Jealousy and opulence color this unyielding revenge melodrama. Set in the sphere of classical music and instrument construction, Five Fingers also brings a unique shade to the genre. It is emotionally engaging, riveting, and downright infuriating on occasion. Unfortunately it suffers from taking too long in set-up episodes, but once it kicks off, does it ever -- only to lose steam in the final stretch.
Joo Ji Hoon will be the initial draw for many. His performance as Yoo Ji Ho is tremendous fun. While the character starts off ridiculously trusting and naive, his development in the second half more than makes up for it. This point is also where Ji Hoon settles into his element. Seemingly improved from Warrior Baek Dong Soo, Ji Chang Wook plays a precariously balanced role with ease. I wanted to hate his Yoo In Ha, but couldn't completely; he was such a pitiable man and, in another life, things might have been different. The three veteran actresses portraying the mothers were also compelling, Chae Si Ra in particular. It must have been difficult pulling off such a complicated character like Young Rang.
Music may be considered another star in Five Fingers. There were many pleasing vocals, including a sad theme by Ji Chang Wook himself: "Fills My Heart." Lim Jeong Hee's "Don't Love Me" seemed to play the most and nearly brought me to tears once or twice. Classical and original instrumentals pepper the rest of the scenes. These work marvelously to amplify their impact and while dynamic, never bring the action over into the cheesy.
Viewers should be aware that Five Fingers deals in themes of domestic abuse and portrays one of the most dysfunctional families ever to grace the screen. The portion before the time skip can be a little hard to watch, and personally my emotions were all over the place.
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