This review may contain spoilers
Some episodes show superb direction. A very gritty, hard-hitting thriller, ruthless, even. You can feel the Ringo Lam influence, with its raw, unflinching violence ; this isn't meant to be a feel-good watch. It's deliberately infuriating. It really gets under your skin. Everything is rotten to the core. A very good series, but one that leaves you seething with rage by the time it's over.
"You're just a thug with a badge." We call that a cop, yes.
The story of a sadistic serial killer, set toward the end of the military dictatorship in 1988. We see despicable cops and a prosecutor acting with complete impunity. (Those cowards) We see men behaving as a patriarchal society naturally encourages and rewards them to do. We see female victims who are considered guilty in the eyes of others. We see high-ranking officials who are full of themselves and never take responsibility for anything. We see police repression of pro-democracy demonstrations.
"The public no longer trusts the police." I think that's a sign of good health.
The acting is incredibly intense. Serious stuff. A cop protagonist who's been through the worst and is forced to work against his will with one of his former tormentors. He thinks the police protect people, he believes they bring the guilty to justice… A constant in this kind of crime series : the cops are terrible at their investigations and ruin people's lives by wrongly accusing innocent people left and right. I don't know to what extent this is intentional. It comes up so often !
Not to brag, but I figured out who the killer was right from the start. My only flaw : too good. It's a fact. (Everything screams him, right there !) The solution doesn't come at the end but along the way, so it doesn't matter and doesn't ruin anything. It's the kind of series you can still enjoy even if someone with bad intentions spoiled it for you beforehand.
The culprit is every bit as cunning as those who claimed to be hunting him down. The theme is the rot at the heart of the social order. The back-and-forth between 1988 and 2019 confirms that nothing ever changes. The killer bears as much blame as the police and the justice system.
"Admitting your mistakes and asking for forgiveness takes even more courage." And that's how we move forward. That's why people in positions of power never admit their mistakes. They don't want things to get better for others.
"You're just a thug with a badge." We call that a cop, yes.
The story of a sadistic serial killer, set toward the end of the military dictatorship in 1988. We see despicable cops and a prosecutor acting with complete impunity. (Those cowards) We see men behaving as a patriarchal society naturally encourages and rewards them to do. We see female victims who are considered guilty in the eyes of others. We see high-ranking officials who are full of themselves and never take responsibility for anything. We see police repression of pro-democracy demonstrations.
"The public no longer trusts the police." I think that's a sign of good health.
The acting is incredibly intense. Serious stuff. A cop protagonist who's been through the worst and is forced to work against his will with one of his former tormentors. He thinks the police protect people, he believes they bring the guilty to justice… A constant in this kind of crime series : the cops are terrible at their investigations and ruin people's lives by wrongly accusing innocent people left and right. I don't know to what extent this is intentional. It comes up so often !
Not to brag, but I figured out who the killer was right from the start. My only flaw : too good. It's a fact. (Everything screams him, right there !) The solution doesn't come at the end but along the way, so it doesn't matter and doesn't ruin anything. It's the kind of series you can still enjoy even if someone with bad intentions spoiled it for you beforehand.
The culprit is every bit as cunning as those who claimed to be hunting him down. The theme is the rot at the heart of the social order. The back-and-forth between 1988 and 2019 confirms that nothing ever changes. The killer bears as much blame as the police and the justice system.
"Admitting your mistakes and asking for forgiveness takes even more courage." And that's how we move forward. That's why people in positions of power never admit their mistakes. They don't want things to get better for others.
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