Solid cop action movie this is. When you watch a Ma Dong-seok movie, you can’t help but go “hell yeah”. He shines in an imposing role like Detective Ma’s through his sheer physicality and size, fitting this scrupulous cop archetype like a glove. The character of Kang was also casted well to fit an intimidating and skilled profile. The one-take fight choreographies had the sort of impactful dynamism that shows some ambition, but I wish there were more of those sequences. I did catch myself thinking that the movie was quite formulaic in many ways, from the dynamics of the protagonist’s fervent moral code to the use of extrajudicial violence to sidestep languid legal systems.
Within these bounds lies a distinct charm in its proper execution and transient lightheartedness. The distinct gaggle of side characters — there are a plethora of them — are balanced against a spectrum of villainy and good; from the playful Captain Jeon to the chameleonic Jang, each character occupies some space between both extremes of good and evil. We also have representation for said extremes, like the criminal brothers. This sort of character work enables the dialogue and narrative to flow properly, elevating the movie beyond a mediocre popcorn flick.
