Veteran

I rarely watch Asian movies, I made an exception for this one because I liked the description and the poster. I didn't regret watching it. The way the drama/comedy/detective/action is combined is truly amazing. It made me cry a little, laugh a lot, smile and be sad trough the movie. The detective's perseverance and the limits that he pushes makes it a wonderful story. I liked that we get to see a bad ass woman detective in a secondary role that we rarely see in Hollywood, (a thing that is something normal in Asian movies). Also, the fact that the main character was not a martial arts master is a big plus. A truly inspiring family and friends relationships between characters and real life situations is what makes this movie almost a masterpiece. The level of the actors, their playing deserves and Oscar or at least some international appreciation.

Overall, pretty good. While not my favorite Korean action film, if you like the genre you will probably enjoy it. Overall story and tropes will be broadly familiar to anyone who watches much Korean crime/action.

My one criticism is that the antagonist is cartoonishly evil - a genuine sadist - and his sadism is demonstrated probably more than is necessary, and in more extreme ways than is necessary, for a film which is trying to be more comedic.

Other than that, some good casting/actors, many of whom will be familiar to fans of the genre, including a cameo by Ma Dong-seok, probably my favorite actor in the genre.

Veteran initially comes off as a typical, if still very good, action comedy in which we're introduced to Seo Do-cheol, a skilled detective who is in the process of busting up a car smuggling ring. In the first ten minutes we get both plenty of comedy and action as Do-cheol and his fellow officers show themselves as more grounded and relatable, despite Do-cheol's excellent martial arts skills. While we do get plenty of quick hitting action, we also get cops who get winded, criminals who run without shooting, and other foregone clichés that might exist otherwise. However, it isn't until we get to the meat of the story that we start to see the unconventional turns take place.

The story truly starts, about 30-40 minutes in, when Do-cheol meets Jo Tae-oh, a spoiled, rich, and sadistic executive at the powerful Sun- jin group. When Tae-oh becomes responsible for the near death of one of Do-cheol's friends. It sets in motion a cat and mouse game, with Do-cheol the unstoppable force and Tae-oh blocking him at every point. The film isn't especially action packed, though we do get a few moments of action here and there. Much of this is mixed between comedy and crime drama. What makes the comedy especially good is that it's not only somewhat unconventional for a crime drama of this sort, but that our characters are made relatable and realistic. Despite how they may be set up to be more than average, we're quickly reminded that they're still only human. The interactions are also wonderful, as we witness their personal connections and how they defy the clichéd character types. Do-cheol himself, played wonderfully and charismatically by the excellent Jeong-min Hwang, defies his first impression by having to navigate the legal system to catch Tae-oh in a way that is more about outsmarting his opponent than beating him up. He may act like a supercop, but as we see in the film, his more brutal actions come back to bite him. Tae-oh, played by an equally charming but far more sadistic Ah In Yoo, is a little more clichéd. He's a typically hated bad guy who has no problem embarrassing those around him, beating people up, and pushing his responsibilities onto others. Suffice to say, he plays a typical spoiled rich brat here. But it works. There's a scene early on which demonstrates this well, having a father get beaten in front of his son. He's a truly despicable.

The film is constantly entertaining all the way through and rarely lets up. We do get great scenes of drama and emotion, and the film does an excellent job of making Do-cheol likable, but it's at it's best when Do-cheol is navigating the roadblocks being placed in front of him and overcome his obstacles, which become increasingly more dangerous. When Do-cheol and Tae-oh finally confront each other, it will have been well worth it and the confrontation is something to be relished. This is a very well crafted film that balances all it's elements just right, never coming off as too melodramatic, and much of what works is owed to the excellent writing and acting by the two leads. Korea strikes gold again with this excellent film.

The Korean cop-thieves films are quite extraordinary and I had seen plenty of them. This is based on kind of similar theme. Instead the gang here it is a cop who face-off a millionaire. This is not completely a serious action-crime, but a bit of fun too, that was well written and directed by 'The Berlin File' filmmaker. The film was a huge hit in the domestic market, but I felt the runtime was slightly a lengthy with some few boring parts. Overall, the film was entertaining, that reached close to my expectation.

Before coming to the main story, the film tells a couple of quick crime solving events in its first act. It was the story of an honest, but a tough police officer when it comes to the crimes and criminals. That's how he ends up on one of the greatest case he has ever taken in the hand. Though, it all begins when one of the truck drivers was badly injured after protesting over his termination from the job without the pay. That brings a young wealthy businessman into the frame for the head-to-head clash between him and the cops. In the end who wins, the corporate house with their financial power and political influence or the limbless police force is the remaining.

The opening was so hilarious, I thought I had to prepare for the laugh riot, but then the middle parts failed to keep the same intensity. Precisely to say there's nothing much happened, not the interesting stuffs. That is where the audience has to watch out, because this is not one hundred per cent comedy. But somehow the story kept moving in a right direction, especially the clash between the cops and corporate, at least in a draggy pace. When the final act commenced, I felt the previous developments came in handy to set the stage for a great finish.

"I told you to stay out of trouble."

Quite refreshing from the regular cop films. I did not anticipate the amusing characters like this, not from the cops. Only the cops, but the character sets from the opposite were inverted like 'the masks of comedy and tragedy'. The whole cop team, including the chief was so funny. There are loads of small scale jokes that brighten up our mood. But like I said, once the narration approaches the midway, especially after a business tycoon was introduced, all the fun parts were beginning to fade away. That's the reminder for the commencement of the other facet of the story.

So the film takes the us to the vital segment of the narration where the intensified confrontation takes place. But only the twist spells even more interest in us about the tale's ending. Nothing any breathtaking secrets revealed, yet absolutely best and smart turnaround. The struggling police force against their rival was brilliantly told. In reality, I don't think things can happen like that, but for a movie, it was fun as well as thrilling with some awesome stunt sequences.

The actors too showed their potential. I think it is a good film to remake, but there are few areas to improve like overall pace of the film. When the film started, it took me around half an hour to get used to everything about the film. From the characters to the situations they are in, it needs a serious attention from us, but the other side the length of the film is a worrisome. I enjoyed watching it, so no doubt it was a good film, but should have been even better than that.

I would say it missed an opportunity to be one of a fine cop film. Not because of the attachment of the comedies, but separating and randomising them from the other heavy events makes it an inconsistent to keep up the same momentum throughout, especially like during facing the bad guys. If you watch the film's ending you will understand what I meant.

So these kind of flaws are minors, that comes under the screenplay's error when the scenes in the story failed to flow in a same flat surface. That's what I felt, yet I know I'm not an expert in that field, but I have experience watching films like that. So I won't complain the overall film, surely I can recommend it for those who like cop story. Though the one thing you have to keep in your mind is that it is not a serious recital, but something like seeing a film Jackie Chan in a cop avatar.

7/10

The beginning bit alone is worth watching the movie. Of course the movie has to settle a bit after that much mayhem, but does pick up the pace towards the end again. The comedy action mixture is really fitting and the actors are doing a great job. It's obvious they have fun with the script and the comedy that ensues.

It may seem all over the place and a bit over the top (alright sometimes a lot over the top), but if you don't mind that, you will be entertained as much as I did. South Korea has some really good filmmakers and some great talent in general and here are some on display if you are open minded and love originality, than you should give this a try