Narco-Saints review: Netflix’s latest Korean thriller is a derivative downer

A new Korean-language Netflix series, Narco-Saints, seems to have been inspired by this idea. What if two of her, on either side of the law, find themselves united under extraordinary circumstances simply because they are a compatriot couple in an unfamiliar new country? Riffing on movies like Scarface and shows like Breaking Bad, Narco Saints tells the maniacally paced story of an ill-fated man named Kang In-Goo (played by superstar Ha Jung-Woo). center of international drug operations.

Growing up in poverty and having little chance of surpassing his position in society, Kang is lured into a get-rich-quick scheme by an old school friend. The two plan to travel to the former Dutch colony of Suriname, where they will purchase discarded seafood and sell it to hungry Koreans at high prices. I can not do it. Soon, Kang and his friends are hunted down by corrupt cops drooling for bribes and local gangsters worried about intruding on their territory.

However, the more street-smart Kang has it all covered. He butters up local law enforcement chiefs with special packs of Korean coffee and tons of cash. However, he is unable to fend off Chinese gangsters who warn him not to venture out of his territory.Pastor Jeong salman khanBharat) apparently neutralize the Chinese threat by threatening them with divine wrath. For a while, Kang’s plan seems to be working.

However, things quickly take a turn for the worse when Kang’s seafood shipment is found to be laced with cocaine that neither Kang nor his associates know anything about. Arrested on a fairly serious charge, Kang receives a shocking revelation from an intelligence officer played by Squid Games’ Park Hae-soo — Pastor Jeong isn’t a pastor at all. In fact, he’s a drug lord. Agent Choi tells Kang that he can drop the charges if Kang agrees to become a police mole and lure the pastor into a trap.

Finding common ground between two ideologically opposed men is familiar territory for writer-director Yoon Jong-bin. Yoon Jong Bin is the man behind modern Korean masterpieces such as Unknown Gangster (which was marketed as a movie that would make Martin Scorsese proud) and Spy Gone His North. (this is still my favourite) spy movies over the last 10 years). But as intriguing as the idea of ​​director Yun returning to home is, Narco Saints is too derivative and plot-driven to be truly compelling.

By devoting almost exclusively to the twists and turns of the story, Yoon neglects to flesh out the Kang or Reverend Jeong characters and their extraordinary relationships. So instead of writing a scene where two people wrestle with conflicting feelings about a chaotic mess, the show flings its characters from one sticky situation to the next. Both of Gone North helped push genre boundaries. Instead, Narco-Saints leans into gangster movie tropes with more than necessary zeal.

Even at six episodes long, the show feels exhausting. And this is mostly due to Yoon’s constant pacing: Aside from the first episode (most of which is devoted to Kang’s backstory), Narco his Saints barely hold their breath. Heated conversations give way to heavy gunfights in the streets as the walls close in on Kang and the police. Cast performances are usually (for Korean thrillers like this) over the top, of I feel like Chan Chen fits the tone of the show more than I expected.

The show actively puts aside the narrative that makes the whole thing more meaningful, but there’s a lot going on here at the same time. After abandoning the child, it is essentially forgotten. Narco-Saints will never examine the aftermath of this manipulation action. In addition to keeping her high and dry, Kang is shown to have basically tricked her into marrying him. Nor does the show make any sense about greed because it’s so intent on quoting Scripture. , may also be his weakest project.

Narco Saints
Director – Yoon Jong Bin
Cast – Ha Jung Woo, Hwang Jung Min, Park Hye Soo, Jo Woo Jin, Yoo Yeon Suk, Jang Chen
Rating – 2.5/5