My Name (2021)

Her Name is Fury

Fight Club meets Infernal Affairs with a dash of La Femme Nikita, Anna, Atomic Blonde, Kill Bill and Villainess, among others. That’s how I would describe this drama in a sentence.

My Name is an utterly visceral tale of one woman’s odyssey of vengeance through the deepest pits of Seoul’s dark underbelly and vicious criminal underworld that is seeped in brutality and cruelty. This drama is not for the faint-hearted for its many scenes of pure, unadulterated violence and bloodshed will most certainly induce much consternation indeed.

Based on an original screenplay, this production is helmed by Kim Jin Min, whose previous works include Extracurricular and Lawless Lawyer, and headlined by Han So Hee, of The World of the Married and Nevertheless fame. The Grand Bell Award-winning composer, Hwang Sang Jun, serves as music director.

The narrative is not groundbreaking, for those acquainted with the genre. However, when the re-telling of a similar concept is executed well, it can be an absolute joy to behold and may open doors to new fans of this dark thriller and suspense genre. My Name certainly accomplishes this, in my humble opinion, through a fascinating take on the classic revenge and betrayal plot with a focus on gritty storytelling infused with incredible cast performances and which does not shy away from highly graphic and explicit visual language. For the most part I’m quite pleased with the direction and tempo of the story development which manages to sustain the momentum of the intensity, tension and suspense. I have no major complaints over the design of certain plot devices and twists as well as the final outcome. The fact that there is absolutely zero comedic absurdity and contrived humour is a major boon for me as well.

Over the course of only 8 episodes at 50 minutes each, I did not lose interest or feel a smidgen of boredom. The action is breathlessly high-octane featuring countless fight scenes ranging from mass brawls to hand-to-hand combats involving the use of a variety of weapons. Despite composing a major proportion of the entire drama, some of the quieter and more poignant moments are interspersed throughout, including an extremely brief romantic interlude in the very last episode.

Likewise, as far as the production quality is concerned, there are no discernible major issues. The high production value is reflected in the art direction while technical execution is outstanding. I love the fact that the cinematography perfectly captures the action sequences because oftentimes these scenes are ruined by shoddy camerawork or poor post-production editing and visual effects, which is not the case here. Credit goes to the relentless efforts of the action choreographer and the cast themselves in performing the rather complicated and dangerous stunts. In particular the varied fight scenes involving mixed martial arts movements and knife fights in open spaces as well as cramped indoor settings.

The biggest praise is reserved for the cast themselves, and none more so than the lead actress, Han So Hee. My Name is a character-driven story where the failure or success is fully dependent on the depiction of the main character in question. Thankfully it is the latter because Han So Hee has unreservedly dispelled the doubts surrounding her ability to tackle this lead role which she does so magnificently with aplomb. Sometimes a role does not suit the performer, which seems to be the massive feedback from her previous performance in Nevertheless, but the characterization of Yoon Ji Woo, the FL here, is such a perfect fit for she truly embodies the persona in totality. The believability in her portrayal of sheer agony and torment, single-minded determination and strong will as well as the physical exertions inflicted from the challenges and ordeals that she faces in her pursuit of retribution. It is certainly not an exaggeration to declare unequivocally that Han So Hee thoroughly slayed this role.

Park Hee Soon deserves praise for his portrayal of Choi Moo Jin. This man oozes class, charisma and screen presence as the mafia leader of Dongcheon gang. Together with the hugely experienced and recognisable Kim Sang Ho as police detective Cha Gi Ho, both these men provide excellent support to Han So Hee’s main character that elevates this production to greater heights.

An aspect worth mentioning is the music. I love the retro beats of synthwave which complements the more contemporary rock element in a captivating combo that makes up the score by Hwang Sang Jun, who additionally composed two tracks out of the 3 OSTs in the drama.

My Name featuring Swervy and JEMINN
Mediocre Life featuring Pre-Holiday
A Thought is Haunting Me by Raphael Lake & Royal Baggs

All things considered, it’s been quite a while since I was last invested in a compellingly raw and savage journey of vengeance by a ferocious female character in an Asian drama. I’ve been dying for a bona fide strong FL in every sense of the word. Not a poser or a pretender but an actual badass who literally kicks ass. This has been an incredibly worthwhile viewing experience. Bravo!

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Revenge Is Sweet…

Screenwriter Kim Ba Da’s revenge-filled drama follows vengeful young woman Yoon Ji Woo ( Han So Hee) who seeks to find and bring to justice by hunting down the murderers of her father ( Yoon Gyung Hoo). Taking up another alias and infiltrating the police force as Oh Hye Jin , Ji Woo’s quest sends her down a dark road with many revelations coming to light.

Whilst the drama does present some prominent messages about corruption and morality both within South-Korean society, the justice system and the police force, the drama itself doesn’t really stray away from the stereotypical reaches of the “ revenge” drama, from Ji Woo’s experiences as an outcast teen to the “ murdered parent” trope soon taking central route before the actual zest of the revenge story crumbling slightly by the midway point . Of course this boils down to the ultimate question; “ is ‘ My Name’ actually worth watching or is it a waste of time?”

One of the strongest virtues of the series came through the acting front of our main cast. Main actress Han So Hee was undeniably dynamic as Ji Woo. Whilst the actress has respectfully formerly come under mixed reception for her role in the controversial Netflix flop ‘ Nevertheless’, Han So Hee reinstates any doubts within her moody, angst-driven and cunning onscreen persona as Ji Woo. As a character, our female lead has two different lives which are both intriguing as one another. On one side it’s easy to understand Ji Woo’s role early on in the series. She’s the “ outcast” and socially isolated from her peers due to her father’s criminal record and past. However refreshingly rather than presenting Ji Woo’s father as a “ heroic figure” in the eyes of a grieving Ji Woo, the series helps to explore more complicated depth to Ji Woo’s emotional state, as well as cunningness and stubborn to enlist help in unlikely places to reenact her revenge.

Helping her along the way comes the merciless and mysterious gangster played brilliantly by Park Hee Soon, Choi Moon Jin. Moon Jin acts both as a major mentor figure and an antagonistic plot foil for Ji Woo by helping to reinvent her identity as Hye Jin as well as hide his own personal motives also . He shares his own reasons for helping Hye Jin / Ji Woo but isn’t afraid to be more brutal or punish those who put a toe out of line.

As Hye Jin our female lead is a talented and a skilled police officer who over the years has not lost her raison d’être for revenge. Her partnership with fellow colleague and partner Jeon Pil Do( Ahn Bo Hyun) presents a great contrast between other relationships in the drama. Bo Hyun plays Pil Do with a laidback yet naturally driven charisma as a hardworking cop. Naturally as he spends more time with Hye Jin he becomes more curious about her identity and motives. Whilst a later plot development was supposed to present a “ moment we’ve all been waiting for” this undeniably felt lacklustre due to lacking screenwriting and bonding opportunities often made revelations between the fall short of plot drive.

Yet ‘ My Name’ isn’t without its more obvious problems either. Pacing could sometimes be a major downfall. Whilst a major drive was evident within Hye Jin/ Ji Woo’s search for her father’s killer, this major plot point felt often rammed into the storyline when it was necessary rather than flowing more coherently within the small subplots which followed in each episode. Evidently another major downfall as a consequence occurred within plot lore and logic with many setups (including early on) often falling short or lacking more depth due to writing and character exploration often falling short. Consequently the ending was overly anti climatic than well-paced or completed with an expected yet abrupt twist which failed to bring a sense of finality or completion overall.

What is refreshing about the series is that it isn’t afraid to trade any punches with presenting brutality in its full glory. Interplayed with moody lightning and a dramatic OST, bloody fight scenes and knife attacks, as well as hallucinogenic palettes of bright reds, purples, blues and golds during drug and dodgy dive raids help to shed a more dangerous and dark presentation of the mysterious underbelly of Ji Woo’s world.

Overall ‘ My Name’ is an odd array of both a highly-talented cast and crew, but often falling short of plot-writing also. The revenge drama was a fairly archetypical approach to the revenge genre; intriguing with many interlaced messages shedding light into corruption, violence and problems in South-Korean society, but sometimes failing to hit the mark with actual build-up . Undeniably a good watch but lacking more finesse in certain areas.

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