Lady Vengeance
Movie, 2005, Named by the director, Set in Third in the trilogy
Lady Vengeance is #32 of 48 in release order and #9 of 48 in chronological order in the Spiritual Trilogies.
The story
Released after being wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 13 years, a woman begins executing her elaborate plan of retribution.
Lady Vengeance recap
Lee Geum-ja leaves prison after thirteen years for the kidnapping and murder of a five-year-old boy, Won-mo. Inside she was known as a kind, devout woman, but her good works were a way to collect favours from fellow inmates for a plan. She takes a job at a bakery, gets a gun, and goes looking for the daughter she gave up. Flashbacks show the truth: as a pregnant teenager she lived with Mr. Baek, a teacher who kidnapped Won-mo, killed him, and forced her to confess by threatening her baby. Geum-ja finds her daughter Jenny in Australia, adopted by a couple, and brings her back to Korea. With help from former inmates, she captures Baek and finds a phone charm with Won-mo's marble on it, next to trinkets from other children. It is the last film in Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy, the one that asks whether revenge can bring redemption.
Lady Vengeance ending explained
The families of Baek's victims kill him together, and Geum-ja is left with her guilt. Geum-ja finds videotapes of Baek torturing other children for ransom. She and the detective who wrongly convicted her bring the victims' families to an empty school, show them the tapes and let them choose; they kill Baek one by one and bury him. In the snow Geum-ja sees Won-mo as a young man and cannot speak. She gives Jenny a white cake for a pure life and buries her face in it, sobbing, as Jenny holds her.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Lady Vengeance
Lady Vengeance is streaming on Philo, AMC+, Shudder, and Pluto TV in the US.
Ratings
IMDb 7.5/10, Rotten Tomatoes 76%
Where it fits
Cast
- Lee Young-ae as Lee Geum-ja
- Choi Min-sik as Mr. Baek
- Kwon Yea-young as Jenny
- Kim Si-hoo as Geun-shik
- Nam Il-woo as Detective Choi
- Kim Byeong-ok as Preacher
- Oh Dal-su as Mr. Chang
- Lee Seung-shin as Park Yi-jeong
- Kim Bu-seon as Woo So-young
- Ra Mi-ran as Oh Su-hee
- Koh Soo-hee as Ma-nyeo
- Seo Young-ju as Kim Yang-hee
Directed by Park Chan-wook.