Jinyoungie
Cruel City wrecked me.
This KDrama proves to me that you never quite know what your tastes are; that there are exceptions to every rule. Personally, I lean towards romcoms with romances that warms my heart and comedy that gives me the giggles. Action and crime dramas are not my preference at all. But Cruel City... was the PERFECT exception.
Heart-pounding, blood-boiling, mind-racing: these are the words I would use to describe how I felt the duration of Cruel City, from the first episode to the absolute last second. Captivating action and suspense scenes that had me literally clutching my heart and mysterious characters that had me constantly analyzing whether I was meant to root for them or against. Plot-wise, full of twists and unexpected scenes which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Villains that made me feel sick to my stomach. You will be shocked and surprised while watching this and you’ll never be quite sure what the outcome will be. I both loved and hated this aspect of the drama, as there were times where I felt so stressed without the confirmation of knowing what was going to happen to my favorite characters but then the momentary relief after a scene was over could be so satisfying.
What drew me into watching Cruel City, after it had been sitting in my plan to watch list for years, is Jung Kyung Ho. After watching him in Falling For Innocence and in episodes of Hospital Playlist, I knew I was addicted and, looking for another excuse to watch Jung Kyung Ho, Cruel City became the perfect candidate. I've only recently discovered Jung Kyung Ho after having watched KDramas for about 6 years which totally frustrates me as I am just now witnessing how completely flawless he is. Jung Kyung Ho is one of those actors who can completely submerge themselves into a role. His talent is such that you almost get tricked into believing that his character exists in real life. Jung Shi Hyun, Doctor's Son, is a character that I think will haunt me for ages now that I’ve finished Cruel City. Jung Shi Hyun, like most of the other characters in this drama, had an aura of mystery; but in the most appealing and addictive way. He is masculine and threatening, harsh and cold. There were times where looking through the screen into his eyes even scared me. But his unmatched loyalty for those he cares about, his fierce resolve to stand tall and sacrifice himself for his loved ones in every situation, makes his character so powerful and breathtaking to watch. He does not allow his constant inner turmoil between what he is meant to do and what he wants to do break him; but rather it motivates him to fight with everything he has. I heard others raving about this being Jung Kyung Ho’s best role, and now I can understand why. The mask that he wears as Doctor’s Son with his emotionless, calculated gaze, contrasts so well with the highly intense moments wherein he is forced to let his true heart and inner spirit burst forth. Jung Kyung Ho was consistently the scene-stealer. I was completely impressed/satisfied with all of the other actors' performances as well, special shout out to Yoon Hyun Min as Soo and Kim Yoo Mi as Lee Jin Suk, who both slayed their roles.
Looking at this drama critically, there were a couple things that I wish had been done differently that would’ve brought my rating up to a 10 and coincidentally they all are in the last episode. The main thing that bothered me is in the last episode an unusual amount of characters acted in ways that were out-of-character. Characters who, for the whole 19 episodes, were meticulous planners, consistently exercised sound judgment, who were always two-steps ahead, were suddenly brash and short cited. Okay, so no one's perfect all the time, of course characters will sometimes make mistakes and act unusually, however, a majority of these characters all making these oversights at the same time? Idk. Moving on, I also felt the ending was rushed/incomplete and lacked closure, for frankly, all of the characters. Everything was kept up until the last minute, last second really, which to me, is a double edged sword. On one hand I completely agree that this was one of the charms of Cruel City, the fact that they do not drag things out and that episodes are kept consistently fast paced and forward driving. However, being that this was the last episode, I think they should’ve made an exception to that pattern. I felt a twinge of bitterness lingering at the end; it seemed like they cut everything off while I still hadn’t had a chance to finish processing my emotions resulting from some highly climactic scenes. My other “beef” with Cruel City comes in the last episode as well. The revenge theme in this drama was sought after so hard by so many characters in this drama, it is unarguably an essential ingredient in each episode, but then at the end of it all, when revenge should’ve been the sweetest, it felt so unfinished and lackluster. In lieu of the name “Cruel City” I would be a fool if I believed everything would end perfectly, wrapped with a big red bow on top, but the final climactic moment seemed unpolished.
I would say that you have to be a fan of action, crime and suspense to love this KDrama, but I do not typically prefer those genres myself and I loved this. The romance in this is also pretty steamy which of course I didn’t mind. This is the type of drama to exhaust you but I mean that in the BEST sense. It is captivating and compelling and after each episode I felt like I had been holding my breath for too long as my heart would just be racing. Yes I would 100% recommend this drama. If it's not your usual genre, just keep yourself open. Despite my reservations, it's now one of my favorites, and I'm sure it will remain in my head and my heart (cheesy I know) for a long time.
This KDrama proves to me that you never quite know what your tastes are; that there are exceptions to every rule. Personally, I lean towards romcoms with romances that warms my heart and comedy that gives me the giggles. Action and crime dramas are not my preference at all. But Cruel City... was the PERFECT exception.
Heart-pounding, blood-boiling, mind-racing: these are the words I would use to describe how I felt the duration of Cruel City, from the first episode to the absolute last second. Captivating action and suspense scenes that had me literally clutching my heart and mysterious characters that had me constantly analyzing whether I was meant to root for them or against. Plot-wise, full of twists and unexpected scenes which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Villains that made me feel sick to my stomach. You will be shocked and surprised while watching this and you’ll never be quite sure what the outcome will be. I both loved and hated this aspect of the drama, as there were times where I felt so stressed without the confirmation of knowing what was going to happen to my favorite characters but then the momentary relief after a scene was over could be so satisfying.
What drew me into watching Cruel City, after it had been sitting in my plan to watch list for years, is Jung Kyung Ho. After watching him in Falling For Innocence and in episodes of Hospital Playlist, I knew I was addicted and, looking for another excuse to watch Jung Kyung Ho, Cruel City became the perfect candidate. I've only recently discovered Jung Kyung Ho after having watched KDramas for about 6 years which totally frustrates me as I am just now witnessing how completely flawless he is. Jung Kyung Ho is one of those actors who can completely submerge themselves into a role. His talent is such that you almost get tricked into believing that his character exists in real life. Jung Shi Hyun, Doctor's Son, is a character that I think will haunt me for ages now that I’ve finished Cruel City. Jung Shi Hyun, like most of the other characters in this drama, had an aura of mystery; but in the most appealing and addictive way. He is masculine and threatening, harsh and cold. There were times where looking through the screen into his eyes even scared me. But his unmatched loyalty for those he cares about, his fierce resolve to stand tall and sacrifice himself for his loved ones in every situation, makes his character so powerful and breathtaking to watch. He does not allow his constant inner turmoil between what he is meant to do and what he wants to do break him; but rather it motivates him to fight with everything he has. I heard others raving about this being Jung Kyung Ho’s best role, and now I can understand why. The mask that he wears as Doctor’s Son with his emotionless, calculated gaze, contrasts so well with the highly intense moments wherein he is forced to let his true heart and inner spirit burst forth. Jung Kyung Ho was consistently the scene-stealer. I was completely impressed/satisfied with all of the other actors' performances as well, special shout out to Yoon Hyun Min as Soo and Kim Yoo Mi as Lee Jin Suk, who both slayed their roles.
Looking at this drama critically, there were a couple things that I wish had been done differently that would’ve brought my rating up to a 10 and coincidentally they all are in the last episode. The main thing that bothered me is in the last episode an unusual amount of characters acted in ways that were out-of-character. Characters who, for the whole 19 episodes, were meticulous planners, consistently exercised sound judgment, who were always two-steps ahead, were suddenly brash and short cited. Okay, so no one's perfect all the time, of course characters will sometimes make mistakes and act unusually, however, a majority of these characters all making these oversights at the same time? Idk. Moving on, I also felt the ending was rushed/incomplete and lacked closure, for frankly, all of the characters. Everything was kept up until the last minute, last second really, which to me, is a double edged sword. On one hand I completely agree that this was one of the charms of Cruel City, the fact that they do not drag things out and that episodes are kept consistently fast paced and forward driving. However, being that this was the last episode, I think they should’ve made an exception to that pattern. I felt a twinge of bitterness lingering at the end; it seemed like they cut everything off while I still hadn’t had a chance to finish processing my emotions resulting from some highly climactic scenes. My other “beef” with Cruel City comes in the last episode as well. The revenge theme in this drama was sought after so hard by so many characters in this drama, it is unarguably an essential ingredient in each episode, but then at the end of it all, when revenge should’ve been the sweetest, it felt so unfinished and lackluster. In lieu of the name “Cruel City” I would be a fool if I believed everything would end perfectly, wrapped with a big red bow on top, but the final climactic moment seemed unpolished.
I would say that you have to be a fan of action, crime and suspense to love this KDrama, but I do not typically prefer those genres myself and I loved this. The romance in this is also pretty steamy which of course I didn’t mind. This is the type of drama to exhaust you but I mean that in the BEST sense. It is captivating and compelling and after each episode I felt like I had been holding my breath for too long as my heart would just be racing. Yes I would 100% recommend this drama. If it's not your usual genre, just keep yourself open. Despite my reservations, it's now one of my favorites, and I'm sure it will remain in my head and my heart (cheesy I know) for a long time.
Was this review helpful to you?
