In analogy with the English meaning, revenge is revenge rather than retaliation, because revenge, stronger than revenge, is a punishment with resentment and anger. (to exact punishment or expiation for a wrong on behalf of, especially in a resentful or vindictive spirit.) It is not just an act of resentment for resentment, but a mission that transcends the form, with a sense of ritual. Perhaps when people watch works of revenge, they strengthen their sense of mastery over fate ("I can punish my imaginary enemy"), and find orderly morality in a disordered world: "Good is rewarded with good, and evil with evil. Evil retribution”, thereby gaining a sense of security.
In I Am Revenge, every character is caught in a cycle of revenge. "I know you are a good person, do you know why I want to kill you?" This film is more than a happy feud in the popular sense. The three-dimensional character depiction and interlocking killing constitute Park Chan-wook's Infernal Affairs. Ryu, who is deaf and dumb, doesn't match his sister's blood type, so he wants to use the money he saved and his kidney to find a kidney source in the black market. However, black market traffickers not only defrauded his kidney but also took all his money and clothes, so that he could not afford the cost when the hospital was preparing to operate on his sister. Therefore, Ryu took the risk at the instigation of his girlfriend, kidnapped the daughter of the factory manager Park Dongjin who fired him, and threatened him with 24 million won. However, after her sister learned of the incident, she committed suicide in the bathtub so as not to drag her brother down. Ryu buried her by the river according to her sister's wishes. Unfortunately, the little girl in the car ran out and fell into the river. Because Ryu was deaf and couldn't hear the little girl's call, she drowned. Park Dongjin was so grief-stricken after finding his daughter's body that he vowed to die for his life. Meanwhile, Ryu kills three black market traffickers and takes their kidneys in revenge. But then his girlfriend and himself were killed by Park Dongjin respectively. At the end of the movie, Park Dongjin was stabbed to death several times by a member of a leftist radical organization belonging to Ryu's girlfriend, and Ryu's corpse that was shared with him was laid to rest by the river forever.
The plot is the most realistic in the revenge trilogy. Compared with the incest tragedy in the old boy and the collective revenge in the gold, "I" is more realistic, and the audience is more likely to empathize. Whether it was Ryu raising money to sell kidneys to kidnap and kill the traffickers, or Pu Dongjin electrocuting Ryu's girlfriend and cutting off Ryu's hamstrings, it was out of the helplessness of reality that led to the outbreak of resentment. This poor deaf and dumb man wrote tearful letters to the radio, painted such colorful pictures, but killed three people and removed their kidneys. "It's just a pervert, let's not pursue it." However, as a father, Park Dongjin was already obsessed with revenge, electrocuting Ryu's girlfriend alive, and even killing the takeaway brother who suddenly arrived. Although he knew that Ryu killed his daughter unintentionally, his hatred far outweighed his sympathy and let Ryu drown in the river where his daughter drowned. In the process of revenge, both crossed their nature: Ryu was no longer gentle and quiet, Park lost his interest in doing business and devoted himself to hatred, and even sent the children of laid-off workers to the hospital (I guess because he lost his daughter, so he A little more sympathy for the child?). At the same time, both have succeeded in revenge by others, and this imperfect ending dismantles the moral myth of what one deserves: everyone is guilty, but they are all worthy of forgiveness. The audience cannot attribute, or even vent their anger, and can only reflect on the cruel permanence: the world is beyond morality and rules, sin and nobility are indistinguishable in people, this story is not someone's fault or a tragedy caused by an accident, Rather, each person's sins are intertwined, forming accidents one by one, killing everyone in the end. However, the pace of the plot was fast in the part of Park Dongjin's revenge, resulting in a little thin in the middle and back parts.
The setting and performance of the characters are very interesting, and the three acting styles are really cool to me. The scene where the two Avengers stand in the river is the real climax. Ryu was shivering with cold, and his eyes were full of tears; Park Dongjin dived into the water to cut his ankle with a conflicted mood, which brought the psychological conflict between the two and the tragic atmosphere of the whole drama to the extreme. Ryu is a deaf and dumb person, and he doesn't respond whether it's his sister rolling in pain or the little girl calling for help. This kind of character seems to be Park Chan-wook's intention to break the audience's heart. In addition, Park Dong Jin was heartbroken when his daughter was dissected, and just yawned when Ryu's sister was dissected. Ah, the joys and sorrows of people are really not connected. Everyone is immersed in their own grief and hatred, and will not hesitate to avenge others.
The soundtrack seems to be a bit watery, except for the scene where Park Dongjin greets his daughter's corpse, it doesn't seem to exist. Because there is only a small soundtrack in the whole movie that is more positive, it will feel abrupt.
In the end, Park Chan-wook surprised me the most (and always has) was the camera. The blood gradually filled the river surface. When talking with the police officer, Park Dongjin, who only heard his voice but did not see the person, the doll that was burned, and the scene of going upstairs when selling his kidneys, can all make the picture full of emotions in an unrepeatable way. Ryu and Rose, whose kidneys were stolen, were lying on the ground, and the camera shook violently and zoomed out. I felt helpless and panic. Director Park still likes symbolism as always.
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