Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s (Oldboy, The Handmaiden) last foray into the television medium was for an adaptation of a John Le Carré novel, so it should come as no surprise that his next venture is also a spy thriller adaptation. The Sympathizer is an incredibly involved miniseries with many moving pieces, but thanks to an incredible team behind and in front of the camera, the pieces mostly come together in spectacular fashion.
Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, The Sympathizer tells the story of a North Vietnamese plant in the South Vietnamese army who flees to the United States as a refugee, kicking off a web of lies and deceit. Although it has the premise of an espionage thriller, there’s so much more here, and the result is thoroughly entertaining.
The show does struggle to explore some of its themes with the depth they deserve. There are a lot of ideas — torn allegiances, multiculturalism, exploitation of trauma by Hollywood — and trying to juggle them all is futile. Park and co-creator Don McKellar get a few scenes where they really get to dive into the moral and emotional complexities, only to be swept away again in the sensationalism.
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The Sympathizer is a stylish, fun thriller
It’s understandable why it’s easy to get swept up in the style. Park (who directs the first three episodes), along with Fernando Meirelles and Marc Munden, creates a phenomenal aesthetic for the show that’s an absolute vibe. In many ways, one could see this approach as a commentary in and of itself on how war is often treated and sensationalized in cinema.
With seven episodes, the show moves along at a near-breakneck pace, not giving the audience any time to breathe. Yet, this is not the type of bleak war story we might be used to seeing. Split the difference between Tropic Thunder and Apocalypse Now, and that’s about where The Sympathizer falls. It has a very apparent satirical edge but also shows some of the bleaker realities of this conflict.
The biggest draw of The Sympathizer is likely to be Robert Downey Jr.’s performance, and it’s likely the most ambitious at-bat of his career — or at least since Tropic Thunder. He plays four characters under varying levels of makeup and accent work, and he’s as committed to the bit as you could hope. It’s an incredibly hammy performance, but given the almost self-referential nature of much of the series, it feels very on-brand.
Yet, even though Downey Jr.’s performance is the much showier turn, it is not he who impresses the most — it’s the lead, Hoa Xuande. For Xuande to be a relatively new actor with only a few credits to his name, he has an unbelievable level of acting acumen. This role is incredibly complex, requiring charisma, humor, and dramatic chops, and Xuande brings all of them to the character. Where Downey Jr.’s performance is designed to stand out, Xuande is intended to blend in, and he does so with grace and ease.
The Sympathizer is yet another engaging thriller from master filmmaker Park Chan-wook. His approach to this material, despite facing several familiar beats, feels very refreshing. Although one almost wishes the show had been a bit more nuanced in its exploration of its themes, the show is so gripping that it works either way.
The Sympathizer debuts on HBO on April 14 at 9pm ET/PT, with new episodes airing subsequent Sundays. All seven episodes reviewed.
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Rating: 8/10
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