What would you do if you were imprisoned for something you know  you didn't do?  Even worse, if you were told to take the fall for the person who DID do it?  Would you forgive and forget? Well, I think if you were to ask Lee Geum-ja that... well, let's not ask... just watch. So begins the wrath of Lady Vengeance.

It's  getting cold outside, and Lee Geum-ja has just finished her prison sentence of 13 years. On her release, she's met by her minister, who greets her with a white cake (as are others who are being released that day). She politely tells the minister to "go screw himself", and begins to visit old inmates, and eventually gets a job at a pastry shop. 

She was in prison because of  the murder of a little boy. When she was captured, she was made to show how she did it.  There was a massive amount of TV coverage regarding the little boy's disappearance and his eventual death.  This has caused Geum-ja to pray, help other inmates and earn their respect. All the while, she has "plans". In the process of carrying out these plans, she finds that the daughter she was pregnant with has been adopted by an Australian family, and she wants to get her back as well.

For those of you who saw the Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, and Oldboy, you've been formally initiated into Park Chan-Wook's films.  For the rest of you who haven't, you won't know what hit you.  There's things that are done that'll make you wonder, others that will just plain leave you speechless.  Regardless of what you feel, you WILL feel for Geum-ja. You may take stock of your own life after seeing this.  I heard people  discussing situations they found themselves in where someone else tood the blame, and almost all sounded like they wanted to apologize.  No joke.  Don't sleep and miss THIS movie.

– Brian K. James