The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil – Review

Based on true events, this slick thriller has a few nice twists and turns. On a dark night in the city, a car rear-ending occurs. As the man hit gets out to photograph the damage, the offending driver strikes with violent fury. After the deed is done, he heads off into the night driving away anonymously.

This is August, 2005 and the South Chungcheong Province, where many murders and missing persons have gone reported yet their cases unsolved. While cops struggle with low pay, one tough detective Jung Tae-seok still works to clean thugs off the streets.

Across town, local hoodlum Jang Dong-soo (Ma Dong-Seok/Don Lee) works a punching bag over before getting informed of an annoying officer Tae-seok’s continual digging into his operations. The cop keeps working his way in deeper while Dong-Soo heads out with his large entourage. He focuses on resolving turf issues and making deals with rival gangsters. As the cops find bodies stacking up, it is finally assumed that a serial killer is on the loose, causing car accidents and killing victims.

As the story progresses, this whirlwind of gangster, cop and devil murderer hits full spin. One rainy night forces our characters to collide in crazy ways, with their respective lives interweaving even more chaotic plots into the mix.

This film is a good and tense thriller. It is well shot and visually pleasing while also delivering a wild and entertaining story with plenty going on. The actors are good fits for their roles, especially Ma Dong-seok who is always fun on screen. There is action, mystery, dark thrills and more, so take some time and track it down.