Korean Reviews Reviews

Film Review: I, The Executioner (2024) by Ryoo Seung-wan

I The Executioner Hwang Jung-min
"There's no such thing as a good murder and a bad murder. When it comes to killing people."

South Korean action comedy “”, written and directed by , came out in 2015. It was a huge success which grossed over US$92M and became the all-time 5th highest-grossing film in the local cinema history. A sequel with Ryoo directing, and reprising their roles was soon in the works, but it only hit the screens titled “I, The Executioner” nine years later.

This time around, detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) and his Violent Crimes Investigation Unit members have to deal with Haechi, a serial killer and a vigilante rolled into one. Haechi only kills criminals who deserved to die, according to him anyway. Furthermore, when the judicial system fails to discipline the guilty, his punishment of these criminals has gained him a following on social media. Detective Seo is just the opposite, he believes in doing good police work and therefore he is willing to protect these kinds of criminals. However, a young rookie Park Sun-woo () has joined his team and he is an excellent MMA fighter.

Meanwhile, an influencer who streams Haechi’s cases is making Seo’s job more different and besides, he is putting innocent people in danger with false information. On top of that, Seo also has to deal with his son being a victim of bullying at school. But as he investigates further into the killings, he becomes more aware and suspicious of Park’s extreme tactics and his obscure motives.

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Released as “Veteran 2” in South Korea, the film kicks off with detective Seo and his team taking down an illegal gambling den. This extremely light-hearted opening plays like a continuation of the first film and the only full blown humorous moment in the whole sequel. The camera then switches to a much darker and serious tone showing the vigilante killer and his victim.

From here on the film maintains this dark nature and turns into a brutal but amazing action packed thriller. Since director Ryoo (“” (2006), “” (2013), “” (2023)) knows how to create crowd-pleasing big action capers, at times with a good touch of comedy, we are certainly in good hands here.

The action sequences are the stars and they really shine. The fight on a rooftop in the pouring rain is definitely the highlight. Ryoo uses the wet environment to the fullest for his combatants to grapple, ramp and slide into each other in a frantic but easy to follow fight. Then there is the parkour style foot chase which ends rather violently as the chasers tumble down on a long stretch of concrete steps. However, the finale set piece which echoes the “Saw” film series, where the protagonist has to choose the best outcome is a bit of a letdown and not that hard-hitting. Nonetheless, it has a nice balance of comedy and action just like the opening scene. Still, Ryoo’s action set pieces are spectacular with a sense of urgency and very well timed.

While Oh Dal-su returns as the Captain Oh of the Crime Unit, he has nothing much to do but just cruises along. But this is Hwang Jung-min’s film and he does not disappoint reprising his role as detective Seo do-cheol. Still charismatic as ever, he is equally convincing in portraying an action star with a great sense of humor as well as a family man. Hwang and newcomer Jung Hae-in who plays rookie Park Sun-woo, show good screen presence and share great screen chemistry together. What really drives the plot is their different take on fighting crime and the dynamic between them. This confrontation becomes even more intense after the film purposely reveals Park as the antagonist in the beginning.

The supporting characters, like the small villains and bumbling cops, though underwritten, are still a delight to watch. This probably explains why the plot tries hard to concentrate on so many timely subjects like school bullying, vigilante justice, police corruption, injustice and especially the impact of social media and influencers. Unfortunately, this also leads to a very predictable story which offers nothing really refreshing.

Even with a change in tone which makes it slightly different from its predecessor, this is still a highly entertaining and slick looking sequel. Besides, the characters are fun and above all, the amazingly choreographed action alone is enough to make it a worthwhile watch.

About the author

David Chew

G'Day! Ni Hao? Hello! Many steamy hot tropical moons ago, I was bitten by the Shaw Brothers movie bug inside a cool cinema in Borneo while Wang Yu was slicing away on the screen. The same bug, living in my blood then, followed me to Sydney, Down Under years later, we both got through Customs & grew roots. Now I'm still happily living with this wonderful old bug and spreading my 'sickness' around to others whenever I can. Cheers!

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