Filmstalker: Theron remaking Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

Charlize Theron is set to produce a remake of Park Chan-wook's Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, the third and final installment in his vengeance series.

This seems odd considering it was OldBoy that has been on the remake conveyor belt for years and although this film isn't as controversial as OldBoy, but it's still pretty strong stuff.

Actually though, I can see this getting the remake treatment over the others, it is a much more accessible film, and it has probably been seen by a larger western audience than either OldBoy or Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. However at the same time it's not the most famous of the trilogy, so it has the allure of being able to be remade without the difficulty of upsetting a strong fan base, as in the case of OldBoy.

So not only will it be a more familiar tale to western audiences,but it will also be far more accessible as a remake, particularly as the story could make the translation much easier than OldBoy could.

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is the story of a woman who is wrongly imprisoned for the kidnapping and murder of a young child. Hounded by the media and the public, everyone believes her to be guilty. Once she's served her time though she returns to the world at large with a plan, a plan to exact her revenge.

The Boston Globe through Jo Blo interview Charlize Theron and dropped the little line in there:

She'll also produce and star in a remake of "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance," the final installment of a mondo-violent trilogy by Korean director Park Chan-wook.

As an aside the story also points out that The Brazilian Job is definitely off for the moment, although that last part does suggest that it's coming back.

Still, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (Filmstalker review), or Chinjeolhan geumjassi, was a very good film, perhaps not as shocking as OldBoy (Filmstalker review), but strong none the less.

If you know the trilogy what do you think about them being made out of order? Although that does suggest that OldBoy will get made, something that I'm still very doubtful of.

What are the chances that Charlize Theron will end up starring in the film? If it gets made through her production I think it's a perfect vehicle for her, especially considering her work in films such as Monster.

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Comments

BTW - Your link to your Oldboy review isn't working...

Also, 2 points:

1) Only 3 stars for Lady Vengeance? I thought that this was almost as good as Oldboy (which incidentally I rank as one of the best best films out there). I can appreciate that it's a less violent and, therefore, less of a shocking film. But in my opinion it more than delivers on an emotional level.

2) Why the need for yet another unnecesary remake, especially in view of how recently Lady Vengeance was release!

Anyway, rant over.

Posted by: Bazlurgan | March 12, 2024 3:10 PM

Thanks for the comment, I've gone and fixed the link.

For me there's nothing about the violence aspect that ranks it down from the original, and that's not the reason it's so shocking. It's the plot and the incredible story turns that make it so powerful.

I feel that Lady Vengeance isn't so cohesive in its story telling and lacks a powerful punch that not only OldBoy has, but it promises too.

I agree though, there's no need to remake these films, they're really good as they are, particularly OldBoy. However, can you imagine Theron giving her Monster performance in this lead? It could be a memorable role.

Posted by: Richard Brunton | March 12, 2024 8:28 PM

Thanks for fixing the link, I was intrigued to read your review on Oldboy. Glad to see that you also have an equally high opinion of the film.

I don’t know if you’ve ever taken a look on imdb, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film which polarises opinion so much. It seems to get either 10/10 or 1/10, with little in between. I’m guessing that the final twist is a little too much for some people!

Getting back to Lady Vengeance… As good as Theron was on Monster, I still don’t see a remake working well. I’m probably biased because I have such a high opinion of the original.

Also, I think that if you are a parent (and I don’t know your circumstances), I think that Lady Vengeance also has a huge emotional impact on you, for obvious reasons if you have seen the film.

Posted by: Bazlurgan | March 13, 2024 8:50 AM

Yeah, Oldboy is a love it or hate it kind of film, but it's not just down to the twist I think the ending has a huge impact on that because it's open to interpretation and doesn't conclude things in a traditional Hollywood way.

Thanks for taking the time to read the review by the way, and for commenting. That means a lot, whatever you think of it.

I know it's difficult to do, but separate the idea of the performance of the character from the idea of the remake for a moment. Now that's where I am in thinking that Theron could do a great job in that role, should there be a remake at all though? Oh no, I'm with you there, even though I don't think the film is perfect and has room for improvement.

I take your point on the children aspect, I don't, and I can understand how this could heighten your feelings towards the character - it probably puts you against them early on and pulls you towards them as the film progresses, that would be a big plus for me.

Have you seen Mr. Vengeance?

Posted by: Richard Brunton | March 13, 2024 8:56 AM

Yes I have.

I don't rank it as highly as Oldboy and Lady Vengeance. Although still good, it's just such an utterly depressing film (but not the most depressing film I've seen, that goes to Irriversible) where you just feel sorry for everyone involved. At least with Lady Vengeance and Oldboy your attention is fully focused on the perspective on one character, Mr Vengeance feels a tad fragmented.

Posted by: Bazlurgan | March 13, 2024 12:16 PM