10
Slowly degenerates into a gory revenge thriller that is never thrilling, but is often boring and frequently repulsive.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
75
Perhaps with an open and willing mind, you'll also see the vast difference between this wily consciousness experiment and, say, Rob Zombie's new box of schlocks.
88
New York Daily News by Jami Bernard
You can't look away, not only because the carnage is so masterfully photographed, but because the director sucks you into his bleak, poetic, even sensible vision of cosmic brutality. Not for the faint-hearted!
60
Los Angeles Times by Kevin Thomas
When it comes to serving up diabolical horror with bold, sophisticated glee, Park, best known for "Oldboy," is right up there with Dario Argento, Guillermo del Toro and Takashi Miike.
80
TV Guide Magazine by Maitland McDonagh
The only constant in Park's brilliantly cruel world is this: No matter how badly things seem to be going, there's a twist of fate lurking around the next curve that will make them worse.
50
The New York Times by Manohla Dargis
There is so much talent on display in Park Chanwook's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, it is a drag that the film never rises to the level of its director's obvious ability.
25
Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman
So badly told that it ends up dissecting a corruption that exudes from nowhere but itself.
70
The A.V. Club by Tasha Robinson
It's a difficult balancing act, but Park crafts his layers carefully and masterfully. He's the kind of filmmaker who can meaningfully craft the gory details of an eye-gouging without ever forgetting the message that an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.
75
Savage yet spellbinding.
Well-made and engrossing but above all, stressful. I think I had my hand over my mouth for most of it. Park doesn’t coddle the viewer, instead leaving some things unsaid and others just unclear. Still, if you’re looking for a film that makes you feel something, this is the one — with the caveat that you probably won’t like what you feel.