[Movie] The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos

“Let’s unleash the mad dogs again.”

Hearing that line again is enough to get me all excited and waiting impatiently for this movie to be screened in my country despite my general aversion to sequels, spinoffs, and the like. Because it’s Oh Goo-tak who says it, and it’s Bad Guys!

Rebel–Thief Who Stole the People: on episode 21~30, final thoughts

I’m really getting worse and worse about ‘final thoughts’ post on dramas i don’t cover regularly. The same goes for ‘series review’. Once i put off started writing shortly after watching the finale, i’d keep procrastinating until God knows how long that chances are i’m dropping it altogether in the end. Or i’ll feel compelled to finish what i started…long after i finished the show. Like Moonlight, i finally work on my closing post on Rebel two months after it ended.

Rebel–Thief Who Stole the People: on episode 11~20

After 19 episodes, i finally get why this drama is titled Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People. Nineteen.

Well, maybe i was too dense to figure it out sooner, ’cause while i got the “rebel” part, i’ve wondered about the “thief” part until the drama’s middle third. Even then, the true meaning of “thief who stole the people” eventually dawned on me on the said episode.

Rebel–Thief Who Stole the People: on episode 1~10

Gil-dong: “My father is the servant Ahmogae.”
King Yeonsan: “That cannot be. Such a lowly man could not have a son like you.”
Gil-dong: “Then why did you become such a lowly man when you were born from such a mighty king?”

Oh, burn.

Bad Guys: final thoughts

Now that Bad Guys has ended its 11-episode run, i don’t know where to start…

Even if the finale is one-half hours long, it doesn’t feel as drawn out as say the tenth probably because it is the last leg, or because the truths are finally spilled out it doesn’t let my mind wander elsewhere but to what unfolds onscreen. Questions are answered, mystery is solved, the big picture is revealed, the series is closed in style yet open-ended enough to leave rooms for a possible sequel.

Bad Guys: on episode 9~10

Mi-young: “Say it. Oh Goo-tak, are you the culprit?”
Goo-tak: *smiles* “Yes, that’s right. I gave the order for all of it.” (Crap! You did??) “Is that the answer you wanted?”

Are you giving us answers we want to hear, or are you telling the truth? Because no, Goo-tak, that’s NOT the answer i wanted even if that’s the truth. Or was it half-truth?

Bad Guys: on episode 6~8

Up to episode 5, we see and know little of Jung-moon — his history, feelings, and character. Neither the strongest nor the nimblest among the mad dogs, he’s easily overshadowed by Woong-chul and Tae-soo during action sequence or more intense scenes. He is unrivaled when it comes to smoldering stares though, contended only by Goo-tak. Don’t let them have too many rounds of stare-down battles, my heart can’t take it!

Bad Guys: on episode 3~5

Offering a different kind of painful watch experience than Misaeng, Bad Guys has kept me on seat’s edge with its thick convoluted plot, intense fighting sequence, and chilling crimes not to mention the degree of gore and savagery shown onscreen — albeit blurred — that comes with it. (Me: It’s a crime thriller, duh. Me: But still…) If you think the case of elusive serial killer in the rain is sickening, wait till you see what kind of slimy beasts The Mad Dogs are after in episode 3 and 4. The acts are so disturbing and grisly i had to step back and watched from a distance hoping it could lessen the impact.

Somehow i’m relieved Bad Guys is a weekly show. Two per week would be too much to handle. Plus, double the waiting time till decent English subtitle is out?? Eep, no thanks.

Bad Guys: first impression

One Mad Dog marshals three caged Mad Dogs to hunt down countless other Mad Dogs on the loose.

That’s OCN’s Saturday action-crime thriller Bad Guys in a sentence. Not to be confused with the lone Bad Guy drama with Kim Nam-gil and Han Ga-in in it — there was only one titular bad guy there, while there are many here, thus the plural noun.

Golden Rainbow: final thoughts

I got to this weekend series’ finale late but got around to this post even later no thanks to real-life. Disclaimer: I’m just weighing in on the drama and mostly rambling on… you’ve been warned.

Golden Rainbow ended its 41-episode run weeks ago. I don’t usually look forward to a drama’s finale because 1) i don’t want it to end, or 2) i’m wary it’ll be a letdown, but here i’m simply happy i can close the book and move on.