Believer 2 (2023)

CONFUSING, SHOULDN'T'VE REPLACED SOME ACTORS AND MESSY

Now I feel bad that i watched the first movie at 1.25 speed... because i got hyped when i saw on netflix new releases, i saw Han Hyo Joo in the poster.

Okay first thing, so they've replaced 3 actors, like the actor of Rak, Jin Ha Rim, and If I'm not mistaken Jin Ha Rim's Girl which was played by Han Hyo Joo. Them Replacing Rak's actor was really off putting to me because it's not the same vibes at all. The actor in this is great, he's good, but he's acting the Cold, can't be mind read character, in the first movie the reason Rak is soo good is because you got the backstory-ish of his family dying and pet getting caught as well, and the actor in the first movie portrayed the emotions really well, because you got this soulless character, with the only goal of finding the person who did it to his family and his pet, but the Rak that he's portraying here has still the same motif and that's to find Mr.Lee, but again the vibes is just not there.

Then jin ha rim also got replaced as seen in the back stories, but i don't care about that anymore since he's dead already and the girl that's played by Han Hyo Joo. Now Han Hyo Joo, my 2nd fav actress, as always she's great, she portrays the character really well. She's matched the energy of the previous actress who played the character but with an extra tinge of Han Hyo Joo.

Now, the story got me really confused. So the first few minutes or so of the movie are cliff notes of what happened in the first movie and then we pick where the movie left off, after all the seon chang and ha rim shit. Already, I'm confused because of the different rak and now, it's revealed that rak is not actually Mr. lee, so okay... and as usual won ho is still on about this case and the other characters have now band in together to get down to this mystery of who actually this Mr. Lee is, like.... just moments ago you were all on each other's throat. And speaking of throat it was revealed that Keunkal and Ha Rim were actually step siblings and i was like "weird... but okay..." and then how they revealed Mr. Lee was the most unsurprising and effortless sequence i've ever seen. Like we got a call and then boom a camera shot of Mr. Lee, no music, no tension or sound effect whatsoever, it's just there. They could've just left the first movie alone, i don't think it needed to have a sequel, like you just unveiled the curtains behind the first movie which you didn't need to. After watching this movie, i was just left confused, like what?! And the later parts of the Film were fast paced, they didn't even bother showing a few scenes of how these characters found each other.

So yeah, i think i'm just gonna forget that this existed. I'm just here for Han Hyo Joo, though i was kinda disappointed as to why this film even landed on her portfolio, but hey, as a fan I'm glad i have something to watch from her. The First film was good i would recommend it and if you wanna watch this one go ahead if you want more, but for me, i wouldn't bother, just the first one is enough.

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Watch as an appendix to Part 1

This can more accurately be described as a Part 2 rather than a sequel. It's very confusing if you haven't watched the first Believer. The movie begins with a 5-minute recap of the highlights of the previous instalment, and that's the only bit that was entertaining and made sense. After that, it is just one hot confusing mess. It seems like what happened with the first Believer was that it was such a great show, they decided to eke it out.

This movie is not a sequel because it doesn't carry on from where the first one left off. Instead, it's very weird because it tries to elaborate and explain a back story of motivation for characters in the first one and introduces whole new characters. It is NOT a movie per se but more like watching an appendix. Finally in the last 5 minutes, we finally catch up to where Part 1 left off and then it creates an ending because part 1 ended ambiguously.

I got to give them credit for being able to pull out bits of the first instalment to create a deep enough side story, and then attempt to pull it back to the main story shown in Part 1, and then tie up everything at the end. Hence my rating of 4. It's a real pity that the talents of Han Hyo Joo (who wasn't in the first part) have be under-utilised.

In essence, if you did watch Part 1 and wanted to find out what happened in the end, simply watch the first and last 5 minutes of the entire Believer 2. You can thank you now.

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More mind games that lacks impact

Originally a remake of Johnnie To's "Drug War", now they've delved into a wider expansion in this sequel and beyond the initial plot on its own. There's even more mind games this time with new characters, but as much extended storyline was added in, it does not seem that it's posing any bigger impact as it should. There's really not enough stakes to drive the threats onto higher ground, the movie stays within its frame and that's not much different than any other standard drug crime movie, it's just ridiculous why Netflix would even cash in a sequel to a movie they do not own in the first place.

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Hallelujah

the movie is more of the first one, but it hits stronger since the cycle of crime, double crossings and death continues and has a deeper meaning knowing the context. this movie on its own offers a look to the past movie and past events so watching the first movie is not necessary. The characters were very brutal and charismatic, they are both monsters and humans.
but i wonder about the title "Believer". yes we have one gangster who is a believer and knows his bible so that he can quote it in certain situations but that is more of an example what it means to sin against the second commandment: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
ultimately, is there belief and God in this movie? and what is death or justice if there is no God? I would have wanted more hints at that from the movie but i did get a lot to think about. so if you want to look into the soul of some criminals, this movie is for you.

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suite convenable

c'est la suite du believer 1 de 2018. L'action se situe avant la fin du premier film, avant le grand-nord.
Je conseille vivement de regarder le 1er film, même après l'avoir vu on se perd un peu au début.
c'est dommage que l'acteur Ryu Joon Yeol ne soit plus là, le nouveau est moins convaincant à mon avis.
De plus le personnage incarné par Han Hyo Joo n'est pas crédible du tout.
Sinon le film se regarde bien, il y a beaucoup d'action, de scènes intenses et violentes.
Les lieux de tournage sont très jolis et bien filmés.
Jo Jing Woong est toujours aussi bon, comme dans le premier (ou comme dans la série signal).

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