A must-watch

This film has great action - well-choreographed, visceral, intense fight scenes that are as memorable as they are nasty - that's wrapped around an emotional core. The simplicity of the plot (dangerous man hunts down men who kidnapped a little girl) works so beautifully as a vehicle for the action scenes, but it also allows for the intense performances to shine through and take centre stage.
Won Bin steals the show as a broken man who seems to have shut in on himself in every way. When his little next door neighbour is kidnapped he goes on a rampage to bring her back. I believe him in every moment, as he reveals different facets of the character. I believed him as the taciturn, closed off pawn shop owner, as the lethal killer seeking revenge and justice, as the devastated husband losing his pregnant wife, and as the man we see at the end of the film: a man who has found some measure of peace and can now rest. His eyes are so expressive that he could carry a three minute close-up of just his face, and he makes the fight sequences so believable. A favourite scene is the one early on, when the two gangsters come to his apartment thinking he's just some chump next-door. He is so menacing that he barely has to move and you can feel the tension spike in the room. He has great physical presence.
The rest of the cast is very good, and the plot trucks along nicely. There is very little fat that gets in the way of the tale they are trying to tell. The fight scenes (for all the praise they get) are somewhat sparse, but in my opinion this only increases the tension in the film. For the first little while we actually rarely see our leading man actually fight. We see the very beginning and the aftermath, but never him in action. In my opinion, this makes his later fight scenes (in the club bathroom, the knife fight) even more memorable because they stand so on their own.
I want to make one final note about the cinematography of the film. In general I really enjoyed it, but I want to make special mention of the ending, particularly the scene where he realizes that the little girl isn't actually dead. The way it is shot and framed, and the lighting, is so dramatic and wonderful. The way the light catches his face and the way he looks up towards the sky -- it's like he's a man who is reckoning with God.
I think what sets this film apart from a lot of the other revenge action thrillers out there is the emotional intensity at the heart of the film. I BELIEVE in this man's singular love for this child, and I BELIEVE him when he says that he as nothing left to live for and nothing left to lose if she dies. He doesn't even care about going to jail afterward. It's about goodness existing in the world, and innocence, and him being able to protect the ones he cares about the way he couldn't before. Despite everything, there's something beautiful about the film. It feels as though we're witnessing someone's spiritual journey.

Read More

An overall great, philosophical crime drama

There is a certain greek tragedy quality to this drama, which offers up one of the most righteous, tortured lead character I've ever seen in a drama. Jung Kyung Ho makes even the most unbelievable gaps of logic or stylized moments feel emotionally resonant and somehow grippingly real. He carries the drama on his back, even though it's filled out by a largely solid cast. Kim Yoo Mi as Lee Jin Sook and Choi Moo Sung as Safari are particularly good, but there are other gems. Even the immature and wooden acting of Nam Guy Ri (Yoon Soo Mi) can't capsize the sheer power of the ensemble cast, or the potency of the story.

Even though this is about cops and criminals and the legal system, it's also more a story of one man trying to find justice in a world that is unjust. Every character is struggling with some great, weighty past that has them in chains, while simultaneously trying to forge some kind of future for themselves and the ones they love. The environment of the show is so precarious and so dangerous that the tension is always high, and characters are walking on a knife edge.

There are problems with the drama. It's not always realistic, there is a somewhat unnecessary love story thrown into the middle of it, and a lot of plot points hinging on coincidences, but ultimately it works. If you stop wanting this to be a documentary style crime drama and look at it more as a stylistic, philosophical rumination on human nature while being set in the criminal underworld, then suddenly nothing bothers you. All the over-the-top story telling choices just feel like poignant, tragic moments in a mythic story.

Read More

I should have been more wary of this, considering that the screenwriter is Kim Eun Sook. She has done other projects such as Goblin, Mr. Sunshine, Descendants of the Sun, The Heirs and Secret Garden. I actively dislike three of those, haven't finished Mr. Sunshine but have no real opinion on it, and enjoy the ridiculousness of Descendents of the Sun, even if I think it's objectively bad. The link between them all is that there is a dramatic and intense central love story that usually has significance to the wider world and is somehow cosmically important. The scope is usually very grandiose. The actual characters are usually not very good, the plot is jumbled and inefficient, and the romance often feels contrived. I know it's not something that is determined by a screenwriter necessarily, but I rarely find the chemistry between the leads compelling. Some of that is the characterization.

The biggest issue for me is Lee Min Ho. I am not a big fan of his, I find his acting to be wooden, dull, and lacking in chemistry with his co-stars across the board. In fact, I don't know a single one of his projects that I enjoy. His comedy never works for me and when he is being an imperious king he is just so unlikeable. Not to mention that he doesn't pair well with Kim Go Eun, who (although not consistent) is a good actress. Him being the male lead and also the King, having him be unlikeable just sank the whole thing for me.

I don't remember a great deal about the plot, which I think is telling of the weakness of the whole thing. I know there's some crossing of worlds, and backstabbing plotting, and doppelgängers, but the whole thing just didn't really stick. I often feel this way with these dramas (Goblin was terrible for this) -- there is no good antagonist. Everything is BIG and WORLD-ENDING but the stakes just aren't there.

And god, how did this drama make swords not cool? All of his kingly stuff just pissed me off. The horse was completely ridiculous and the fact that they were actually fighting with swords was so stupid looking. I don't understand why they went with that western style of sword either, instead of just a modernization of a traditional Korean style? I may be way off in that criticism but I just thought it was weird. In gangster movies where the yakuza fights with swords it looks so cool, and here it really reminded me of those hallmark Christmas prince movies. Sad.

My two pieces of praise are for Kim Go Eun, who had some truly excellent scenes. She is one of the great Korean drama criers. Absolutely fantastic performance when she finally sees Lee Min Ho after being on the run, and she's covered in blood and hysterical. I love to see her full breakdown performances. She was also good in other aspects, overall I think she did her best with what she was given. Woo Do Hwan was also excellent. Great in the serious and comedic roles, and very hot. He should have been King.

Overall? A mess. But everyone will watch the next one like it that comes out, because we all keep hoping they'll live up to their promise.

Read More

Natural, quirky, sweet, thoughtful and emotional. This is such a cathartic drama. A great show about what it means to live according to your values and to be an adult and to grow as a person. So enjoyable to watch. Even when things were difficult and wrenching, I still enjoyed it and felt comforted by it. I heard people criticize it and say it was boring, but it simply had a pace that was slower and more character-driven, and had lots of subtle, quiet moments. The lead couple is compelling, adorable and has incredible chemistry, as does the romance between the second leads. Every character, even the secondary ones, feels interesting and fresh. Ki Seon Gyeom is my new crush, probably forever. Also, Shin Se Kyung was EXCELLENT in this and I just wanted to give her a shout-out because the last thing I saw her in was the Bride of Habaek which was just so awful that I was basically put off of her for years, but my love has been rekindled! That is the power of Run On.

Read More

Solid watch, great leads

I think there are three major things this show is focused on: the leads, the dynamic between the residents of the apartment complex, the ethical questions in treating a "zombie" disease.

The leads are excellent. They have great chemistry and are both such unique, well-developed characters. Not only do they have awesome romantic tension, they also just work really well together on-screen in all their scenes. Whether they are holding hands, standing silently with their arms folded, fighting zombies or going to bed, you really feel like these two people are a team. I love how the writers side-stepped a lot of the usual pitfalls while still using tropes, too. They communicated with each other, protected each other and trusted each other, from beginning to end. You love to see it. The tension derives from how and when they choose to profess their romantic love, not a question of whether they love each other romantically.

The dynamic between the residents did get tiresome for me. I found the selfish and back-stabbing characters got old fairly quickly, and I wished they'd had some more gruesome losses at some point, just to shake things up. I also would have loved to see one of them redeem themselves. I feel like the rich lady would have been a great candidate for that. I also wish that they had done one bigger, more intense mission. I felt like the turning on of emergency power could have been longer and more high-stakes.

The concept of the zombies being treated with empathy, and of ethics of killing them was also interesting. I liked that these zombies went through periods of "thirst" (more like vampires getting out of control), which made the question of mindlessly killing them more complex. You were always reminded that they were human beings.

I have a few other quibbles: I felt like the happy ending/cure was rushed; I was frustrated that she decided to go back for the male lead rather than give up her antibodies --- what if she IS the only person in the world who can cure it? You could save him faster??; and I felt like there was some issues with the logistics of their forced quarantine. Overall, nothing too major, but keeping me from ranking this higher.

Overall, worth the watch!

Read More