Familiar
Look, I'm a sucker for So Ji-sub. I'm also a sucker for action dramas, especially revenge stories and, even better, extraction thrillers. Give me a protagonist rescuing a loved one from kidnappers à la Taken, and I'm already halfway sold. So I knew I was going into Agent Kim with a good bias.
If you like the Taken films, this is much closer to that than John Wick. I've seen people make the comparison, but I don't really agree. So Ji-sub's action style here isn't the stylish, balletic violence of John Wick—it's much more emotional, grounded, and heart-led. Plus he's a three-man army.
The drama starts incredibly well. The first three episodes had me hooked. It stalls a little in the middle before finding its stride again around Episode 7, and from there it becomes a really enjoyable Friday-night watch.
My biggest issue is that it's just... familiar.
I've watched so many dramas and films in this genre that I could predict almost every twist, reveal, and set piece before they happened. Nothing really surprised me. If you're an action aficionado, I think you'll probably feel the same. It's entertaining, but it doesn't really bring anything new to the table.
What carries the drama is its charisma. The cast is excellent, everyone understands their role, and the characters are genuinely enjoyable to spend time with. The fight choreography is slick, the villain is compelling, and there are some surprisingly funny moments that stop the drama from becoming too self-serious.
But there's also something repetitive about it. It leans heavily on familiar tropes and never quite breaks free from them. I honestly think if I hadn't watched it while it was airing, I probably would've dropped it, picked it back up, and repeated that cycle until I eventually finished it.
It's a little boring... but also endearing. Which is probably the strangest compliment I can give it.
Overall, it's warm, emotional, well-acted, and an easy recommendation if you love this type of action drama. Just don't expect it to reinvent the genre.
If you like the Taken films, this is much closer to that than John Wick. I've seen people make the comparison, but I don't really agree. So Ji-sub's action style here isn't the stylish, balletic violence of John Wick—it's much more emotional, grounded, and heart-led. Plus he's a three-man army.
The drama starts incredibly well. The first three episodes had me hooked. It stalls a little in the middle before finding its stride again around Episode 7, and from there it becomes a really enjoyable Friday-night watch.
My biggest issue is that it's just... familiar.
I've watched so many dramas and films in this genre that I could predict almost every twist, reveal, and set piece before they happened. Nothing really surprised me. If you're an action aficionado, I think you'll probably feel the same. It's entertaining, but it doesn't really bring anything new to the table.
What carries the drama is its charisma. The cast is excellent, everyone understands their role, and the characters are genuinely enjoyable to spend time with. The fight choreography is slick, the villain is compelling, and there are some surprisingly funny moments that stop the drama from becoming too self-serious.
But there's also something repetitive about it. It leans heavily on familiar tropes and never quite breaks free from them. I honestly think if I hadn't watched it while it was airing, I probably would've dropped it, picked it back up, and repeated that cycle until I eventually finished it.
It's a little boring... but also endearing. Which is probably the strangest compliment I can give it.
Overall, it's warm, emotional, well-acted, and an easy recommendation if you love this type of action drama. Just don't expect it to reinvent the genre.
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