The Roundup: No Way Out

Ma Dong-Seok, played as usual by Don Lee is back for a third time in - what I think will be the final outing for the character - in this third film of the trilogy of South Korean films. Don Lee is an actor I quite enjoy watching in his film releases but this outing was not worth the effort; it was just pushed out to cash in on the success of the previous two films, The Outlaw and The Roundup.

Some of the acting by 2 or 3 of the cast is not too bad but in general its just bunch of dim witted cops and even more dim witted gangsters; of both Korean thugs and Japanese Yakuza thugs. If you enjoy this type of Don Lee film, of mindless violence and viciousness, then you will be pleased with what you see. But if your looking for a stronger dramatically and well acted story etc, you will not find it within the scenes of this poor excuse.

Last year's The Roundup, the highly entertaining sequel to the surprise hit, The Outlaws, surpassed box office records which quickly warranted another sequel released just after a year.

The Roundup: No Way Out, set seven years after the events in the Roundup, involves Ma Seok-Do played by the charismatic Ma Dong-Seok, aka Don Lee, hunting down gangsters and corrupt cops involved in the drug trade. The fairly standard plot gets convoluted as more characters get involved that lead to more betrayals and it seems to get lost in its track as it spends a good portion of the time having all of the characters basically race against each other to look for the drugs known in the movie as Hiper.

The Roundup: No Way Out does absolutely nothing new besides doubling down on the number of characters, both comedic and villainous as well as the action sequences. Unfortunately, this leaves no room for character development in a movie that's 105 minutes long and what you essentially get is Ma Dong-seok aka Don Lee, beating down or hurting everyone who gets in his way. It even gets repetitive as Ma Seok-Do goes to a place to beat up people, interrogate them, use characters to help him find someone else, rinse repeat. If that's what you want, that is what you will exactly get. There is also more slapstick comedy this time around due to the hilarious supporting characters who help Ma Dong-Seok in his quest to go after the villains.

The Japanese characters are underutilized who don't show up until the second half. There is only a surprise cameo from Jun Kunimura, a famous and reputable actor in Japan, unfortunately only shows up in a cameo who would've made the movie better if he was in more scenes or cast as another villain. Another famous Japanese actor, Munetaka Aoki, as the vicious killer, Ricky, whose only purpose in the movie is to kill people and find the drugs, elevates the movie somewhat.

The fast-paced action makes up for the lack of character development and the standard procedural storytelling but could've been better if they were a bit longer with much stronger villains. The fight scenes were entertaining nonetheless and also a showcase for Ma Dong-Seok's boxing skills, and you could feel the impact of the punches.

It has been confirmed that another sequel titled The Roundup: Punishment is set to be released in 2024 which will go back to having one villain this time. Hopefully, it will at least try to attempt something different and not play it safe despite the fact that what we can surely expect is Ma Dong-Seok again brutally punching his way through the villains.

There is also a surprise cameo in a mid-credits scene from a character who was in the previous movies which I will not spoil. Be sure not to miss it.

The third film in the Crime City series, Don Lee gets to throw his knockout punches non-stop while the all predictable story takes a backseat. When Detective Ma Seok-do and his team get a murder case to solve which leads them to an illegal drug Hiper. They chase the lead to the supplier of the drug and even confiscate the drugs. This opens up the mystery involving corrupt cops and a rival Yakuza gang trying to get their hands on the confiscated drugs. How Seok-do punches his way out through the baddies forms the story.

The story is a simple one and with the reveal of the villain early on, there is barely any suspense left. The team cop however still succeed to entertain with their humor though it's getting lesser with each film. As the team, conveniently choses to arrive late to the scene, it gives Don Lee enough time to shine. With non-stop action, the story does move in a brisk pace. Considering the baddies are no match to the main lead, the fights are obviously one sided throughout. It takes a step down compared to the previous film and I hope the fourth film offers better balance.

I still feel Don Lee is an underrated action star in the west, and I hope Hollywood takes notice of him and starts making some English action films with him, and I don't mean underutilizing his action and comedy talents like they did in Eternals. It would be nice to see Lee in a crime-action film without having to read subtitles and miss most of the fun trying to read.

And as per usual, he did not disappoint in this film. The action and comedy was great, but I found both elements lacking in this film compared to The Outlaws that I had rated a 9/10, and the previous The Roundup I had rated a perfect 10/10. The story in this one has a few good twists, but was still generic and cliched compared to the first two films. There wasn't as much humor in this film as there was in the two previous ones either. Still, lots of action and a fun and entertaining watch, and a well deserved 8/10 for this one from me.

This is a super fun, high action police thriller sequel to the highly successful "Roundup" series. Ma Dong-Seok, or Don Lee, leads a cast of Lorean Police Detectives willing to use unconventional methodologies to solve their cases. The story is about a corrupt Korean police element working with the Japanese Yakuza on an international drug ring to distribute a new drug. There are elements of cross and double cross and it is very watchable. It is funny in a sarcastic way, but at its core, a police action film, like lethal Weapon. I much prefer the Korean with English subtitles to the Dubbed. Looking forward to next installment.