It has become evident for quite some time that the creative powers of the Korean movie industry are turning towards dramas instead of movies, where more popularity for local content seems to lie. The result of this trend is definitely bad for cinema, but at the same time, has led the quality of dramas to rather high levels. “The Deal” , a new series currently streaming on Wavve in South Korea, friDay Video in Taiwan and Viki in selected regions is a testament to this fact.
The Deal is screening at Red Sea Film Festival
Based on the webtoon of the same name by Woonam 20, the story revolves around two young men. Lee Joon-sung, a former high school soccer star, does not play the sport anymore, owes money, and his life is, in general, a mess. Song Jae-hyo graduated from the same high school and is now a medical student, who does face expulsion, however, due to a test cheating scam. The two of them meet one night with Min-woo, also a former classmate who comes from a rather rich family, get drunk, and in a series of unlike events, end up being his kidnappers, in an endeavor that started as a joke, but soon takes a dire turn for the worse.
Lee Jung-on directs a series that takes inspiration from the issues Korean society is facing nowadays, and particularly the discrepancies between the haves and have-nots, and the lack of proper parenting and its toll on the youths, with the formers once more shining through their absence. This, however, is just the base of a series that moves in a number of paths, with the absurdity of the kidnapping being just the beginning. In that fashion, the role Min-woo's mother plays, the appearance of a goon her involvement brings, the nosy neighbor and the girl of the neighborhood who wants to be a police officer all result in a rather intricate story that carries the series comfortably, at least for the three episodes that were screened in the cinema in Red Sea.
Probably the most explosive aspect of the whole series though, is the dynamics between Joon-sung and Jae-hyo, with the upper hand changing a number of times and their differences as characters, as much as the fact they find themselves in the same situation, resulting in the most intriguing element of the drama. Even more so since both Yoo Seung-Ho and Kim Dong-Hwi give impressive performances, also highlighting their wonderful chemistry. Yoo Su-Bin as Min-woo is quite good too, in a role that switches between the dramatic and the comical convincingly.
Kim Bo-ram's cinematography is definitely on a movie level, with him framing the apartment most of the action takes place in a way that results in a truly suffocating space, particularly as the appearance of more people takes place. Kim Woo-il's editing results in a fast pace that suits the aesthetics of the story perfectly, while the succession of the various arcs is ideal, with each one providing a relief to the other, while adding to the overall tension that permeates the whole narrative.
“The Deal” is an impressive crime thriller that highlights the quality of K-drama in the best fashion.
