Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is an interesting film which I think you will either love or hate. The story revolves around a lady who confessed to a crime of kidnapping and murder in order to save the life of her own daughter who was kidnapped by someone she knew.
Spending time in prison, she’s known as a kind person who helps others and offers hope to those who are having a rotten time there. All the females have a story to tell, although one prisoner in particular is a vile and wretched example of bullying and abuse, who’s eventually taught a lesson in a karma-esque manner, which is both amusing to watch and vicious in its execution, committed by a face that screams innocent.
There’s two ways to look at this final chapter in the Vengeance trilogy. It will either amaze and engross the viewer in a series of complicated and at times abstract story telling, or it will simply come off as a flashy and weak ending to a fairly strong series of films with their vengeful theme. I’m not sure quite where I sit on this issue, as I both enjoyed the film and felt let down.
My disappointments are perhaps of high expectations, and becoming familiar with the ever present twists and turns the previous two films in the series provided. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance in this regard disappoints as there is no twist, and is very much a straight forward revenge film.
Take away the exquisite cinematography and solid performances, and you have yourself a very average film. Aesthetics and methaphors seem to rule the roost with the film.
As my friend and I watched, we tried to work out a twist, not expecting the straight as an arrow revenge film. It left us confused at times, and this is really down to the direction which is often laboured and slow at times. Scenes seem repetitious and padding out for a film that feels fresh out of ideas. I guess the surprise this time was that there is no surprise.
Although the performances are likable, and often filled with black humour, I never felt really connected to the lead character. You’re supposed to feel sympathy for her turmoil and her time in prison, and of course dealing with the kidnapping of her own child. I just didn’t feel there was enough depth in the character to warrant sympathy as we never get to know the character, but rather the events she went through. Because of the straight nature of the story, we see two sides to the character which doesn’t develop well. The innocent and kind convict and the vengeful mother.
Still, even with those gripes, it was a film that I enjoyed watching and offered a lot to think about. We always knew where the story was headed, it was simply the out come of events that were to unfold in an almost predictable fashion. Even with this, we still assumed that there was some dark turn of events to take place. It wasn’t to be, and the film ends in a sombre mood.
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is a tough film to get through, and offers a melodrama ending to the series. It has neither the violence, the vengeance or darkness of the other films, and for me sits below both OldBoy and Sympathy for Mr Vengeance.
Verdict: A good film marred by fragmented character development and slow direction