Bad Guys

First up, you may remember me basically saying I have been avoiding watching this drama for years, despite its high rating. Something about it just didn’t appeal and I was convinced I wouldn’t enjoy it. Boy, was I wrong.

Oh Gu Tak is a controversial detective, suspended after the murder of his daughter for going a bit crazy and beating people up. On the suggestion of his buddy, who happens to be the Police Commissioner, Oh Gu Tak joins forces with inspector Yoo Mi Young to bring three dangerous criminals out of prison to catch other criminals with the incentive of decreasing their sentences. Think Suicide Squad and you’ve pretty much got it. Park Woong Cheol is a famous gangster who took control of the whole of Seoul within a month. Lee Jung Moon is a genius psychopath serial killer who can’t remember killing his 15 victims. Jung Tae Soo is a contract killer who turned himself in and is ridiculously hot. Together, they are the Bad Guys Who Catch Bad Guys.

Yes, that’s pretty much the title. Inventive.

They pretty much run around investigating murders and beating people up and stopping organised crime. There is coherence, and every story does lead to the next which all comes together for the final few episodes. It was graphic, and even borderline upsetting at times, especially the organ trafficking episode, but it was shot so beautifully. The first couple of episodes in particular, the cinematography was stunning, although it was a shame that they had to blur out so much, as it was a little distracting. Basically every time there was a knife on screen, it was blurred out, and most if the characters seemed to spend most of their time holding knives. There was a realism to the way they rendered it, like you could see every pore on their faces, where as normally, the cast look almost airbrushed into perfection. There wasn’t even a romantic sub plot, unless you count Tae Soo going a bit gooey over the widow of one of his contracts. It just felt utterly different from any Asian drama that I have ever seen before, in literally every way.

I didn’t recognise many people in this drama. Jung Moon was Yoo Jung in Cheese in the Trap, which I hated and hated him in, although I enjoyed him in this. I just feel like Park Hae Jin is so much better suited to the creepy psychopath of this than the romantic, food obsessed, overaged lead of Cheese in the Trap. I also recognised the Police Commissioner as being the high up important army guy in Decendants of the Sun, which to be honest just made me want to rewatch it even more. Other than these two though, I didn’t recognise anyone, which is rare these days. I didn’t even know Jo Dong Hyuk, who played Tae Soo, which is a shame because he was lovely.

Would I recommend it? Yes, its a great drama that actually deserves the title of ‘drama’.

Would I rewatch it? Maybe, but at least not for a long time. I’m not sure how exciting it would be when you know what’s going to happen.

What comes next is difficult again. Do I learn from this experience and go for Six Flying Dragons, being a highly rated drama that I’ve avoided, this time because it’s so freaking long? Or rewatch DotS? Or do I start on Switch, which is currently quite highly rated, but I’m unsure whether that’s solely because it’s new, still airing, and stars Jang Geun Suk? I think I might go for Six Dlying Dragons ...