I, the Executioner (2024)

High entertainment value and not much more

I feel the same way about this movie as I did about its prequel. They are fun and action-packed. There's nothing inherently wrong with them, no big flaw that will make you frown, in fact you'll even have a good time watching them. Despite that, there's nothing that makes them particularly great or memorable either.

I watched Veteran 1 eight years after its original release so I had to take that into account and recontextualize, think about what kind of movies were being made back then. It made it harder to judge it. However, when it comes to this prequel I can confidently say this: it would've been an amazing film had it come out a decade (or more) earlier. But it's 2024 and it feels like Veteran 2 brings nothing new to the table. It isn't novel or fresh in any aspect, be it in terms of writing or execution.

It was extremely predictable, as in you can figure out the plot and most twists in the first twenty minutes or so. It feels like I've seen this very same story or variations of it many times before in books, TV shows or other movies. Obviously, its selling point isn't its originality—it's not supposed to revolutionize the genre—but rather its entertainment value, and it certainly delivers on that front.

The acting is good, as you'd expect from this cast; seeing Jung Hae In in this kind of role is fun. The execution, while far from being mind blowing, is still very clean: the movie looks great for sure, and there's some nice cinematography here and there. The OST wasn't anything note-worthy, I honestly didn't even notice it (which isn't necessarily a flaw for this type of film). I thought the choreography for action scenes was pretty neat too.
When it comes to the plot, as I mentioned earlier this isn't where the movie shines (we're quite literally told that the whys don't even matter), but the story is definitely well-paced and the comedic moments should at least get you to smile or snort.

There are some references to the prequel as well, although you don't need to watch it to understand this (but I'll always recommend watching prequels before sequels). They've also added some depth to Seo Do Cheol's character. Nothing too big but it was just the right amount imo. I liked Park Sun Woo as a character too but there were a few things that were kinda questionable to me.


Overall I slightly preferred Veteran 2 over its prequel, but I also got to watch it on the big screen so that might've played a part. I think it's up to personal preferences at this point because both are quite similar.

In the end it's a popcorn movie. You watch it because it's entertaining, not because it's a masterpiece. It suits the characters and the story: it's not a bad thing. Not all movies need to be 10/10 philosophical pieces. Movies like these are important and worthy in their own way; they should be made. I just wish there had been something, anything, to make the plot a tad bit more original, because this is basically the only thing keeping it mid rather than great.

I'm glad it exists nonetheless and who knows, I might even rewatch it in a few years?



(Btw don't miss the post-credit scene)

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Are you kidding me?!

Veteran was once in a lifetime movie. Great script with great actors with terrific performances. So when a sequel to a movie like that comes along with the original cast minus YAI, naturally the expectation is going to be skybound. I dived into this movie with the same expectation, but by the end this felt like a cheap knockoff with no script, no plot and ok acting.

The first 20 minutes of the movie went good, but then there was no built up, no character arc for the villain or why he became the villain that he is now or what is his backstory? Is he seeking justice? Is he a vigilante or just someone who have a thirst for murder? I just couldn't get why this story needed a villain like him with no substance.

I mean when the OG villain Jo Tae Oh played by Yoo Ah In was onscreen in the first movie, you could feel nothing but hatred for his character. You wanted the good guys to whoop his ass and get justice in the end. With this movie, the villain was so bland and uninteresting, I couldn't care what happened in the end.

For every great story and a hero, you always need a great villain with a character arc. Veteran showed us that, which this movie failed to do so!

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Make sure to stay and watch after the end credits!

This was even better than the first movie! I watched the first movie 6 months ago once I heard about this project and say that Jung Hae In would be in it. I liked the first one but this one was even better! It was done by the same director but it felt very different from what I remember from the first one. The colors were super well done (I think that's cinematography or photography's job but I don't know for sure), and the sound track was great! I will say though, that it felt like it wasn't directed by the same person but maybe there style has changed over the past nine years. The story was a little hard to follow at times but I think that was because I watched in a theater so I couldn't rewind 10 seconds to reread the subtitles. Overall I totally recommend watching this movie if it is showing near you, it is action packed and keeps you at the edge of your seat wanting to know what will happen next.

As for the post credit scene I feel like it could potentially set up for another movie which I wouldn't complain about, but it also feels complete as is. I would love to see move of the Seo Do Cheol character but we will just have to wait and see :)

I also wanted to note that you don't need to see the prequel, but it does add to the watching experience, so I would recommend it.

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Standalone from Its Prequel, "Veteran"

Upon hearing about the rave reviews of this movie, I waited patiently until I could finally watch it. While waiting, I found it was connected to the movie, "Veteran" with majority of the same cast, so I watched Veteran first. I really enjoyed watching Veteran as it had both funny and serious tones throughout the whole movie.

Now back to "I, The Executioner" (ITE), I enjoyed it also but for those who haven't watched "Veteran" yet, you do not need to watch it first before watching ITE. This movie can standalone by itself.

While ITE is good, there is one vast difference between this one and its counterpart. Veteran had more funny and crazy moments sprinkled throughout the entire movie while still keeping to its serious undertones. Even in Veteran, the main lead's wife had a shining moment when they tried to bribe her. Whereas in ITE, the only funny scenes are in the first few minutes of this movie. After that, it's basically a :cops vs vigilante" serious movie but they did ramp up on the action scenes.

There is one great fighting part with Anh Bo Hyun on the rooftop and in the rain. Those fight scenes were really good in terms of camera angles, cinematography and fight sequences.

The only drawback I think that it had was that earlier when they showed drug addicts upon drug addicts, their make-up looked realistic. But then when they finally came to Bo Hyun's character, his make-up looked too "clean" compared to the other drug addicts' make-up. He just looked pale and not like the other drug addicts they previously showed. You could obviously that the make-up artistry were completely different. But what can you say? Bo Hyun is just too handsome. Lol! Also, in one scene at the police station, his make-up looked more "drug addict-like" but then in another scene his make-up just made him look pale. I did like the way he acted when he looked at Jung Hae In and he just knew that Hae In was psycho.

Speaking of Jung Hae In, I'm still on the fence about him as the villain here. He was good but I wasn't entirely convinced by his psychotic side. There was that extra something that I felt was missing but please don't come at me Hae In fans! This is just my opinion. I think it had to do with the way he was normally around everyone. His character seemed off in normal settings anyways. I think it would've been more convincing if he acted more like a really nice and normal guy in front of everyone so that they would've had a hard time believing he could be the villain. But instead, his character was always that "awkward-dude-that's-kind-of-weird-but-you-can't-put-finger-on-what-it-is-that-makes-him-creepy" vibe.

While I thoroughly liked this movie, I do think that it was missing some of the funny and crazy moments that made Veteran more "charming". In Veteran, the team has some pretty funny moments where they "lose" it and go crazy but not so much in ITE. But both movies are good in its own right. Like I said before, you don't need to watch Veteran first before watching this. Make sure to watch the post credit scene. It's at the end of the credits.

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Surprisingly Enjoyable

I should preface this by saying that I have not watched the prequel, so I didn't go in with any expectations about this movie or how it should compare to the original and I will say I was pleasantly surprised. I don't expect a lot for action movies, especially in the way of plot - because you go in for the action, but I found myself enjoying this more than I thought. (BTW the spoilers are in the section on Jung Hae In's acting).

The plot still isn't the best - it is the weakest part of the movie, but its straightforward and clear. The writing isn't bad, it's just not revolutionary, which I think is fine for something like this. The movie shines a lot in practically every other facet. First - on the technical side, I thought the music was noticeable as a plus. There's this dark tone OST they use for a lot of the scenes and it really sets the tone. The cinematography was also great - there are a lot of unsettling moments and really creepy/cool shots that feel artistic at time. It makes the movie feel like more than just an action movie, which is nice.

The fight choreography is also brilliant. I rewound several scenes just to watch them again because of how cool they were. You can tell that different characters have different fighting styles and skill levels, which is a nice touch - because it says a lot about them as characters. The fight choreography for Jung Hae In's character is particularly relevant to his character, and you can analyze what he does in the fight and connect it to him as a person, which I think is brilliant.

Speaking of Jung Hae In, he is fantastic in this. I haven't seen a psychopath/serial killer played this well in a while. Normally they're too charismatic, or too smart, or too suave, but Jung Hae In toes the line really well. The acting he does with his eyes gave me the creeps. You can tell that his character loves violence a bit too much - Jung Hae In does a great job at portraying this particularly through fights. Major props to the script writers too because its his love for violence that is his undoing which is really reflective of actual serial killers - they aren't caught because of some tiny clue, they are caught because of their own flaws. Likewise, we don't ever really get a motive, because a lot of times there isn't a why. It feels realistic but not enough to take away from the vibe of the movie. The other actors are also great (Ahn Bo Hyun was really good in his cameo) especially in handling the fight scenes, but I felt that Jung Hae In was particularly stand out.

Overall this wasn't the movie of the year, but it is really fun for an action movie. Its got good fights, fun choreography, and there are moments that are super chilling that make you remember that what you are watching is in fact, something really dark. The comedy isn't over done, but it isn't unnoticeable. I will definitely be re-watching, and I certainly recommend this to action enjoyers. I think the mystery tag is misleading, but it definitely hits the thriller and action genres on the nose.

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Who deserves to die?

I was eagerly waiting for the chance to watch this movie, and it did not disappoint. Admittedly, the movie is a bit uneven—it starts as a silly action comedy but later turns into a serious action thriller. It also felt odd that the movie clearly hints at the villain from the beginning. However, this was executed quite well, even better than having a shadowy figure revealed only at the finale. So, watching this movie from start to finish, it gradually became better and better. The final scene of the movie adds the icing on the cake, helping us viewers to put our emotions in the right place as we follow the plot. This comment may sound abstract, but I don’t want to spoil anything.

The action is very well executed, and the actors did an excellent job in their roles. There are a few brief disturbing scenes, almost horror-like, but ultimately, this is an entertaining action movie. I wouldn’t have given it such a high score if it didn’t have a meaningful message and some food for thought, particularly regarding taking justice into one’s own hands. The best scene in the movie is the moment when the main character, veteran detective Seo Do Cheol, addresses the bloodthirsty onlookers.

The movie is great on its own but even better in the context of the original "Veteran (2015)" because it ties into many details, especially when you grow attached to the main characters. In my opinion, this sequel is even better than the original, and it seems to have the potential to become a full-fledged series.

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