{ "id": "epx110c91r", "slug": "vengeance-2009-film", "title": "Vengeance (2009 film)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery", "label": "Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.2005-2009-films", "label": "2005–2009 films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.2005-2009-films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.2005-2009-films.yr-2008-2009", "label": "Released 2008 to 2009", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.2005-2009-films.yr-2008-2009" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020: Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery", "label": "Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Vengeance (復仇) is Johnnie To's 2009 Hong Kong-France action thriller, written by Wai Ka-fai, starring Johnny Hallyday as an amnesiac chef avenging his daughter's family in Macau; it competed at Cannes 2009.", "snippet": "Vengeance (復仇) is Johnnie To's 2009 Hong Kong-France action thriller, written by Wai Ka-fai, starring Johnny Hallyday as an amnesiac chef avenging his daughter's family in Macau; it competed at Cannes 2009.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.crime-thriller-mystery.2005-2009-films.yr-2008-2009", "markdown": "# Vengeance (2009 film)\n\n**Vengeance** (复仇) is a 2009 action thriller crime film directed by [Johnnie To](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnnie-to) (杜琪峰), a co-production of Hong Kong and France starring the French singer and actor [Johnny Hallyday](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-hallyday) as a retired hitman turned chef who hires three Hong Kong killers to avenge the murder of his daughter's family in Macau.[1](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/9900) Written by To's longtime collaborator Wai Ka-fai (韦家辉), it was the director's first European co-production and competed for the [Palme d'Or](https://www.edgepedia.org/palme-dor) at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3299169/how-johnnie-tos-vengeance-hong-kong-france-co-production-hit-all-right-targets) • [3](https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/108608/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Title | Vengeance (复仇, \"Revenge\")[1](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/9900) |\n| Director / writer | Johnnie To Kei-fung; screenplay by Wai Ka-fai[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3299169/how-johnnie-tos-vengeance-hong-kong-france-co-production-hit-all-right-targets) |\n| Production | Hong Kong/France co-production by Media Asia and ARP Selection, majority financed by France[4](https://www.scmp.com/article/689633/french-cut) |\n| Cast | Johnny Hallyday, Anthony Wong, Simon Yam, Gordon Lam Ka-tung, Lam Suet, Sylvie Testud[1](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/9900) |\n| Languages / length | Cantonese, English, and French; 108 minutes[1](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/9900) |\n| Festival / release | In competition at Cannes 2009 (premiere May 17–18); French release May 22, 2009; Hong Kong release October 30, 2009[3](https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/108608/) • [4](https://www.scmp.com/article/689633/french-cut) • [5](https://m.atmovies.com.tw/app2/film.cfm?action=filmdata&filmid=fvhk21329454) |\n| Reception | Screen jury average 2.1/10 at Cannes; Douban 7.0/10 from 32,604 users (as of September 26, 2024)[6](https://www.jendow.com.tw/wiki/%E3%80%8A%E5%BE%A9%E4%BB%87%E3%80%8B) • [7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%A4%8D%E4%BB%87/2637200?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot and premise\n\nFrançois (or Frank) Costello, a Parisian restaurant owner who was once a professional killer, travels to Macau after his daughter (Sylvie Testud) is shot and her family murdered. Determined to take revenge at any cost, he crosses paths with a trio of triad hitmen and hires them to carry out his plan.[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3299169/how-johnnie-tos-vengeance-hong-kong-france-co-production-hit-all-right-targets) • [8](https://www.sfmoma.org/event/vengeance/) The three killers are played by To regulars Anthony Wong, Gordon Lam Ka-tung, and Lam Suet, with [Simon Yam](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-yam) also among the leads.[1](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/9900)\n\nThe story's central complication is Costello's memory. A bullet lodged in his brain is slowly erasing it, so the revenge he pursues grows increasingly hazy even as he carries it out.[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3299169/how-johnnie-tos-vengeance-hong-kong-france-co-production-hit-all-right-targets) As the hitmen close in on the head of the enemy gang, the group finds itself unable to tell friend from foe.[5](https://m.atmovies.com.tw/app2/film.cfm?action=filmdata&filmid=fvhk21329454) The premise invites comparison with American films such as *Taken* and *Memento*, the latter likewise built on failing memory.[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3299169/how-johnnie-tos-vengeance-hong-kong-france-co-production-hit-all-right-targets)\n\n## Production\n\n**A French-led project.** Although the film is set in Hong Kong and Macau and its cast and crew are mostly Hongkongers, *Vengeance* was initiated and largely funded by the Paris-based company ARP Selection, run by producers Michèle and Laurent Pétin, working with Hong Kong's Media Asia.[4](https://www.scmp.com/article/689633/french-cut) The idea of To directing an English-language film originated with the Pétin brothers.[9](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14649373.2012.717605) Johnny Hallyday, the singer credited with bringing rock and roll to France, took the leading role after the original star, [Alain Delon](https://www.edgepedia.org/alain-delon), left the project.[10](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/vengeance.html) • [11](https://www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/vengeance/)\n\nThe collaboration involved negotiation. In an early screenplay draft, the three assassins appeared in French national soccer team jerseys and, short of toilet paper, used euro banknotes; the French producers cut the scene, and To and Wai Ka-fai agreed to let them have the final say on such differences.[4](https://www.scmp.com/article/689633/french-cut) To had to direct much of the film in English despite not speaking much of it.[10](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/vengeance.html) Hallyday, who spoke neither [Cantonese](https://www.edgepedia.org/cantonese) nor Mandarin, said his real disorientation on arriving in Hong Kong helped him play Costello, who is equally lost there.[12](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/2009/press-conference-vengeance-johnnies-hallyday-and-to/)\n\n**Style and influences.** To has described the film as conveying the flavor of the crime films of [Jean-Pierre Melville](https://www.edgepedia.org/jean-pierre-melville), with sparse dialogue and cool, romantic action heroes.[12](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/2009/press-conference-vengeance-johnnies-hallyday-and-to/) Cineuropa's Cannes report noted his characteristic chiaroscuro lighting, choreographed shoot-outs, and controlled pacing with sudden accelerations.[3](https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/108608/) The film carries the hallmarks of To's cinema, including balletic gunfights, moody cityscapes, and a cast of frequent collaborators.[11](https://www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/vengeance/) To also said that scenes of food and eating interest him as a food lover, and that dinner scenes carry emotion between characters.[12](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/2009/press-conference-vengeance-johnnies-hallyday-and-to/)\n\nThe credited cinematography differs between sources: the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the review site lovehkfilm credit Cheng Siu-keung, while the [Museum of Modern Art](https://www.edgepedia.org/museum-of-modern-art)'s screening notes attribute the film's moody cinematography to [Christopher Doyle](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-doyle).[8](https://www.sfmoma.org/event/vengeance/) • [10](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/vengeance.html) • [1](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/9900)\n\n## Release and Cannes reception\n\n*Vengeance* premiered in competition at Cannes, with its press screening on May 17, 2009, and was marketed there largely on Hallyday's fame in France.[3](https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/108608/) • [13](https://www.scmp.com/article/680953/film-studies-french-connection) It opened in French theaters on May 22, 2009, nearly three months before its Hong Kong release on October 30.[4](https://www.scmp.com/article/689633/french-cut) • [5](https://m.atmovies.com.tw/app2/film.cfm?action=filmdata&filmid=fvhk21329454)\n\nThe critical reception at Cannes was poor. At the press screening the film drew repeated laughter, and the trade paper *Screen*'s jury of critics gave it an average of 2.1 out of 10, a mid-to-low score; of ten critics, five rated it average, one praised it as excellent, one gave it zero, and one called it poor.[6](https://www.jendow.com.tw/wiki/%E3%80%8A%E5%BE%A9%E4%BB%87%E3%80%8B) Critics faulted the stiff English dialogue and Hallyday's acting, while praising To's stylized camerawork and humor and regretting the lack of the inventiveness of his *[Breaking News](https://www.edgepedia.org/breaking-news-2004-film)* and *PTU*.[6](https://www.jendow.com.tw/wiki/%E3%80%8A%E5%BE%A9%E4%BB%87%E3%80%8B) One Indian journalist at the festival suggested it might be the lowest-rated competition film in Cannes history, calling its violent action sequences poetic but its story and script ruinous.[7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%A4%8D%E4%BB%87/2637200?fromModule=lemma_inlink) Chinese-language reviews were mixed in similar ways: Sina [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment) rated it 7.5 and praised Hallyday's Melville-like world-weariness and the Hong Kong trio's embodiment of traditional loyalty, while NetEase Entertainment judged it a B-grade result from an ambitious international project with stereotyped characters.[14](https://ent.sina.com.cn/x/2009-05-29/01362541120.shtml) • [7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%A4%8D%E4%BB%87/2637200?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n\nAt the festival itself To received a French honor: on May 18, 2009, French culture minister Christine Albanel presented him with the rank of [Commander](https://www.edgepedia.org/commander) in the Order of Arts and Letters.[6](https://www.jendow.com.tw/wiki/%E3%80%8A%E5%BE%A9%E4%BB%87%E3%80%8B)\n\n## Later standing\n\nAudience scores have been steadier than the Cannes press reaction. Douban records 7.0/10 from 32,604 users as of September 26, 2024, and one retrospective analysis lists an IMDb rating of 7.2 from more than 24,000 users, though the Yidio listing gives 6.5 from 7,244 users; both place the film above 6.5 but below To's *The Mission* (Douban 8.8), *PTU* (8.1), and *[Exiled](https://www.edgepedia.org/exiled)* (8.0).[7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%A4%8D%E4%BB%87/2637200?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [15](https://tsight.io/articles/7821262) • [16](https://www.yidio.com/movie/vengeance/29800) A 2025 [South China Morning Post](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-china-morning-post) retrospective treated the film as a welcome exception to the rule that international co-productions usually end up less than the sum of their parts, bringing out the best of both sides.[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3299169/how-johnnie-tos-vengeance-hong-kong-france-co-production-hit-all-right-targets) Museums including MoMA and SFMOMA have screened it, MoMA as part of the series \"Chaos and Order: The Way of Johnnie To,\" framing it as a pivotal work bridging To's Hong Kong roots and his international acclaim.[1](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/9900) • [8](https://www.sfmoma.org/event/vengeance/)\n\nFor To himself the film marked an endpoint. In a 2015 interview with The Paper he said that while directing *Vengeance* he felt a weariness with repeating himself, and that after finishing it he decided to change course and stop making so many gun films.[17](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1370048)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Vengeance (復仇). 2009. Directed by Johnnie To, MoMA](https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/9900)\n2. [How Johnnie To's Vengeance, a Hong Kong-France co-production, hit all the right targets, South China Morning Post (2025)](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3299169/how-johnnie-tos-vengeance-hong-kong-france-co-production-hit-all-right-targets)\n3. [Franco-Chinese alliance for Johnnie To's Vengeance, Cineuropa (2009)](https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/108608/)\n4. [French cut, South China Morning Post (2009)](https://www.scmp.com/article/689633/french-cut)\n5. [復仇 (港) Vengeance (2009), 開眼電影網](https://m.atmovies.com.tw/app2/film.cfm?action=filmdata&filmid=fvhk21329454)\n6. [《復仇》(2009年電影), 中文百科全書](https://www.jendow.com.tw/wiki/%E3%80%8A%E5%BE%A9%E4%BB%87%E3%80%8B)\n7. [复仇（中国香港、法国2009年杜琪峰执导的动作惊悚犯罪电影）, 百度百科](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%A4%8D%E4%BB%87/2637200?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n8. [Vengeance, SFMOMA](https://www.sfmoma.org/event/vengeance/)\n9. [Silent but imperial: ethno-racial transgressions and interracial brotherhood in the French–Hong Kongese fiction film Vengeance (2009), Inter-Asia Cultural Studies](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14649373.2012.717605)\n10. [Vengeance (復仇) (2009), lovehkfilm.com](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/vengeance.html)\n11. [Vengeance, The Garden Cinema](https://www.thegardencinema.co.uk/film/vengeance/)\n12. [Press Conference: Vengeance – Johnnies Hallyday and To, Festival de Cannes (2009)](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/2009/press-conference-vengeance-johnnies-hallyday-and-to/)\n13. [Film studies: French connection, South China Morning Post (2009)](https://www.scmp.com/article/680953/film-studies-french-connection)\n14. [《复仇》, 新浪娱乐 (2009)](https://ent.sina.com.cn/x/2009-05-29/01362541120.shtml)\n15. [宿命、失语与暴力美学：深度解读杜琪峰《复仇》(2009), TrueSight](https://tsight.io/articles/7821262)\n16. [Watch Vengeance Online, Yidio](https://www.yidio.com/movie/vengeance/29800)\n17. [专访｜杜琪峰：我不想再拍那么多拿枪的电影, 澎湃新闻 (2015)](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1370048)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2005–2009 films › Released 2008 to 2009*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/vengeance-2009-film", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/vengeance-2009-film.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Vengeance (2009 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/vengeance-2009-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Vengeance (2009 film)](https://www.edgepedia.org/vengeance-2009-film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/vengeance-2009-film](https://www.edgepedia.org/vengeance-2009-film). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Vengeance (2009 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/vengeance-2009-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Vengeance is Johnnie To's 2009 Hong Kong-France action thriller, written by Wai Ka-fai, starring Johnny Hallyday as an amnesiac chef avenging his daughter's family in Macau; it competed at Cannes 2009." }