14/12
The film focuses on a team of old-school cops who mostly use brutal techniques in their work
Narrative
Newcomer Park Sun Woo and Seo Do-cheol, a veteran of the violent crime investigation team, pursue a serial killer who is shaking up their world. Follows Beterang (2015). The sequel to Ryoo Seung-wan’s 2015 action comedy Veteran is a thrilling crime thriller that reunites him with Hwang Jung-min and a great supporting cast, to predictably satisfying effect.
But they get results and their superiors trust them
Hwang reprises his role as Do-cheol, probably the most talented of the group. He is very similar to Ma Dong-seok’s character from The Roundup series, just a simple guy who knows his job and has his own way of doing it, but now he is not afraid to have a little fun and then. The team’s abilities are put to the test when a serial killer-cum-revengeman reveals himself to the public and, annoyingly, is constantly called out by pesky live-streamers.
Ryoo once again directs the film with a lot of energy and stylistic verve, definitely upping his game after the mediocre Smugglers
He seems most comfortable directing tense action thrillers like this, peppering the proceedings with humor but not preventing the tone from darkening when necessary. And so it is here; “The Executioner” harks back to “The Unjust” in the way it questions morality and tests the judgment of a desperate cop. The plot is an intriguing examination of vigilante action and how it can be perceived in the public eye, but trusts the viewer to know more.
And let’s hope so
To balance out all the murder, there are the aforementioned instances of humor that can lighten the mood, and they fit in quite well. Like The Roundup series, there are plenty of great chases and thrilling action scenes, culminating in a climactic fist-pumping sequence that feels well-earned satisfaction. Highly recommended for fans of crime thrillers.
