Let me start by saying that this show does A LOT of things well, first and foremost: the action. Despite being filmed 5 years ago, its Jason Bourne-esque fight scenes are still the best I have seen in any Action kdrama. I can't stress enough how well choreographed, filmed, and performed the fight sequences are. The style of the main character, Lee Yoon Sung, is based around doing a lot of damage with an economy of moves, only occasionally delving into flashy. He's able to turn almost anything around him into a weapon for hand-to-hand combat, including, but not limited to: a notebook, a suit jacket, and a water bottle. It's as awesome as it sounds. Don't expect this greatness in every episode, of course, but when a fight sequence arrives, you shouldn't be disappointed.
The cast is brilliant here as well. Basically everyone is amazing. Lee Min Ho seems like he has a lot of experience working out the 'likable jerk' archetype, because he nails it here. I called him a moron so many times during the watch and yet found myself loving him and rooting for him all the same.
Park Min Young is divine perfection as always and continues her place in my Top 5 Kdrama Actresses list. Lee Joon Hyuk is probably the best raw actor in this show, and Kim Sang Joon has the sort of charisma you want in a good villain, despite having literally one facial expression for the entire 20-episode run. But even the Supporting characters shone here, foremost among them being Kang Jin Sung, whose voice is like the most beautiful music, and Kim Sang Ho, who proved here that ugly can still be oddly attractive.
Honorable Cast Mentions:
- Chun Ho Jin and his 'intense eyes' should always be in every drama.
- Hwang Sun Hee can't really act well, but she's extremely good at being more beautiful than everyone, so props to her.
- Gu Ha Ra was born to her role here. I never got tired of her immature antics and that bouncy, youthful movement that always sent her too-perfect hair flapping this way and that. Simultaneously annoying and endearing, I always smiled when she was on camera.
- Choi Jung Woo embodies his characters better than most Korean actors. He has more range than you would you think at first glance.
Now, all that being said, unfortunately, despite its amazing cast, the story of City Hunter is ultimately a letdown and makes it a candidate for my Most Overrated Drama.
From a writing standpoint, the first half of the show is a paradise of interesting character moments and interactions. The characters grow, you fall in love with them, you root for them, you laugh and cry along with them, the way every good drama does. In particular, there is one scene where Park Min Young starts crying in the middle of a sentence without showing any other facial indications of sadness. She is fighting to be reasonable, dispassionate, selfless, and brave. Her voice is clear and strong and nary a quiver is to be found in her lips. And yet the tears betray her. It's a powerfully acted sequence that takes you by the heart and screams 'LOVE ME!'
However, the further you get into the back half of this drama, the more disconnected it becomes from anything relatable. All the character build-up you were invested in? Almost completely gone. The intriguing hero? A veritable wellspring of idiotic and inexplicable decisions, especially in connection with the heroine. The likable side characters? Either disappeared or killed off for no reason. The heroine? Used almost exclusively for reaction shots. All of this culminating into one of the most lackluster endings I've yet to experience in a drama. It did a couple interesting things, for sure, but for the most part the final episode just felt like a normal episode and the resolutions were either rushed into unimportance or simply nonexistent. So many story threads simply left dangling. And for what? Longer and more numerous reaction shots, yelling of character names, and oft-repeated plot points. The main plot of the show is well-written and compelling, but the characters are all but abandoned towards the end, which is inexcusable.
Basically, if you want some great action, awesome acting, and a handful of laughs and warm fuzzies, you'll get them from this show. If you want satisfying resolution and characters that do stuff that makes sense, you'll be disappointed. It's a show everyone should see, but not a show that everyone will love.
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