The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil (2019)

Directed by: Lee Won-Tae | 109 minutes | action, crime | Actors: Ma Dong-seo, Kim Mu-yeol, Sungkyu Kim

In ‘The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil’, mob boss Jang Dong-so (Dong-seok Ma) has a simmering conflict with his friend and rival Hur Chang-Do over his slot machine empire in the Korean city of Cheonan. When he decides to drive alone in the car one rainy evening, he is tapped from behind by a white car. Out of nowhere, the other driver pulls out a knife and attacks him. Dong-so manages to fend off the attacker, but is badly injured. He turns out to be an accidental victim of a serial killer who has already made several victims. Driven and confident detective Jung Tae-suk (Kim Mu-yeol) tries to catch the killer. With many fives and sixes, the gangster and the policeman come to an agreement: they are going to catch ‘the devil’ together. Everyone has their own ideas about that, as far as Dong-so is concerned, the murderer does not go to prison for life. Still, Tae-suk agrees and that sets up a cat-and-mouse game between the main protagonists within the cat-and-mouse game to catch the killer (Kim Sungkyu). Things get complicated when Dong-so finds herself in a gang war with Hur and Tae-suk is put in charge of the Major Crimes Department, which wants to take over the murders.

‘The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil’ is a hard-hitting Korean thriller with lots of flashy action sequences and a good dose of humor that captivates from start to finish. The film offers a lot of entertainment, has a smooth narrative style and regularly provides a smile. The violence is brutal, but there are enough winks, plot twists and surprises to keep the whole light in tone.

Dong-seok Ma has a charismatic lead role as the heavily built Jang Dong-so. His memorable introductory scene immediately portrays his character and he continues – despite his criminal empire and the questionable actions he sometimes performs – to keep the sympathy of the viewer. You understand his own moral code of honor and why he wants to take revenge on the killer. Kim Mu-yeol is up to him as the detective who is averse to conventional methods and abhors the corruption within the police apparatus. The two opposites that are forced to work together to achieve a common goal: it is a template that has been done in many hundreds of films before. Due to the intense and often humorous interaction between the protagonists, you hardly have the feeling that you have seen all this before. Incidentally, Kim Sunkyu plays an enigmatic serial killer and is a worthy opponent against the other two.

The story is set in August 2005 and claims to be based on true events – all names and events have been changed. The fact that the plot shows some holes here and there and some things are a bit illogical, should not spoil the fun. The main goal of the makers is entertainment: the momentum is well maintained and thus imperfections are masked. It is only the second film that director Won-Tae Lee has shot (he also wrote the screenplay) and here he shows his talent and flair as a filmmaker.