7/10
Good crime from Korean author
9 September 2022
Mafia boss Cheonan Dong-soo was subjected to a daring attack by a serial killer and miraculously survived. To restore his reputation, he teams up with a local detective and decides to take revenge on the criminal.

To find a maniac, the police have to cooperate with organized crime. Detective Jung Tae-seok, who hates the mafia, but understands that he cannot cope alone, takes up the case. Together with the bandit Cheonan Dong-soo, he will try to find the killer and take revenge. Will the heroes be able to defeat evil?

The picture of Korean director Lee Won-tae lacks stars from the sky, but at the same time it has a strong and dynamic plot, decent directing and several, albeit expected plot twists, which nevertheless make you cling to the screen, following the cooperation and rivalry of two seemingly opposing factions that are forced by circumstances to work together.

The film is based on real events. Viewers who are used to seeing classic heavy Korean thrillers may be disappointed, because there are many comedic moments in this film, the plot is very simple and straightforward, without any plot twists. But I liked the film precisely because of its focus on the mass audience, as well as the unusual plot and interesting play of the actors, who played well the spirit of excitement and rivalry in the hunt for a maniac.

The director very skillfully combines action, slasher elements and psychological tension in the frame, and adding here a skillful game with color and competently staged chase scenes (a three-car race is really good), we get an excellent police thriller with light noir elements in a Korean frame.

Let me remind fans of contests that the tape was a participant in an out-of-competition screening in Cannes last year, caused delight and critics, and comrade Sylvester Stallone bought the rights to an English-language remake in which Ma Dong-seok will star, again playing a mafia boss, this time in the made in Hollywood tape.

The idea of the authors of the film seemed insanely interesting, about erasing the line between good and evil when faced with a more terrible 'creature', which is personified by a serial killer performed by Kim Sung-gyu. But the most interesting thing that distinguishes Korean thrillers is that they contain a deep social drama when justice sleeps... Human morality becomes above the law and here we have to make a choice. But what choice the heroes will make remains a secret until the very end.
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