James R | On 09, Nov 2021

Director: Lee Hae-Young
Cast: Cho Jin-woong, Ryu Jun-Yeol, Kim Sung-ryung
Certificate: 15

Johnnie To’s 2012 gem Drug War gets the South Korean treatment in this surprising but no less impressive reworking of the same rough premise.

Director Lee Hae-young brings a thrilling style all of his own to the tale of a narcotics cop, Won-ho (Cho Jin-woong), who ends up working with drugs dogsbody Rak (Ryu Jun-yeol) to trace down the mysterious criminal kingpin Mr Lee. What follows is a game of cat and mouse that balances breakneck pacing with psychological complexity, slick, gun-toting choreography and unexpected melancholy.

All of this is brought to life by a cast that have enough ambiguity to keep you guessing about where things are headed until the final act. Who says remakes are always a bad thing?

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