Officer Black Belt (2024)

The more you sit with it the more it hurts

This follows Jungdo who begins starts off as a martial arts expert who just wants to have fun. One event in which he saves an officer’s life leads him into the police service where he volunteers as a martial officer who hunts rogue criminals under house arrest.
I loved the initial humour of the show, it was interesting to watch Woobin in this movie, his charisma and ability to play the part of this younger guy who just wants to have fun and then gets this higher calling that makes him take stuff seriously finally.
However, I think the dark themes of child abuse and hunting pedofiles did not merge well with the action comedy genre of the show.
While the jokes were funny most of the time, it was jarring to have a joke or quirky quip be followed by the hunt for some notorious convicted child abuser.

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Literally screamed at the end!!!

WOW, thos show went from extremely mid and quite slow paced to heart racing anxiety. Hard watch as the topic of the main case is a excruciatingly hard for anyone who cares about kids, I’m not gonna say anymore, but you know this goes on in the world and sadly its a big business that makes a lot of nasty evil people very rich.

I did think at first they spend all the budget on Woobin, which you know will get you views. But the energy definitely steps up and you will be on the edge of your seat.

For those of us who are MASSIVE fans of Designated Survivor there is the very best of surprises at the end and I literally screamed my hubby was extremely confused as he hasn’t seen it. I am a fan however and loved loved loved it!!!

Best President of South Korea, the only one in my eyes lol.

Not sure I’d rewatch. I don’t honestly want to be reminded of what evil sick men do for money, but Woobin and the rest of the cast did great.

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One of the Best Movies I've Seen

Honestly, it's widely known to many that Kim Woo-bin never misses with anything he acts in. But this movie is not only one of the best pieces of work he's taken part in but also genuinely one of the best action movies I've seen. The plot is engaging; first capturing your attention with the ML being an adrenaline junky. He spends most of his days practicing, sparing, or playing video games while also making deliveries for his father's restaurant. Maybe doesn't sound great at first but the way it's filmed makes you (at least it made me) almost feel the adrenaline too.

The ML is almost innocent in his lack of knowledge about the criminal world but he's got a good heart. Never turning away from a challenge and not turning his back on anyone in need. And I could feel the growth he experienced throughout the film as he went from someone who was just in the job temporarily because he thought the concept of fighting a bunch of "ex-cons" all day/night was fun to someone who found purpose in what they were doing. The ML captured my heart in a way that I could feel his pain when something went wrong or someone got hurt. He cares and he makes you feel it with him.

I'll definitely rewatch this and recommend this to anyone wanting a great action film that really gets you invested in what happens on screen.

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Sound of Freedom

This movie deserves every recommendation, and I want to join the praises with a brief review. The producers know how to capture the audience's attention and evoke emotions. This is pure action with a moderate dose of humor but also a lot of seriousness, especially in the second half when we follow criminals committing very serious crimes. No one can remain indifferent when watching children in danger. This movie reminded me of the excellent *Sound of Freedom*.

In short, this movie works excellently both as entertaining action and as a social commentary on criminals on probation after being released from prison. The main actor, Kim Woo-bin, who plays Lee Jeong-do, managed to stand out with his charisma among much more experienced actors, and it’s nice to see his maturation through the experiences he gains in the movie.

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I just finished watching this and I don't know how I feel about what I just saw.

I'm a martial arts fanatic. I will watch any and everything martial arts related. The title got to me and of course the fighting previews reeled me in.

The main character gets introduced as not having a life. He's easily bored if he's not having any kind of fun from winning what he thinks are challenges. He stumbles upon a person getting beat and he winds up helping that person with his martial art skills which gets told to someone in the ankle monitoring department of the police station. He learns the person he helped will be out of commission for 5 weeks and with his martial art skills, the ankle monitoring department could use some help with dealing with the difficult ones who won't obey the ankle monitoring rules. He then takes the job because he thinks it's fun. He then realizes the job he'll be doing isn't so fun because most involves sexual assault crimes against children. This right here could be a trigger for some which is why I think this movie treaded very lightly on the subject.

Now that I'm thinking about how I felt what I saw, the word 'light' explains it. This movie was very light. It only told the crimes of the ankle monitoring perps. Only two actors showed a light dusting of why they had to wear their ankle monitors.

The main bad guy hardly had any back story. We just know he's a horrible person that shouldn't be around kids. He gets out of jail only to pick up where he left off. This happens to be the heart of the movie but again, it was lightly done.
You get a few sprinkles of fighting scenes thrown in. The guy recruits his best friends to help capture the bad guy.....and that's about it.
He faces the bad guy again after the bad guy and his goons manage to injure the first MML and the other ML 's.

It ends with the hero saving the day...as usual...and that's it.

I usually gripe about Korean movies being a lot of fluff with no explanations on a lot of things and this one was like that. Luckily it wasn't drawn out and wrapped up in a news segment like a lot of Korean movies tends to do.

If you want a light hearted crime movie with some fighting thrown in, here's your movie.

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Should you watch it?

Not the kind of show I would watch but decided to watch because of the hype.

In terms of pacing and writing it’s really good and also the basis of the story being centered around probation officers, martial artists who monitors possible offenders that might do recidivism is really a unique storyline of unsung heroes who usually go unnoticed. One thing that is believable about this movie is the mc’s father and director motivation to inspire others as well protecting the less vulnerable is very commendable and it doesn’t feel too forced upon or cringy. There isn’t really a boring moment in the movie which did make me guess how much more dangerous will the next offender be.

Mc has really good group of friends and support group so it was nice to see that their friendship isn’t only limited to hanging out playing games and eating out but it goes beyond that. They were willing to go the distance to help mc when it comes to catching the serial rapist. Mc’s relationship with the director was also wholesome and cute as they looked out for one another.

Overall, I can see why some might enjoy this as there are mix of light-hearted moments, good-hearted Mc and a unique storyline.

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Kim Woobin’s dengan karakter barunya

Meski kim woobin gak seaktif actor lain, dia jadi salah satu actor non skip buat gua. 90% drama/filmnya dia selalu gua tonton. Film ini cukup refreshing sih mengingat kebanyakan kim woobin difilm/drama tuh karakternya fierce. Kadang suka nyelenah, dingin, atau sengak tp disini enggak.

Kayanya sih ini pertama kalinya dia berkarakter innocent dengan positive vibe bahkan bukan cuma script tapi raut muka dan gelagat dia pun berkarakter baik, lumayan wow nontonnya. Kerennya dia mampu ngebangun gairah anak muda yang belum banyak pengalaman tergambar dalam film ini. Disini gua gak tau umurnya Jung Do tp gua menduga antara dia gak lama baru lulus sekolah atau kemungkinan gak lebih dari maksimal 27th.

Gua suka banget disini peran senior, bokap dan temen2nya Jung Do tuh dapet semua di porsinya masing2, serasa Jung Do tuh anak baik2 yang dikelilingi orang2 yang care dan udah mengakui eksistensi dia.

Gua juga suka sama garis besar masalah sosial yang diangkat dalam film ini, kasus kejahatan seksual emang makin hari makin nambah, Kalo kita gak super aware pasti akan terus berkembang dan jadi sebuah hal yang biasa buat orang2 aneh itu.

Yang jelas film ini cukup masuk dalam standar menghibur. Upliftingnya juga dapet. Gak kepengen banyak kritik karna gua rasa ngemas pake durasi film dengan hasil kaya gini ya udah bagus.

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Officer Black Belt Korean Movie Reviews

Officer Black Belt marks Kim Woo Bin's triumphant return to action-packed cinema, blending thrilling martial arts sequences with social commentary.

The film follows Lee Jung Do, a seemingly ordinary man who works at his father’s chicken restaurant but secretly possesses exceptional martial arts skills. His life changes when he steps in to save a probation officer, leading him to temporarily join the ranks of law enforcement, tackling dangerous criminals and reevaluating his life choices.

The movie is not just about fast-paced action; it delves into significant societal issues, including South Korea’s lax sexual assault laws and child safety concerns. The plot critiques the justice system while delivering an emotional narrative about duty and morality. However, some narrative elements, such as the ease with which Jung Do navigates law enforcement, may feel a bit unrealistic.

Kim Woo Bin shines in the lead role, bringing emotional depth and physical prowess to the character, making his martial arts scenes particularly gripping. The dynamic between Woo Bin and Kim Sung Kyun (playing probation officer Kim Sun Min) adds further emotional weight to the story, making it more than just an action spectacle.

While Officer Black Belt has some narrative flaws, including the handling of sensitive topics, it succeeds in offering a thrilling watch with timely messages about justice and protection

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Perfect! I really liked it

This movie had amazing action, nice friendship dynamics and even a bit humor! Though if you are sensitive to the topics of sexual assault / rape (especially towards children) then you shouldn't watch this movie alone.

I personally really like that they stocked to material art until the end, expect for a few expectations where he used a teaser or threw things at the guys, instead of only using it halfway through and then sticking to only weapons. I have seen a lot of kdrama and movies that involved too many guns which in my opinion is a bit unnecessary, maybe I'm just a bit old-fashioned in this but I prefer my action with proper fights so I definitely wasn't disappointed in this movie at all.

I also really like that none of the friends of the main lead didn't get hurt or that there wasn't any "betrayal" kind of thing. Also really like that the main cast didn't smoke at all, I've seen a lot movies/dramas where they made one or multiple of the main cast smoke so they seem more "badass" which is so unnecessary in my opinion.

I also really liked that it was a happy end, as I personally don't like sad noir open ends.

Only thing I didn't like is that one incident but nothing I would give less stars for.

I kept rooting for the ML the whole time especially because he has a good personality and good intentions, very empathetic and selfless.

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