This review may contain spoilers
Story that Explodes into a Thrilling Adventure but Concludes by Flickering Out Like a Weak Candle
It's impossible to discuss this show without talking about spoilers. However, I will be clearly marking when I start talking about specific plot points with a separator. Until then, I'll be discussing the overall feel of the series.The beginning of this show establishes an addictive, semi-formulaic, action-thriller that you can't help but become pumped for. Bad guys do bad stuff and get away with it, leaving behind victims. The law isn't able to prove or punish the bad guys. Good guys don't like this. Good guys go full-Batman vigilante by infiltrating the evil operation and taking revenge on behalf of the victims. It sounds really simple but it is an amazingly fun roller coaster ride that has you saying "yeah!!!" when the good guys succeed. The action set pieces, such as the car chase/battles or fistfights are fun on their own right, but the OST dials up the excitement to a million. There is a video-game sounding, retro track that plays when the background of the victim is being explained and they are making the decision whether or not they want the protagonists to get revenge on their behalf -- as the viewer, you quickly become conditioned to say "oh man, stuff is going to go down now!!!". Then, the phrenic action music starts and your emotions go full adrenaline overdrive as you hear the theme song. It is ridiculous how excited I was for this show.
The acting was fully on point, as expected from a Korean drama production. Some people complain that Lee Je Hoon overacts, but if he does, it fits him perfectly in this series because he needs to exaggerate himself when he disguises himself in order to sneak into the baddies' lairs. Some of the action sequences might have been a little better, but overall, I thought his performance was stellar. The rest of the main cast is amazing: Pyo Je Jin was pulled in last minute to replace a controversial actress, and I did not notice at all - if you had told me she was planned to be a female lead all along, I'd have believed you. Esom and Kim Eui Sang also play their roles excellently. Cha Ji Yeon is notable for playing the shady, underground character, very, very well and I thought her maniacal laugh fit her very well. The acting was mostly amazing.
But unfortunately, that is not the end of my review. This show was almost a 10/10, but unfortunately, it was marred by a really jarring tonal shift midway through the series. Episode 9 and 10 felt like filler since we had gotten some real, longitudinal story arc as well as character backgrounds, but they just kind of went back to the "same old formula". But, at around Episode 10, the lead writer left due to creative differences and the change is really, really noticeable.
It is at this point that I need to address plot specific points in order to explain why this was not the greatest event.
WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ PLOT POINTS STOP NOW
SERIOUSLY THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING
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In the beginning half of the show, each main character's backstory is revealed and is very consistent with their motivations. Kim Do Gi's mother was killed and he never got the chance to get revenge on the killer. Anh Go Eun's sister committed suicide after a sex tape was leaked by a man who secretly filmed her. Kang Ha Na is a stubbornly righteous prosecutor who refuses to bend the rules and relentless. Even the characters who are not as initially well developed are consistent: Jang Sung Chul is the wealthy taxi service owner who also suffered from lack of ability to take revenge, so he bankrolls the operation under the guise of his legit business. Baek Sung Mi is a shady business owner who controls the prison they send the captured baddies that the protagonists successfully take revenge on. It is all very clear what everyone's roll in this universe is.
And then, all of a sudden, some of the characters just completely lose themselves and some of the writing stops making sense. Kang Ha Na's character is the most guilty of this: even though she was initially frustrating to viewers, I think her role was to show us the failure of the "righteous, lawful way". Her colleague's death pushes her to start supporting the Rainbow Taxi protagonists, which I thought was fine, but then she suddenly forgets how to do her job: there is one scene in particular where they are holding Kim Do Gi, and she flagrantly and straightforwardly lets him go, which is noticed by her coworker and that is just somehow...fine? I think at minimum, her coworkers might have some ethical concerns about her actions, and might, you know, start raising questions about whether she is fit to continue doing her job. There are additional problems of this nature: for example, she would use insider information obtained by the Rainbow Taxi team and just send a huge task force to an unknown location...on a hunch? How would she explain how she knows this info? The writing just stops being sensible.
This culminates in the ending, which I am going to call the "maximal happy ending". The ultimate baddie is identified: the true killer of Kim Do Gi's mother, who is already jailed. Therefore, the team is going to take revenge by....tricking him into beating up his own son, who is coincidentally a jail guard, coincidentally has no idea who his father is, even though the Rainbow Taxi team didn't do anything to ensure that the baddie would FOR SURE beat up the son. I watched that scene and it made no sense to me: they couldn't know that the baddie would trick the son in getting close. And this gets worse in my opinion: the team decides they will turn themselves in. However, Kang Ha Na lets Kim Do Gi go and she tries to resign, but her boss inexplicably resigns instead in order to ensure that they bury the investigation they have on the Rainbow Taxi team while the team members themselves agree to shut down the operation....and then one year later, all of the taxi crew have ridiculous new jobs (one of them is a rocket scientist 'cause...you know), and have somehow revived the operation with Kang Ha Na as one of the new members of the crew. Did I also mention that her boss, who resigned, somehow charged the big baddie with framing an innocent man, even though we had already established earlier that the statue of limitations had past? It doesn't make complete sense.
So the verdict? This show has a lot of excellent, amazing elements in the first half to first two-thirds of this show that make it worth your watch. However, the real life creative disagreements of the production team can clearly be felt in the latter part of the show. It was SO close in being a 10/10, fun show. Try it out -- you won't be disappointed.
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Alternative to a crap legal system
With a high budget feel, great stunts, bags of action and a credible cast, this was a pretty thrilling drama.Plenty of revenge providing satisfying viewing when a multitude of incredibly unsavoury characters, got their judgement calls.
I honestly felt like this drama was giving a pretty big finger to the country's very flawed legal system, which favours wealthy and connected citizens over guilty ones.
It was a little odd, therefore, to include details and phone numbers for various crime departments at the end of episodes. A Premium Taxi Service one would be better.
Some of the cases made for very disturbing viewing, from violent bullying to rape, sexual assault and murder.
It is a very violent series, so those affected by realistic cases and cruelty, should avoid it.
It's pretty OTT, but for the vast majority of the time, gets away with that comfortably. It feels weird to say I enjoyed it, but I did, more than not.
I only rolled my eyes up in disbelief a couple of times and was made to laugh occasionally too.
One episode near the end even made me cry; because the hurt was understated and realistic, not melodramatic.
At one point, when the initial storyline was wrapped up, it did drag/dip somewhat and I thought they shouldn't have stretched it to 16 eps. However, it then picked up again and I enjoyed it to the end.
There is one factual case in a latter episode's epilogue, involving a trumped up, wrongful conviction. This resulted in an innocent man spending a long time in prison and it also really disturbed and angered me, because it involved an 8-year old child. What the police back at the time did, was shocking, shameful and unforgivable.
It really is like the writers (they were changed part way through following a disagreement between the original and director) want the country to recognise how flawed and corrupt their systems are, and how they let people down. An argument for the statute of limitations being dropped was also featured, which is applied by many countries and enables perpetrators of older cold cases to get off . Same applies to double jeopardy really.
I loved both Lee Je Hoon and Esom in this; perfect for their roles. Not a weak actor in it.
Whilst the action was often pretty fantastical, it's still a thought provoking watch.
The OST was suitably heavy rock orientated, in fact sometimes a little too much so, but overall pretty good and appropriate.
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Jolly Good Fun
Looking for something sweet and happy? TURN BACK! Do you believe the criminal justice system is always right? YOU'RE IN THE WRONG PLACE! Are you in the mood for a butt load of action, suspense and revenge? LOOK NO FURTHER!This show is so much more than what I thought it was going to be. You're emotions will run wild with this series in all the right ways. The plot twists were outta this world with satisfying bolts of craziness and you can't deny this is something we need in the real world, which is what makes this show so relatable and "fun". lol It's action packed from beginning to end with all the heart racing punches and winching uppercuts you could ask for. If you don't think the criminal justice system is warped this is NOT the show for you but I whole heartedly am convinced you'll love it none the less.
Enjoy...
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When I first saw the title and the storyline, I didn't think it was for me. But then I gave myself a chance to watch it, and I was amazed, actually I still am.
The acting in this was excellent, what I liked the most was the taxi itself. I've watched quite a number of series with cars as one of the main concentrations, they are good, but not that feasible. In taxi driver, the taxi they used! You can relate to it, like it's not too fictious... You get what I mean. The music was okay too.
As I said, I like being brief... Taxi driver!, Is a must watch.
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the law does not gurantee justice
crimes are committed daily, and the perpetrators do not always receive proper punishment. rainbow taxi is an organisation run by people who were let down by the law in the past and decided to seek justice for those who experienced the same lack of it as they had.'taxi driver' is dark and violent, but in the best way possible. it depicts various cases, all based on real crimes; that's why this drama feels so realistic. it shows that we should not close our eyes to how evil and rotten the world can be. on the other hand, watching our rainbow taxi team is pure joy. with their mutual trust and support, those individuals create an excellent contrast to the fierce plot itself.
and now, all i am hoping for is a confirmation of season 2.
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Revenge by Taxi
The story is about a small group that are doing a secret business where they help people to revenge on the people who have been hurting them. A lot of people who come to them are already become the victim of murder, torture, etc. In this K-Drama series, you're going to find a lot of scenes that show them fighting with weapons and a lot of blood. So make sure you're not afraid to see blood. It's become interesting when there is a case that involves their people during the mission. The revenge of each case is different so there is lot of way to revenge.Was this review helpful to you?
Taking a new spin on revenge...
I really enjoyed so much about "Taxi Driver" and its unique spin on anti-heroes and revenge thrillers, but I also found it messy and even a little hard to follow at times. The Rainbow Taxi Company concept is great and hooked me instantly. I loved the Batman vibes and the based on a true story element to each episode, but the overall plot is all over the place and is saved by a dynamic cast and some epic action sequences. Mainly Lee Je Hoon as Kim Do Gi being awesome!Lee Je Hoon is so amazingly good! I know he has had other great roles but this really is a star vehicle (pun intended) for him! Whether he's casually beating up a gang of thugs, driving fast and furious style, or in hilarious disguise, he is impressive. Also, add to that the emotion he can bring to the role that makes his motivation believable and easy to root for, even while he's clearly breaking the law. He is ultimately what kept me interested from the beginning until the end, especially when parts of the story were frustrating or didn't work for me. Kim Do Gi is the most consistent thing about this whole drama and worth a recommendation to watch on his own.
The rest of the cast is great too. Some of the characters definitely annoyed me, but it was never the actors' fault, even when the performances were super campy. First, there is Kim Eui Sung as
Jang Sung Chul, who I always love as a villain, but it's nice to see him in this light. He still had some duplicity in his performance that he does so well, even as the good guy-ish lol. Pyo Ye Jin, Jang Hyuk Jin, and Bae Yoo Ram play the rest of the team and I loved their unique personalities and care for each other. My one complaint is that Pyo Ye Jin as Ahn Go Eun took a mostly passive role in one storyline that really bothered me. She eventually makes up for it, but I still feel like her character could have been much stronger considering her overall role on the team. Esom as Prosecutor Kang Ha Na was another character that frustrated me. In an attempt to create a rivalry I feel like her character became unreasonably one-note. This also got better towards the end, but I just really dislike the stubborn cop getting in the way trope, and I wish there was more to her character earlier on. She does have interesting chemistry with Kim Do Gi but don't expect anything beyond mutual admiration to come from it.
The shadier characters on the other hand are entertaining but also very cartoony. Cha Ji Yeon has a double role that is pretty impressive and Cha Ji Yeon is almost like a Disney villain as Baek Sung Mi. On the opposite end, you have Lee Yoo Joon as Wang Min Ho who is just super likable and good balance for Ha Na. All of the guest characters were great too which kept the episodes interesting and made you root for the Deluxe Taxi even more. It's hard to go too much into detail without spoilers, but I'm also glad they took extra time to go deeper into some of the revenge stories beyond just focusing on a specific crime and its aftermath.
If you don't like disturbing storylines then this is not a drama from you. This is definitely a crime drama at its core with a ripped from the headlines law & order-y feel. The vigilante twist is what makes this drama unique as well as the clever way they recruit new clients. Where I think this drama messes up is that it seemed like they didn't really think through what the Taxi Company's ultimate goal was and hearing it explained didn't make much sense. Then a sudden plot twist seemed to be thrown in just to give the story a direction, but that plot felt rushed through too. I did like what felt like a change in direction in characters, especially the women characters, and that they seemed to intensify the action scenes. Some of the action sequences in the second half are truly DAEBAK, and are so good I didn't really care what was happening in the story if I'm honest. I also liked the moment where they slipped in some real true-crime footage which did get me right in the feels (even if it contradicted earlier scenes). I just wished the entire plot felt more cohesive.
Would I watch this again? Maybe, but I think I would much rather just watch some of the action sequences again. I did like the dynamic between the characters while watching the first time but I would be much more curious about the possibilities of a season 2... which seemed very possible judging by the final scene (which I loved).
Overall I enjoyed this drama for what it did well and not necessarily as a complete story. I would still recommend it because what it does well is more than enough to entertain! I laughed, I teared up, I was horrified, and I cheered. I love that they challenged what justice is and empowered victims and their families. By the end, I was ok with forgiving all plot holes and too easily resolved conflicts. In the spirit of choosing to seek revenge or not, if you're choosing whether to watch this drama or not, I feel like "Taxi Driver" is a drama I can forgive and will never forget.
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Specially Lee Je-hoon he nailed it 🔥. If u have watched his previous work then u should definately watch this it's his one of the best work (at least for me) and all other cast has done tremendous job as well.
I'll just say just go for it.
One last thing this show deserves more appreciation and popularity than it got. It's popular in Korea but not in other countries. Hidden Gem 💥.
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Overcome Evil by Good
There are a lot of anti-hero Korean dramas this days like Vincenzo, Doom At Your Service, and this one, Taxi Driver. I thoroughly enjoyed this show from start to finish. All the actors were amazing at their given roles. There were a lot of thought-provoking themes that would challenge your ethical standards and morality. Having said this, I really enjoyed all the lessons and takeaways this drama gave the viewers.I am looking forward to another season. I just couldn’t get enough of their dynamics. I am also very satisfied with the ending. It was wrapped up very well and it would leave you with no regrets.
This is a good drama and you won’t regret spending this seeing it. It is definitely worth it.
Thank you and congratulations to all the cast, crew, and the entire production for giving the audience a stellar show. One of the best this year has to offer.
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Brilliantly satisfying drama
Don't get mad... get even.Taxi Driver (or Deluxe Taxi to give it it's proper name) is an action-packed drama based around righteous revenge under the cover of an innocent taxi service. When our protagonists are at the end of the road (no pun intended...) due to horrible and painful circumstances, they find solace in the offer of getting revenge. In turn, they help other people who are in despair due to the actions of some very horrible people and act on their behalf to bring these people to justice.
Meanwhile, a tough prosecutor, played by Esom, is suspicious of these activities.
Taxi Driver has an 80's/90's feel to it which I loved - a bit like Knight Rider or The A-Team and so has a little bit of cheesiness to it - but that's needed to balance out the more gruesome aspects of it.
Well worth a watch and while I don't condone violence or revenge it's really satisfying to see it play out. Watch now before the second season comes out.
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Lee Je Hoon steals the show!
This show has been at the back of my head for the longest time. I knew I had to watch it when Taxi Driver S2 is out. This review came abit late but better be late than never!!Plot is pretty straightforward and easy to follow. Basically a group of people that acts as vigilante to revenge for people under the name of a taxi company. Each story takes about 2 episodes or so, it's not draggy and all of them are interesting. The show cannot go wrong with Lee Je Hoon like this man is srsly so good whatever role he plays. In this show he also cosplays different character as an undercover work for each task, which was super fun to watch. I am in love with this man since Signal days, he rocked a lot of shows but he truly does the best in this kind of crime, thriller genre kind I feel. Also, do not expect romance as it's minimal to almost nothing. However, the bond between the members are amazing so it's still a good watch.
While there are good takeaways to this show, I do feel that some of their revenge tasks are too easy/conveniently resolved. Although there are thrill and excitement to it but it's temporary and predictable as to what is gonna happen.. which is why I said that it isn't complex to follow the show. Lee Je Hoon also plays an impt part in the success to this show in the role he play.. i couldn't imagine other actors that can do play the role of Kim Do Gi.
Still, I am very excited to finish watching Taxi Driver S2!! and if u haven't started this series, u should give it a go!!
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