-na, Shin Ha-kyun, Lim Ji-eun, Han Bo-bae share their thoughts on their characters, on the film and what they were currently up to at the time this feature was shot.
• Crew Interviews (480p, Runtime 40:03) - Park Chan-wook, Kim Byeong-il, Park Hyun-won discuss the films story, production, format it was shot in, favorite scenes and much more.
• Jonathan Ross on Park Chan-wook (480p, Runtime 16:58) - Ross discusses Park's rise to fame from the movie Joint Security Area to Oldboy.
• Soundtrack & Photos (480p, Runtime 1:51) - a short feature using stills from movie and a song from the soundtrack
• Storyboards (480p, Runtime 9:57) & the Theatrical Trailer (480p, Runtime 1:47)

• Oldboy
• Audio Commentary - Featuring director Park Chan-wook
• Audio Commentary - Featuring director and cinematographer
• Audio Commentary - Featuring director and cast
• Deleted Scenes (480p, Runtime 24:30) - 1o scenes in total with optional commentary
• 5 Behind The Scenes Documentaries (480p) - CGI Documentary (7:06), Flashback (23:34), Making the Film - The Cast Remembers (10:55), The Music Score (16:48), Production Design (13:12)
• Cast and Crew Interviews (480p, Runtime 49:50) - Park Chan-wook answers questions from fans, Choi Min-shik shares his thought on the movie and its themes, how Oldboy started, and more!
• Le Grand Prix at Cannes (480p, Runtime 8:49) - The cast share their thoughts and feelings after Oldboy premeried at Cannes in 2004.
• "The Autobiography of Oldboy" (480p, Runtime 3:29:37) - A THREE and a half hour video diary throughout the entire making of Oldboy. An excellent feature that fans of this movie will not want to miss out on!
• Trailer

• Lady Vengeance Disc 1 - blu-ray
• Theatrical Version & the "Fade to White" Version
• Audio Commentary - Featuring director and actress Lee Young-ae
• Audio Commentary - Featuring director and staff
• Audio Commentary - Featuring Richard Penna (This is an English commentary)
• Introduction by Park Chan-wook (for the "Fade to White" version) (480p, Runtime 1:22)
• Lady Vengeance Disc 2 - dvd
• Making of Lady Vengeance (Runtime 10:44)
• Making of Lady Vengeance EPK (Runtime 28:07) - this one includes a teaser trailer, the trailer, highlight and a different "making of feature"
• Style of Lady Vengeance - Visualization (6:23), Production Design (8:17), Costume & Makeup (8:05), Special Art (7:02), and Computer Graphics (6:58)
• Park Chan-wook - Interview (42:04), Park Chan-wook, Mr. Vengeance (17:21), Photography (9:48), Director's Choice (3:06) - which is a short film recommended by Park Chan-wook.
• Deleted Scenes (14:10) - a total of eight scenes with commentary
• Character Interviews - Lee Guem-ja (6:30), Profesor Baek (6:39), Prisoners (5:21), and Families (7:38)
• Lady Vengeance in Venice (8;24) - a short feature focusing on the premiere of the movie at the Venice Film Festival in 2005. He mentions that this movie received a bigger standing ovation than Oldboy did when it premiered at Cannes.
• Get Together (9:26) - a feature that shows how Park Chan-wook brought back some of the actors from the first two movies to do small cameos in the final installment of the trilogy.
• Trailer - Korean Teaser and American Trailer
• TV Spots
• Poster Gallery

Bottom Line:

When someone asks me what "trilogy" I like the best, I'm not answering "Star Wars" or "Lord of the Rings," I choose the Vengeance trilogy! All three of these movies are must-see movies! And this blu-ray collection is a must-own! This box set has great picture quality, great audio, endless amount of special features, and again, three amazing movies that everyone really needs to experience!