Agente cinturón negro

The best part about watching a movie without reading a review/synopsis beforehand is that you can view it on a clean slate minus any expectation whatsoever.

That's what happened when I watched Officer Black Belt and it was truly a wonderful experience with many lessons to boot (pun intended).

A heartfelt journey of self-discovery and maturity for our very easygoing protagonist whose insouciant attitude towards life belies his age group. When fun must always be a requisite to convince our protagonist to come onboard any venture, 'accidentally' becoming a Martial Arts Officer who monitors a group of probationeers was eye-opening and gut-wrenching indeed.

The comedic part is really subtle, and the plot centres mostly on capturing baddies who are really intimidating and sinister. All the action sequences were done really and believably well.

I love when he came to the realisation that fun comes second place to prioritising lives of the people who matter. A coming-of-age story. Woo-bin nails it.

This movie feels a bit like it was meant to be the pilot of a series. It's well executed and as some nicely choreographed and filmed action sequences and in between some goofy humor. This humor makes the overall tone rather lighthearted despite the serious topics that are touched.

The only grief I have with this movie is the quite stupid decisions the characters repeatedly make.

Very mild spoilers follow.

The biggest one being that the protagonist keeps on ignoring supposedly knocked down enemies to look the other way and (of course) being attacked from behind. This happens (if I recall correctly) a total of four of five times, which was a bit annoying. At other times the only answer to why a decision was made can be "so the fight scene can happen". If the writing in these situations was a bit better, the movie would have been much more enjoyable. It was still a fun and entertaining experience that can and doesn't want to be taken too seriously.

Kim Wo Bin is always an inducement to try seeing it so here I am. I really loved the first half of this, it's actually funny and I was positively giddy whenever he went out to stop one of those monsters, but the last act is typically over the top suspension of disbelief kind of thing. In addition to the fact that it suddenly shows the monitoring unit being very unprofessional and making mistakes in succession it shows the guy going full rogue by himself with his silly entourage of friends and actually getting away with it and being commended for it.

First of all why would such a dangerous criminal be allowed to walk outside when the others were not? So he is allowed to go eat outside, they just leave it at that, they're being polite even. Then how can they be so stupid as to be ambushed like that? Then why does our guy go in pursuit of the criminal without his anti-stab vest? It's official police business so he should be wearing the vest. How could there not be an investigation after those casualties?

Then at the end when he becomes a vigilante, how stupid can you be to believe you can take on a guy like that and all his entourage? It's a numbers game. Well, Korean movies do that all the time, but this started out by presenting this police unit in a very positive light so why not do it with them? Why not call for backup when he was in danger, notify them of the criminal's position at least. He could have easily gotten away. Makes no logical sense, other than that the purpose was to create full-on action scenes and make the movie climax using that, never mind the law and logic.

It's half very entertaining, half stupid, but still entertaining if you're willing to forget about it being incredibly stupid.

"Jason Kim's 'Officer Black Belt' is a cinematic uppercut that leaves you breathless and begging for more. Beneath its initial comedic facade lies a scathing critique of Korea's societal ills, expertly woven into a gripping narrative.

Kim Woo-bin shines as Lee Jung-do, a complex protagonist whose transformation from carefree delivery rider to vengeance-driven vigilante is both captivating and heart-wrenching.

The action scenes are brutal and unflinching, with bone-crunching intensity that will leave you wincing. Kim Woo-bin's martial arts skills are on full display, making each fight sequence a thrilling and visceral experience.

But what truly sets 'Officer Black Belt' apart is its emotional depth. The film masterfully balances action and drama, exploring themes of trauma, loss, and redemption. Jung-do's relationships with Sun-min (Kim Sung-kyun) and his friends add a poignant layer, making the stakes feel personal and intense.

This film's unflinching portrayal of child exploitation, corruption, and systemic failures will leave you unsettled, but also fueled with a desire for change.

With its razor-sharp tone shifts, pulse-pounding action sequences, and thought-provoking themes, 'Officer Black Belt' is not just a movie - it's a call to action.

If you're ready for a cinematic experience that will leave you questioning the status quo, craving justice, and emotionally invested, 'Officer Black Belt' is a must-watch.

*Highlights:*

• Brutal and intense action sequences
• Emotional depth and poignant character relationships
• Thought-provoking commentary on social issues
• Kim Woo-bin's standout performance.

South Korea is a very different place than the United States or Canada, wich is where i live. Therefore everytime i watch a movie from there i am at first taken off a bit by how the peoples behave and speak, wich often look "cartoony" to me. I don't mean this with disrespect, its just stuff like "Big Brother" for older friends and overuse of bowing down kinda don't translate as well here.

But usually after 15 minutes or so i get used to it. This movie first start more as a comedy with a "Gary Sue" type of character, a way for the movie to justify the ass kicking that will follow without having to give him an overlong backstory.

Now i read the "Martial Arts Officer" concept really exist in South Korea, but i have no idea how realistic this movie actually is. I thought it was a bit hard to swallow at times how just 2 guys would go and would not call renforcements or such.

Ultimately the movie want to be a Martial Arts action flick, and this is where it shine. There is plenty of fights, they are well done and brutal.

And finally the movie explore also some very dark territories wich kinda contrast the more comedy elements. I guess its another SK thing cause its not the first time i seen this.

So is the movie perfect? No. But its a solid action/fight movie that should entertain fans of the genre, and there was a few scenes wich did made me squeeze my knuckles if you understand what i mean, so i think it did its job on what it aimed to do. Had an overall good time.