Anais
This review may contain spoilers
When society allows dark justice to take its own course.
Vigilante is another noir series inspired by a webtoon which tells the story of Kim Jiyong, a young man who witnessed the murder of his mother when he was young by a violent individual and suffered the injustice of the law by only sentencing the murderer to 3 years in prison.
Twelve years later, Jiyong finds his mother's murderer who still roams the streets freely with 18 convictions, and he takes justice into his own hands.
We follow Jiyong who becomes a vigilante, reciprocally punishing criminals. I have to say that there is a familiar echo in the cases we are shown and the reality we are experiencing. So many times criminals have been released because the law worked in their favor rather than that of the victims. That's probably why the show is so enticing, it's a sad reflection of reality.
The series also portrays how this initiative is the start of a domino effect on society, where a debate takes place on justice, its application and by whom. The public seems to support his initiatives, to the point where other citizens join in to give justice for the victims, even inspiring a copycat and reducing crime on the streets when criminals turn themselves into the police by fear to face "the Vigilante".
The plot is introduced more broadly with a bigger antagonist in the corrupt police chief and his links with seemingly untouchable CEO and politician who kill people to hide their dark deeds without repercussions.
I must say that Nam Joo Hyuk had a great performance in the role of Jiyong, this character is complex and sometimes even unnerving, he is so righteous that it borders on psychopathy (much like Batman in that sense). His micro expressions are a delight for the eye while his character is a young man of very few words. Although we don't delve much into his background, and the series weighs very little on the emotional side beyond anger, I manage to feel empathy for his character, when he feels terrible pain and loss, or when he screams his rage. He has some scenes that are gripping. Honestly, I hope Nam Joo Hyuk will give us the pleasure of diving into more thriller productions, as much as he's lovely on romcom series, he has potential for more.
As for the rest of the cast, the actor Lee Joon Hyuk was a revelation for me, it was more the script that worked in his favor than the acting itself, but I liked his extravagant and insane character. It's rare to witness a copycat who is not only supportive of the one he's copying even after being rejected, but who is actively helpful. I can only purely enjoy his character for what he is : entertainment. Although I wished they dived deeper in his backstory.
Kim Sojin is also a standout, probably the first time I liked following a noisy reporter, Miryeo. I like that she doesn't let herself be intimidated and like everyone else in this series, she's a little crazy to actively court and protect a violent man but her personal trauma explains it.
The biggest disappointment remains Yoo Jitae, I definitely cannot be convinced by this actor, I have seen him in many series, and his range remains minimal, his acting decent or even bad at times, I remain unconvinced by his characterization of Cho Heon, who only knew how the crack his neck. I know it's to give an unnerving mannerism but Nam Joo Hyuk managed to do that just by tilting his head, in comparison, Yoo Jitae remains bland.
I liked the overall production, with dark tones, great fighting choreographies and realistic sets, the soundtracks are amazing (they need to release those already), and the plot is simple to follow without messy and overly done plotlines.
The only downside would be the lack of emotional depth overall and backstory for the main characters, I had very little care for the characters who died or suffered (aside from Jiyong) and that is probably due to the limited number of episodes but as the ending is hinting the probability of a second season, I think we'll deep dive into some characters stories (specially Cho Kang Ok).
Overall, I can't recommend it enough, it's a very entertaining series and worth your time.
Twelve years later, Jiyong finds his mother's murderer who still roams the streets freely with 18 convictions, and he takes justice into his own hands.
We follow Jiyong who becomes a vigilante, reciprocally punishing criminals. I have to say that there is a familiar echo in the cases we are shown and the reality we are experiencing. So many times criminals have been released because the law worked in their favor rather than that of the victims. That's probably why the show is so enticing, it's a sad reflection of reality.
The series also portrays how this initiative is the start of a domino effect on society, where a debate takes place on justice, its application and by whom. The public seems to support his initiatives, to the point where other citizens join in to give justice for the victims, even inspiring a copycat and reducing crime on the streets when criminals turn themselves into the police by fear to face "the Vigilante".
The plot is introduced more broadly with a bigger antagonist in the corrupt police chief and his links with seemingly untouchable CEO and politician who kill people to hide their dark deeds without repercussions.
I must say that Nam Joo Hyuk had a great performance in the role of Jiyong, this character is complex and sometimes even unnerving, he is so righteous that it borders on psychopathy (much like Batman in that sense). His micro expressions are a delight for the eye while his character is a young man of very few words. Although we don't delve much into his background, and the series weighs very little on the emotional side beyond anger, I manage to feel empathy for his character, when he feels terrible pain and loss, or when he screams his rage. He has some scenes that are gripping. Honestly, I hope Nam Joo Hyuk will give us the pleasure of diving into more thriller productions, as much as he's lovely on romcom series, he has potential for more.
As for the rest of the cast, the actor Lee Joon Hyuk was a revelation for me, it was more the script that worked in his favor than the acting itself, but I liked his extravagant and insane character. It's rare to witness a copycat who is not only supportive of the one he's copying even after being rejected, but who is actively helpful. I can only purely enjoy his character for what he is : entertainment. Although I wished they dived deeper in his backstory.
Kim Sojin is also a standout, probably the first time I liked following a noisy reporter, Miryeo. I like that she doesn't let herself be intimidated and like everyone else in this series, she's a little crazy to actively court and protect a violent man but her personal trauma explains it.
The biggest disappointment remains Yoo Jitae, I definitely cannot be convinced by this actor, I have seen him in many series, and his range remains minimal, his acting decent or even bad at times, I remain unconvinced by his characterization of Cho Heon, who only knew how the crack his neck. I know it's to give an unnerving mannerism but Nam Joo Hyuk managed to do that just by tilting his head, in comparison, Yoo Jitae remains bland.
I liked the overall production, with dark tones, great fighting choreographies and realistic sets, the soundtracks are amazing (they need to release those already), and the plot is simple to follow without messy and overly done plotlines.
The only downside would be the lack of emotional depth overall and backstory for the main characters, I had very little care for the characters who died or suffered (aside from Jiyong) and that is probably due to the limited number of episodes but as the ending is hinting the probability of a second season, I think we'll deep dive into some characters stories (specially Cho Kang Ok).
Overall, I can't recommend it enough, it's a very entertaining series and worth your time.
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