A Perfectly Written and Directed Thriller/Suspense Drama with Versatile Acting!
As a Yoo Seung Ho’s die-hard fan, I had been waiting for this drama to air since the casting news last year.Here are my thoughts about this drama, divided into 3 categories:
1. The Plot
I haven’t found a truly good thriller/suspense Kdrama for a while (I was in a Kdrama slump for almost 2 years). Just like why Yoo Seungho picked up this drama, one of the reasons I decided to watch it is also out of ‘curiosity’.
This kind of plot is quite unusual (as expected from Yoo Seungho’s dramas, most of the time). Kidnapping a FRIEND for ransom money? I’m totally bought!
And this drama gave me the tense that I needed. Every episode ends with scenes that left me feeling shocked and intrigued. It reminds me of Yoo Seungho’s previous thriller drama, “Memorist”, in some ways, especially the camera movements.
2. The Character-Building
I love that every character, from main to side characters, have their own roles that are useful to the story development. Nothing feels unnecessary. Then again, it’s only 8 episodes. I don’t think there’re rooms for fillers.
The main characters make me feel what they feel, especially Lee Junseong (Yoo Seungho). His life is so miserable that it pains my heart to watch his parts. He still has a pure soul though he has been tested a lot in his life.
Song Jaehyo (Kim Donghwi), how he starts to be out of his rational mind when his whole life depends on the money. We can’t help but pity him because of his poor situations.
Park Minwoo (Yoo Soobin), he was used to being taken advantage of for money since high school. He’s physically weak, and people see him as a fool, when in fact he’s not. He has a kind heart and trusts people that treat him good.
3. The Acting
YOO SEUNG HO. The authentic, versatile, and trustworthy actor that he is. His eye acting, his facial expressions, his body movements, his voice control in every situation, how he shifts from action to emotional scenes. Smooth. PERFECT!
Of course, I will not discredit other actors, especially Yoo Soobin and Kim Donghwi. They amaze me the most at scenes that show their ‘desperation’. Yoo Soobin’s cries when he was begging to be spared. Kim Donghwi’s voice intonation when his mind becomes more distorted.
So yes, I am truly satisfied with everything about this drama, so far.
I genuinely hope that it will end on a high note, though I am curious about the ending and how their friendship will become after the whole kidnapping events.
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A hidden gem
This drama is going straight to my favorites. It's a shame that it's so underrated and unknown. I recommend it to everyone who loves darker dramas and who, like me, is tired of convoluted storyline in thrillers and too much melodrama. This one is short and simple, but very intense and emotional.The leading trio (and the other actors too, to a lesser degree) did an excellent job here; they didn't overact, but instead they delivered a performance that felt raw and genuine. Not only they did justice to the script, but they also elevated it.
Another thing I appreciated is how grey this is: there is no explicit moral of the story, the writers avoided giving any preaching in the ending, which is very refreshing in a kdrama and it makes it feel more real and down to earth. Sure, there are bad guys and good guys, there are objectively wrong things, but the story make you empathize with Jun Seong and Jae Hyo for the desperate situation they're in that led them to their crime, meanwhile it doesn't sugorcoat how ruthless rich people can be when you get in their way and how it's easy for them to escape punishment compared to poor people like Jun Seong and Jae Hyo. And yet there is no doubt that Min Woo was truly the victim here, because being born with money is not a crime by itself. It's this kind of ambiguity that made it more interesting for me, as it made me feel conflicted on who to root for.
Kudos to everyone involved. Definitely my kdrama of the year so far.
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Suspenseful and Engaging!
This had a lot of suspenseful moments that kept me on the edge of my seat. I didn't know where the plot was going or how things were going to end up. It had a nice dose of comedy injected into the script here and there to lighten things up, but maintained a serious and dark tone throughout.I liked the human aspect of this plot the most—the confused feelings of the kidnappers at times, and especially the betrayed feelings of the friend that was kidnapped. Once again, it is all for money. Greed and envy gets the best of us sometimes. It really begs the question; who are your real friends?
Casting was ON POINT. It's really nice to see the skills of the actors here. I'd have to say that Kim Dong Hwi gave an outstanding performance. It's not easy playing the villain. He managed to pull it off quite well. Yoo Soo Bin really surprised me, too! At first when I saw him I wasn't sure if they had made a good choice in casting him for the role, but he really blew my expectations out of the water and gave a great performance.
FINAL THOUGHTS... this is a sad, dark tale about betrayal of what was supposed to be a beautiful friendship. It is heartbreaking to see what people will do for money, especially when you consider that this goes on every day in the real world. It is short enough to not have any boring or dragged-out parts, which is a huge plus for me. It would have gotten a higher mark if they had been just a tad bit more creative with the ending. I really liked what they did with Park Min Woo's ending, but for the other characters it fell a little bit flat. Give this a watch! It's only 8 episodes so you can't go wrong.
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it's very engaging but overall not so great
Due to personal crisis, Joon Sung and Jae Hyo made a deal to kidnap their friend Min Woo, asking for ransom from his wealthy family. Right away I was excited for a suspenseful thriller experience. On the production side, it is almost perfectly executed! From camerawork, music, and the acting. I was impressed with the powerful acting of our leads and the mother! The use of classical music in few critical situations are strangely fun, it's the best treat for my sensory. The opening credit is very creative, it tickles my imagination and I never skip it.It is dark and serious tone throughout and the first half kept me on the edge of my seat. I feel bad for Min Woo and what he's going through during the kidnapping is slightly psychologically unsettling, knowing your trusted friends suddenly tied you and pinned you down in their closet. While episode 1-5 provide great momentum, the storyline fell flat afterwards. It's getting weirder and weirder the more the trio try to execute "The Perfect Deal". I found them making illogical decisions for the sake of keeping the plot going. I don't get why don't just help one another if they're friends? The resolution was also unrealistic and left me unfulfilled. Overall, not so great but I enjoyed. For any thriller fan, it is still an engaging watch due to its' short and fast pacing, there's no boring or drag part.
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such a wonderful drama with amazing plot & fantastic acting.
such a wonderful drama with amazing plot & fantastic acting. i like how drama developed when a ridiculous decision for kidnapping a friend gets more huge. specially last 3 ep was the best.yooseungho' s acting amazed me again. his expression his tone of voice his eyes all full of emotions of his character and you cant tell he is acting or not.
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Inescapable Consequences
I adore Yoo Seung Ho, and his performance in this did not disappoint. His embodiment of his character was so raw and poignant. I have to say that he pulls off the most anguish-filled scenes with the most earnestness and gut-wrenching acting I’ve ever seen and heard. That’s right, “heard.” His cries of anger, of sadness, of sheer frustration always manage to bring tears to my eyes and pain to my soul. He’s an underutilized gem of the industry and I wish I could see more of him, more often.My praise of his talent isn’t the only reason I loved this drama, though. Kim Dong Hwi and Yoo Su Bin, (the latter of which’s heartwrending scenes were almost too much to bear), both brought their A-game as well. I was impressed by the entourage of characters who also brought this tragedy of judgement errors to life.
It’s a tale of common enough desperation leading to fortunately not so common actions and the toll those actions inevitably bring to bear on all. I actually even enjoyed the opening sequence(s), (rare for me), and the subtle yet haunting music score. Highly recommend, and will definitely watch again.
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Unexpected Delight: A Thrilling Surprise That Exceeded All Expectations!
Honestly, I lowkey expected it to be boring and a disappointment, but oh man, I was SOOO wrong. Watching it turned out to be the best decision ever!! From start to finish, I was completely blown away. It was packed with surprises that kept me on the edge of my seat, and I genuinely couldn't take my eyes off the screen.. The plot twists were incredible, each one hitting harder than the last, leaving me in awe...It was genuinely entertaining and enjoyable, far beyond my initial expectations.I literally cannot wait to rewatch it 10 more times!!! If you haven't seen it yet, trust me, you are missing out big time. This is one of those rare gems that truly deserves all the hype!!Was this review helpful to you?
Very intriguing plotline
This was probably the darkest Kdrama I've ever watched thus far. It was very grungy and grey. The premise was intriguing and very realistic. There were no heroes or villains only people. You didn't really like anyone except Seung Ho's character(who you felt bad for) it made for an interesting story since you didn't really have a preference it allowed you to follow the plot in a freer way without bias. Most of it was the tug a war between 3 people and 3 goals. One just wanted to survive, one wanted to do the right thing and the other wanted to clean up his mistakes with money nomatter what. It was a cool dynamic. There was a surprising turning of the tables at the end that was able to resolve the conflict and make sense. The ending was sad but also very realistic. It felt like a cautionary tale about what can happen when you allow yourself to be desperate enough to cross a line and how impossible it is to cross back over once you've gone.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Great Cast, top notch acting, fast paced with some plot holes
THE GOOD- Yoo Seung Ho delivered and so are his co actors. The show gave each of the three characters opportunity to shine . At times I even feel like yoo seung ho was outshined because his character was the most boring and naive one.
- Short and sweet. plot is simple and no unnecessary side stories
- If you can get past the plot holes and simply focus on the actors ever changing dynamic and emotions, then you will appreciate the value of this show.
- I love that this is a crime thriller drama that does not delve on the usual overused subjects. No accused main leads, prosecutor, profiler, cop etc. nothing about revenge or finding who killed who but simply about three young guys getting caught up into an unusual circumstance.
THE BAD
- just too many plot holes. I question the motivation behind the kidnapping as there is no strong back story to back up Jae hyo’s decision to go all the way.
- although this is supposed to be a change of image for yoo seung ho, his character was still too safe and stuck with this good guy roles. I can’t wait to see him grow and take on even more morally gray characters in the future.
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Good Enough
Korean Drama '' The Deal '' is a thriller about three friends and a really sticky situation.The drama starts out pretty strongly and is a psychologically twisty spiral that goes deeper and deeper into darkness, as the characters have to make their choices.
However, the drama suffers from its short length. Thus, it didn't have the chance to have a smooth progress, or have things develop organically. And, as the drama started adding more genres and more situations and twists, everything happened too quickly. In the end, the conclusion was rushed as well.
The performances, on the other hand, were all great by everyone in the cast.
So, overall, seven out of ten.
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This review may contain spoilers
Great drama, acting, etc….. but
I really enjoyed it and liked the ending for the 3 mains. But there’s a massive plot hole!! The girl and her partner and her brother……they found the phone and that the end of their story?? If they hadn’t found the phone I’d be happier, the brother would have developed into a different and better police man because of his sister, I could accept that but finding the phone should have lead to something! 10/10 otherwise.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Why This Drama Left Me Scratching My Head
Introduction:"The Perfect Deal" comes with a premise loaded with tension and high stakes, promising a roller-coaster of emotions. But does it deliver? Well, that's a complicated question. While the series has its moments, it also leaves you questioning the logic behind some pivotal decisions made by the characters.
The Plot Hole Dilemma:
The show starts with Lee Joon Sung and Song Jae Hyo staging a fake kidnapping of their friend, Park Min Woo, with the aim of extracting money from his wealthy family. Right off the bat, this decision felt illogical. Park Min Woo is portrayed as a benevolent character, someone who probably would have helped his friends financially if they'd just asked. So, why resort to a kidnapping? It's a question that hangs in the air throughout the series.
Character Inconsistencies:
Moreover, the characters themselves seem inconsistent with their actions. For instance, Song Jae Hyo is smart enough to concoct elaborate plans, yet he's in a tight spot because of poor choices he made in school. Similarly, Lee Joon Sung is depicted as someone who doesn't fit the profile of a gambler drowning in debt, yet here he is.
The Confounding Finale:
The ending of the series adds another layer of confusion. After going through the trouble of demanding a ransom, Song Jae Hyo inexplicably wants to return to school. But how does he plan to do that when he's a wanted man? On the other hand, Park Min Woo's decision to forgive Lee Joon Sung is perhaps the only redeemable moment in an otherwise convoluted conclusion.
Final Thoughts:
While the series has its moments, it ultimately leaves the viewer puzzled rather than satisfied. The characters' actions don't align well with their portrayed personalities, and there are enough plot holes to make you question the story's credibility.
My Ratings:
Story:
Given the plot's numerous inconsistencies and gaps in logic, a lower score is warranted.
Rating: 3.5/10
Acting/Cast:
While the acting was not the main issue of the drama, it wasn't enough to salvage the poorly-executed storyline.
Rating: 4.5/10
Music:
The soundtrack felt uninspired and did little to enhance the emotional impact of the story.
Rating: 3.0/10
Rewatch Value:
Due to the numerous plot holes and inconsistencies, this is not a drama I'd be eager to revisit.
Rating: 2.0/10
Overall:
While the series has some merits, particularly in the acting department, its story, music, and rewatch value fall significantly short.
Rating: 3.5/10
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