nutwing

I first watched "Lady Vengeance" on DVD in Korean language with English subtitles around 2006. When I popped the DVD in the player first time around, I really had no idea what this film was about. But the immediately captivating performance by Lee Young Ae held my attention long enough to be drawn into the plot. Lee Young Ae plays Geum-ja Lee, a young woman who has been released from prison after serving a sentence for murdering a young boy, Park Won-mo.

Initially it isn't all that obvious that Geum-ja Lee is entirely (if at all) innocent and it takes a while for things to fall into place. In fact, the whole movie takes it's time dropping the breadcrumbs of clues in place for us to pick up and devour. This doesn't make the longish movie boring to watch, the whole thing is paced to keep the viewer stuck to his or her seat.

As Geum-ja Lee's plan and the reasons for it are slowly revealed, we get glimpses of how she landed in her predicament and how she managed to fare in prison. While all the while seemingly humble and fragile, her focus and resolve to visit justice on the man (English teacher Mr. Baek, played by Choi Min-sik) who landed her in this situation is absolute and unwavering in a cool and calculating manner. Geum-ja Lee wins the hearts and undying loyalty of several fellow inmates who in turn help her with her plan after they are freed.

The plot develops further as Geum-ja Lee travels to Australia to visit her daughter who has been adopted by a nice couple in that country. Geum-ja Lee and her daughter travel back to Korea and the movie gets back to the original plot. There are some light moments in this movie. But as it progresses, it gets darker as the depraved and evil actions of Mr. Baek are gradually revealed. I have to warn you that there are some shocking scenes, some of which made a shiver run down my spine. Subtitles did nothing to dampen the effect, my girlfriend and I were both shocked at one particular scene and we took a break from the movie for tea. The grief of other people affected by the actions of Mr. Baek is very well acted and heartfelt. Choi Min-sik plays his part with his usual precision and it is hard to feel any sympathy whatsoever for Mr. Baek.

Overall, this Korean movie is very powerful. The visuals are very nicely done and satisfying. Lee Young Ae gives a riveting and powerful performance while hardly ever raising her voice, which helps overcome barriers that sometimes stops viewers from other cultures making the effort to sit down and watch a movie. As far as I remember, this is the only movie so far that I have given a "10" to.

When I seen the trailers for this movie, I was gob-smacked. The superb VFX suggested an epic movie about the battle for Stalingrad. Great, this was going to be like "The Longest Day" or one of the other huge classic World War II movies. After the initial opener set in another part of the world, we get to Stalingrad. After some opening battle scenes which are very well done indeed, the realization sets in that what looks like an epic movie is in fact one set around a square in the city, and mainly on the now famous Pavlov's House. The events depicted are set before The Russians encircled The Germans, so we don't get to see the sight of half starved Germans. The movie settles into segments where the Russian heroes all seem to be obsessed with gaining the attentions or affections of 15 year old Russian civilian girl (Natashka) who bravely stayed in her home despite the carnage visited on the city. The apparent intention of the movie to show a love story set in Stalingrad isn't properly thought-through, simply because the hero who eventually wins Natashka's heart is a bolt out of the blue, with little in the way of cluing-in the viewer as it develops. We are left disengaged and wondering what and why about this. Thomas Kretschmann plays German officer Peter Kahn, whose main priority seems to be with a Russian woman (Masha) who reminds him of his wife who died in an air raid back in Germany. He literally puts aside all common sense and military discipline with his obsession for Masha. He defies orders, displaying little interest in the battle and risking court-martial and the firing squad. There are many good things about this movie. The VFX and sound are amazing, absolutely first class and up there with the very best. The realism they crammed into the VFX just has to be seen and appreciated. The German Panzer tanks are in fact a single Russian T34 disguised as a Panzer IV and then replicated by the VFX team into several more Panzers. Others have mentioned that Panzer IV tanks of 1942 didn't have the protective metal skirts shown in the movie, but to me that is nit-picking. The German aircraft flying overhead and the flak coming up at them is an amazing scene, as is the one where we see a damaged plane coming in and crash landing in the square. The hand to hand fight scenes are very realistic. The period uniforms seem to be quite accurate, especially the German ones. The general appearance of the uniforms is welcome and shows them grubby and dusty, which makes a welcome change from the unrealistically shiny boots and helmets in the thick of battle that we see in many war movies. Great attention to detail has been given to this. We get some aerial views of the banks of the Volga and the VFX period-recreated city damaged and on fire, which is very satisfying. They give the viewer a tantalizing glimpse and feel of how close the Germans came to victory. While overall I don't think this was a bad movie at all, I do think an opportunity to expand it more was lost. I watched this with sub-titles and the quality of translation is pretty poor in places, with small mistakes that I found annoying. There really is little excuse for this. For me, the VFX team saved the day. Their work and that of the make-up people is a credit to them and helps make this movie visually better than it otherwise deserves to be. I am giving this movie a 7 as a mark of respect and appreciation for the work the VFX and make-up team did. There is a short (about 9 minutes I think) "VFX Making Of" on Youtube that I highly suggest watching as it shows how the VFX was done.

This film brings back memories of Dublin in the late 70's. The actors clothing, the vehicles on the roads and everything else about the film really hit the spot with me. Remember when most of Dublin's cinemas where in town and that's where we all met up? The actors play their parts very well. Maeve gives the right mix of innocence, curiosity and wonder. Her experiences will register with both male and female viewers who can remember that "sweet sixteen" time of their lives. The other actors fill their roles well and without competing for the number one spot. The nosy shopkeeper telling tales to Maeve's Dad is a reminder that in Ireland, someone always knows what you have been up to. Overall, this is a lovely film. It's a charming and realistically brief portrayal of teenage life at the time, and makes a welcome change from action and special effects.