Impressive Thriller
Have to say at the beginning 2 - 3 episodes storytelling gave the impression of cat - mouse chase only to subvert it later by adding layers of plot twists in realistic way. So do watch for at least 4 episodes before considering to drop altogether, it's a slow burn. Both the leads does fall under some greyish morals making is more interesting to watch.Cast performance especially shin ha kyun is outstanding making all more realistic to watch, happy to hear he won the award. More than story, the show draws it strength from the conversations and powerful dialogues between leads and characters. Hope to see more thrillers with power pack performances in near future.
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Gripping from start to finish!
I have an awful attention span when it comes to watching KDramas, I'm one of those people who finds a scene boring and puts it on 2x or just turns it off... but this show was so gripping that I finished it within a week or so. What will I even do now?The character development was incredible, the culprit was not predictable at all, and the pacing was great. The only thing I struggled with sometimes was remembering everyone's names because there were so many characters, but it's not really a fault of the drama. It got a bit morbid and very sad at points, but didn't wallow in it too much which was great! :)
I never write reviews, that's how good I found this drama.
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They made me look stupid
So where do I even begin? This drama was something unexpected to me since I thought that I would get bored 2 episodes in but I didn't. I am happy I took a little break from investigation dramas because that would probably affect this review. I came into this thinking it would be like an eight-star watch, something I would get over fast but it turned out to be master peace with a lot of shocking moments. I even enjoy some of the OSTs because even the music caught my interest. Maybe in like a year I will watch it again and think about every happy moment, and what my reactions were when some shocking stuff happened. Also, this review has a headline " They made me stupid". It's because there were multiple moments where I acted smart and started insulting the characters for being stupid but they were one step ahead of me, as always. To wrap this up I am just surprised how I can watch 16 episodes in 4 days.Was this review helpful to you?
Beyond Evil is beyond your average thriller
Beyond Evil is a great example of how to take a simple concept and absolutely run with it. Between the exemplary acting, tight writing and numerous twists and turns along the way, this Korean drama is easily one of the best shows of the year.Given the simplicity of the story, it’s actually quite impressive that the series adds layers of twists while also making sure there are no plot holes left behind either. Every single character has an alibi, a place to be and – more importantly than that – a motive for killing. In fact at one point there are 8 different possible suspects!
Beyond Evil is amazingly consistent and efficient in its writing; it not only manages to keep episodes compact yet compelling, it also manages to keep up the suspense for its full 16 episodes, which is a big deal. The OST was used skillfully as well.
My Rating : 8.5/10
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A story about choices and self-identity. Beyond Evil is a slow-burn psychological thriller full of eerie crime and corruption that involves an entire town. The story takes its time to tell the motives, behaviours and connections among the characters, the mystery unfolds very slowly and intend to be confusing. For that reason, I think it's perfect to binge it than watching weekly to keep feeling engaged and focussed. Trigger warning. there were many many suspenseful and gruesome scenes that I found quite disturbing.
The bonds that Dong Sik and Joo Won form between each other is another highlight of the show. Despite their initial mistrust, they are two people on the same side of the law who learn to walk that fine line between good and evil together. They both were obsessed with finding the truth. Aside from the two, all the other characters were significant. The police team is heartwarming and the villains are blood boilingly frustrating, as how they should be. Overall, it's a though, slow show, great performance and character developments.
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Good drama - was expecting much more
To be honest I was expecting much more from this drama after I read so many great reviews. The first half was great but the second half started dragging the story and it wasn’t so interesting and I had to push myself to finish it. It is real shame as the story was great but not executed very well. After finishing the last episode I didn’t feel any joy or sadness as it haven’t leave any impact on me as other great drama did.The acting of the main lead Ha Kyun was great he’s really good actor. He has done outstanding performance.
You cannot compare this drama to a masterpiece Mouse or Flowers of evil.
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What kept me going however was not Yeo Jin-goo but Shin Ha-kyun. I actually loved how much of a lunatic Dong-sik was and how he stopped caring about what people thought about him. Joo-won didn't grow on me until the latter half of the show because he seemed too cocky and gung ho to catch the culprit without actually verifying his thoughts with evidence. Even now I'm still confused by some of his thought processes. I would recommend this to anyone.
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Don't Fall While You're Sitting at the Edge of Your Seat
This drama is like a rock you push off a tall mountain -- once gravity kicks in, the rock gets faster and faster, building up unstoppable momentum until it reaches its inevitable end and crashes with a big, exciting explosion. I found myself quickly hooked into this show and constantly wanting to know more: why did a character do what they did? What is the identify of this person everyone is searching for? How does this new information fit into the grand scheme of things? The show answers these questions as quickly as it creates new ones. It is a thrilling ride.Shin Ha Kyun and Yeo Jin Goo absolutely kill it with their performances. Lee Dong Shik is one part genius, one part jaded, and one part creepy -- a veritable mastermind who will have you second guessing his motives from episode to episode. Han Joo Won is a relentless, naive, boy scout who is a natural foil to the years of life experience that Dong Shik brings to the table. Together, they dynamic brings a very compelling perspective to guide you into exploration of the murder mysteries that the show covers and the themes exploring humanity and the meaning of law order. Throughout the series, I had no real sense of how the characters were going to evolve nor how the story was going to end, and I think that's a good thing. The unpredictability of this show gives it a unique quality and it definitely avoids the feeling of a cliched "good guy vs bad guy" story.
The one, minor flaw is that this production does suffer a little from the "ending part is not as great as the beginning part" that most Kdramas seem to experience. I found the ending just a little too tidy and the final episode just felt a tad too rushed for my tastes. However, I think the drama is very cohesive: from beginning to end, its characters are very consistent, yet show change and growth in ways that you might expect for people that go through the experiences that they did. Moreover, the themes and values explored come full circle and have a satisfying conclusion. Overall, this is a much watch in my opinion.
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This review may contain spoilers
Everyone has their own evil inside
Watching this drama after BLACKPINK Jennie mentioned it, and got even more curious after this drama won in three categories at Baeksang Award. Using the usual crime thriller plot where the characters had to find a serial killer, Beyond Evil is like any other dramas. But, there is one thing that made this drama very memorable to me. Shin Ha Kyun's smile in the first episode and how it influenced my view on his character. My first impression was "Lee Dong Shik is a creep", because we have yet to know the depth of his character so I was suspicious of him too, and then through every episode it was shown that Lee Dong Shik is just 'crazy' not cruel, making me understand his character. This drama made me judge the characters by their gesture, appearance, and a glimpse of their questionable words, it felt like I was analyzing people. Episode 6 is definitely the reason why this drama was named 귀물 (Monster) and Beyond Evil in english, Kang Jin Mook as the serial killer is such an interesting point of the drama. He appeared as the weak-looking guy who stutter when speaking, manipulated the viewers to believe that he was not the type to do such thing until the story unfolds from his perspective. I agree with one of the reviews where it said that every dialogue of this drama carries weight. The last episode showing Lee Dong Shik smiling to Han Joo Won just like in the first episode, but it gave you the impression of warming, completely different from our impression to the first episode, that is also my most favorite part about this drama. If there is one thing that I find regrettable, it's the fact that Han Joo Won didn't respond Lee Dong Shik's banmal by calling him "hyung" haha love them bromanceWas this review helpful to you?
A Dark Psychological Crime Thriller
BEYOND EVIL was an insanely good drama. Going into it, I really had no expectations set and so I was very pleased to realize this was going to be a stellar drama. I realized that right off the bat. It wasn’t hard to guess it would turn out to be great, given the super great acting, intriguing storyline and mystery, and awesome music. The first episode was very compelling. There was so much to love about this show. It was very addictive and masterfully executed. This isn’t your run of the mill crime kdrama by far.Being a psychological thriller, and featuring a lot of crime, involving some gruesome murders and some graphic and highly emotional scenes, this series is rather dark and certainly not for everyone. It has a way of getting in your head and under your skin, without being classified horror. However, the complexity of this drama is pretty mind blowing. Definitely a series to try if you enjoy dark, gritty, psychological crime thrillers.
While there certainly is crime, murder, mystery, intrigue and heavy psychological elements, this drama is wholly original in flavor and it’s hard to peg down why. Certainly the two male leads (Shin Ha-kyun as the jaded and misunderstood Lee Dong Shik, and Yeo Jin-gu as the determined and incorruptible Han Ju Won) are fantastic actors with definite on-screen chemistry. Though the story is non-romantic, and not sexual in nature, the two partners gradually form a deep bond hard to describe. They grow from enemies to partners to true friends, of course, but the platonic bond they later share is something truly powerful. Possibly result of a shared trauma, or a trauma bond. Either way it’s incredibly moving. A Bromance unlike any other, especially in this genre.
The story itself was excellent and kept me on the edge of my seat. The entire drama is a rollercoaster ride, from one thrilling point to the next. The characterizations were great and memorable. There were so many likable characters besides the main leads, and all were so well written and existing in various shades of grey. I really loved the connections and friendships between the people of the small town. Great casting and great acting. On top of all that, the visuals, cinematography, script, music, it was all top notch. This show makes you feel so much. Just prepare for a wild ride. I really hope there will be another season/series soon.
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