7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
After being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.
Starring: Lee Yeong-ae, Choi Min-sik, Kim Shi-hoo, Tony Barry, Go Su-heeForeign | 100% |
Drama | 77% |
Crime | 27% |
Thriller | 13% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Korean: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Cantonese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Mandarin (Traditional), English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The third and final installment in Korean director Park Chan-wook's Revenge Trilogy, "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" (2005) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Panorama. Unfortunately, the extensive supplemental features offered with this release are not subtitled in English. The actual film is subtitled in English. Region-Free.
A bag full of memories
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Korean director Park Chan-wook's Sympathy for Lady Vengeance arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Panorama.
I sincerely hope that the screencaptures we have provided with this review would give you at least a basic idea of how strong this Blu-ray transfer is - contrast is terrific, clarity very good and detail fantastic. The color-scheme is also very impressive. Reds, blues, greens, grays, blacks and whites are all natural looking, with very filmic qualities (excellent hues). Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are most definitely not an issue of concern. Disturbing artifacts are also nowhere to be seen. The lovely light effects Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is overflowing with are captured incredibly well (low digital noise isn't an issue of concern either). Additionally, when blown through a digital projector, the film looks incredibly stable. For the record, I did not detect any disturbing scratches, debris, dirt, or stains to report in this review. To sum it all up, Panorama's Blu-ray release of Sympathy for Lady Vengeance should make a lot of people very happy. (Note: Even thought this disc is marketed as Region-A only, it is in fact Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Cantonese Dolby Digital 2.0. Panorama have also provided optional Traditional Chinese and English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame. For the record, I encountered a few grammatical errors with the English translation.
There isn't a single thing that I did not like about the Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Though not overly active, the bass is very impressive. The rear channels are used extensively – there are some very subtle effects that I do not believe I've noticed on my Tartan SDVD. Expectantly, there are no issues to report with the high frequencies. The dialog is crisp, crystal clear and very easy to follow. There are no balance issues with the lovely classical soundtrack to report in this review either. Disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings are also absent. To sum it all up, the Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track alone is a good enough reason to consider upgrading your SDVDs.
Note: All of the supplemental features are placed on a separate SDVD, which is coded Region-3. Therefore, you must have a Region-Free Blu-ray or SDVD player in order to view them. Also, most unfortunately, the supplemental features arrive only with optional Traditional Chinese subtitles (English subtitles are not included).
Making of - (11 min).
The characters of Lady Vengeance - Lee Yeong-ae (7 min), Choi Min-sik (7 min), the prisoners (6 min), and the bereaved family (8 min).
Introduction - director Park Chan-wook introduces his film. (2 min).
The Style of Lady Vengeance - a gallery of interviews with the director and staff addressing the costumes and make-up, visualization, production design, special art and computer graphics.
Lady Vengeance in Venezia - (9 min).
Teaser -
Trailer -
TV Spots -
Gallery of alternate scenes -
Audio commentary - director Park Chan-wook, Lee Young-ae and Choi Min-sik discuss the film. With optional Traditional Chinese subtitles.
Hong Kong-based distributors Panorama have put together a lovely package for Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. My only gripe with it is that the extensive supplemental features are not subtitled in English. Still, considering what happened with the planned by the now defunct Tartan Pictures UK release, I am convinced that many of you will be incredibly pleased with it. Highly Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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