He looks like he just woke up from a nap, with his curly hair sticking out here and there. He looks really bad because of the faded jeans he wears every day and the stretched-out T-shirt. He walks with his hands in his pockets and his arms crossed. He always swears and his hobby(?) is hitting his colleagues, so you’d think he’s a gangster by profession.
But at the crime scene, his gaze changes. He runs around without sparing his body and passionately pursues the criminal. Even if his ribs are broken and he is stabbed with a knife, he does not give up. He devotes his whole body to protecting what he believes is right.
Hot-blooded detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) is back after 9 years. It’s in the movie ‘Veteran 2’, which opens on the 13th. In the previous film ‘Veteran’, which was released in 2015 and attracted 13.41 million viewers, Seo Do-cheol chased the absolute evil third-generation chaebol ‘Jo Tae-oh’ (Yoo Ah-in). In contrast, in the new film, he adds more depth by chasing a serial killer who is carrying out personal revenge.
This is the first time that director Ryu Seung-wan, who has presented high-quality action films such as ‘Unfair Trade’ (2010), ‘Berlin’ (2013), and ‘Mogadishu’ (2021), has directed a sequel. The film industry is paying attention to whether the ‘Veteran’ series will become a ‘double 10 million’ work that attracts over 10 million viewers for both parts 1 and 2, following ‘Along with the Gods’ and ‘The Outlaws’. At a production report meeting on the 20th of last month, director Ryu said, “The reason it took nine years to release a sequel is because I couldn’t repeat the success of the previous work, but at the same time, I couldn’t pursue only new things. It took a lot of time because I thought about how to find a balance.”
Seo Do-cheol’s appearance remains the same. In particular, Seo Do-cheol wore the khaki flight jacket he wore in the previous film again in the new film. Actor Hwang Jung-min chose the clothes he had and wore them, but the production company kept them and wore them again. Hwang Jung-min said, “Nine years have passed, but Seo Do-cheol has not changed and is the same,” and “He wore the same clothes as in the first film and even had the same hairstyle.”
Director Ryu’s signature action scenes have become even more exhilarating. In the scene where they are chasing the criminal in Namsan, the actors’ whole body rolling and impact is fully conveyed to the audience. The exhilarating action scene on the rooftop where rain pours down reminds us of ‘No Mercy’ (1999). The opening scene where they crack down on an illegal gambling house is a ‘slapstick comedy’ that induces laughter through exaggerated movements and sounds.
However, Seo Do-cheol’s inner self has become complicated. In the previous film, Seo Do-cheol presented catharsis to the public by fighting against the absolute evil of ‘Cho Tae-oh’ without backing down. On the other hand, in the new film, Seo Do-cheol rejects the ‘private revenge’ that the public wants and questions what public power is. He confidently shouts to those who do not reflect, “Tie everything together and send them to prison?” and then snaps at those who rush to take pictures of the murders committed out of private revenge, “Is there a good murder and a bad murder when it comes to killing people?”
It also addresses current social issues in Korea, such as ‘Cyberwreck’, which is broadcast without fact-checking in order to increase the number of viewers. Although the narrative is more complex than the previous work, it was recognized for its artistic quality, being invited to the 77th Cannes International Film Festival and the 49th Toronto International Film Festival.
The new youngest detective, Park Sun-woo (Jung Hae-in), is also worth watching. Park Sun-woo catches Seo Do-cheol’s eye with his quick judgment and martial arts skills and joins the violent crime investigation unit. At first, he is portrayed as a character with a strong sense of justice who wants to catch criminals, but as time passes, he reveals his true colors and increases the tension of the drama.
Reporter Lee Ho-jae [email protected]
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2024-09-10 02:17:49