Le Gangster, le flic & l'assassin

Like so many of the genre that hail from Seoul and its suburbs, this one punches well above its weight with an inventive reworking of well-worn plot tropes and slick production values.

S I have said before , I don't think I've seen a bad film come of of South Korea.

I especially love their cop films which have an over exaggerated energy that is quite unique and The Gangster, The Cop , The Devil is no different .

After barely surviving a violent attack by an elusive serial killer, crime boss Jang Dong-su finds himself forming an unlikely partnership with local detective Jung Tae-seok to catch the sadistic killer simply known as "K".

This is a blood thirsty serial killer movie that gets straight to the point .

Everyone seems to be on edge as nobody trusts anyone .

It's full of casual violence as well as full on violence, a little bit like a cartoon in some ways.

The story is simple to follow , if not a bit over the top but you don't get to know the serial killer's motives which is a shame .

Ma Dong-Seok is the star of the show . Previously seen in Train To Busan , here he is perfect as the head of the crime organisation and provides a bit of calmness when around the cop who acts like he's drunk fifty cans of Red Bull.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is remade for the American market because the idea of a Gangster teaming up with a cop to catch a killer is a really good one .

Ticks off all the right boxes:

Lots of cool, vicious bad guys with one of them being really creepy and sick. On the other hand there are lots of dumb, ambitious cops, which are a laughing stock.

Lots of chases, that are quite riveting to watch. Lots of fist and knife fights, that are beautifully choreaographed and thrilling.

And to top it all off there is this contineous drive and suspense that keeps this story propelling forward.

THE cliffhanger: will they get the serial killer?

This story seems to be based on an actual true story, which is out of this world, because the police and the mob were actually really working together to catch a vicious serial killer.

Any bad? The cops are way too dumb to be real. And the gangsters are often way too cool, to be real as well. They used too many exagerated crime movie stereotypes, but then again, they didnt go too much overboard with these exagerations, therefore it still is an exciting and enjoyable crime flick!

This movie was such a treat, it engages you from the first minute till it's last scene. Ma Dong-Seok's performance was extraordinary and impressive. It's not one of those dark serial killer movies that Korean cinema is known for, however it's a great movie filled with great chases, tense moments, laughs and but will surely keep you on the edge of your seat. Furthermore what makes it more interesting is that it's based on true events. If you are into Korean cinema, this movie is a must watch.

Great thriller with some really awesome background score. Don Lee really steals the scene. I would have given it a 9 if they had laid out the motive to the mode of the serial killings. Without that, it was slightly unfulfilling. But everything else was great fun.