Heartless City

"The world is like a mirror. If you spit and curse at it... the world will spit and curse back at you. If you laugh... I'm sure the world will follow and laugh with you, too. "

So don't be so serious... just laugh. You're prettier when you laugh. -Shi Hyun

AN ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE! It's DARK, and HEART-BREAKING! IT'S SOUL CRUSHING!

MUST-WATCH, even if you don't like detective, action dramas, you will enjoy this, it's such an exception!

STORY: I loved how it's realistic and doesn't shy away from violence!

CHARACTERS: I loved them all, and despite the weak start, I loved Soo Min's character just so much. her development was the best and her chemistry with Jin Sook (My favourite character after Doctor's Son) was stunning beyond words!

MUSIC: "LoVE iS dEAd" speaks for itself... it's DEADLY.. it's never lovely!

REWATCH: I only reviewed this drama after I did a rewatch, and got to say, the 2nd time I enjoyed it even more, there were stuff I missed out in the first watch, so I'm glad I did rewatch it whole!

OVERALL: I will, for life, keep this drama in my heart, and remember the cruel fate that happened to befall the beautiful soul, I admired, Jung Shi Hyun...

Shi Hyuna

Doctor's Son.

Impressive acting by Jung Kyung Ho. He shows an array of emotions with aplomb. His portrayal of the anguished and barely suppressed violence persona of a tormented gangster is enthralling to watch. The mesmerizing music was spot on, and added another dimension to the series. Many characters here are extremely well developed with layers of complexity as the plot progresses. Only lack luster performance was that of Yoon Soo Min. The plot though unpredictable, wanes a bit in the middle, trying to keep track of the constantly fluctuating good - bad characters with vast amounts of gray thrown in. I would definitely recommend watching this for the phenomenal Jung Kyung Ho's onscreen magnetism and charisma. He's this series main draw...

I have so much to say about this drama I'm about to explode. But im afraid if my review is too long, you won't read it.

So I'll just sum up the facts first.

• definitely watch this drama
• the plot, however convoluted it was, did not detract from the overall experience of the show.

• excellent range of characters with development and none with skippable scenes

Now for all my opinions. Kdramas from 10-15 years ago, for some reason always give me early 90s American drama vibes. From the choppy cinematography, to the sometimes night time soap opera dramatics.

HC was a classic example of this filming style. The action scenes were fun but almost to the point of funny because you can easily see the choreography and sometimes hear the sound dept add in the "smack" sounds.

The most dramatic scenes, I could see the actors giving their all, but sometimes that was the problem. The "acting" part was a little too obvious. (super cringe crying face from Docs Son)

These are not complaints tho. This is just the type of style youre getting. The actors mostly gave excellent performances. The character of Ji Hyung Min was sooo well acted imo. Safari and Hyun Soo were villains you definitely rooted for.

The amount of betrayal in the show is staggering, so it's hard to believe the overall message I took from it in the end was about loyalty, friendship, and love. You will cry unless you're, ahem, Heartless.

If you have watched the more recent drama "The Worst of Evil", id say HC walked so WoE could run. If you haven't seen either, watch HC first. It's a classic old timey feel without a lot cheesy kdrama-isms (fisheye kisses, office Karaoke, cherry blossoms)

Then watch WoE. I don't want to debate as to which is better. WoE just proved that HC could have been done even better in 16 episodes. I do think it had one too many twists.

And my final thoughts- This was a gorgeous cast, my goodness. Lee Jae Yoon in those plain white tees had me salivating. Yoon Hyun Min has never looked better and he is beautiful in EVERYTHING.

Jung Kyoung-Ho, glistening and brooding, could only rank 3rd against this tough competition but he was still deathly charming.

This dark and moody thriller starts out with a confusing episode that eventually leads way to gritty gangster plot line filled with betrayal and death. Every actor put their all into this, and while the plot became a bit predictable towards the end, I personally think that was because of effective writing rather than bad writing. There are a few really well done surprising plot twists that literally made me yell "wait, what?!" at the screen, which is always a great part of a well done show. I feel like this show feels a little dated, and there were definitely some confusing elements which accounts for my rating.

I just have to throw in that the friendship between Shi Hyun and Soo was one of my favorite parts, especially after seeing them as enemies in "Falling for Innocence." It's always fun seeing two great actors playing enemies in one show and friends in another.

Overall this was a good watch, although not something I would watch again.

Breathtaking!! Truly amazing.. each episode leaves you speechless!

When you think you've figured out how it works, the cards are mixed again, the allies stab you from behind and in the true sense of the word!