Review Korean Movie "The Policeman's Lineage" 2022

Apr 18, 2022

Lee Kyoo-man has not directed many films, as his works come out every 4-5 years. They do tend to have an impact, however, with "Children..." in particular being a rather memorable production. Lee is back with another crime thriller with intense dramatic elements, based on the Japanese novel "Keikan no Chi" by Joh Sasaki, which has already been adapted for Japanese TV.

Choi Min-jae is a young policeman in the Major Crime Unit who believes in the integrity of the Force, with his motto being "If the police do something illegal even it has been occurred during the process of investigation, they are also criminals". At the same time, however, he carries a chip on his shoulder regarding his father, also a policeman, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances. This is the issue Chief inspector Hwang In-ho exploits, in order to plant him in the crew of the ace team leader of the most successful investigation team of the Force, Park Kang-yoon. In-ho believes that Kang-yoon is actually corrupt, with the way he receives his financing being rather shady. Min-jae does get in his crew, and begins investigating his ways, but soon finds himself enjoying the way his new boss does things, and particularly his motto, "The chase of crime should be justified even if it's illegal". Furthermore, Kang-yoon seems to be connected with his father, while a relationship of mentor-apprentice soon begins to form. In-ho, however, is not willing to let go, while Kang-yoon has his own obsession, of arresting millionaire criminal Na Yeong-bin, who has managed to escape prison despite being arrested three times.

Review Korean Movie

Lee Kyoo-man directs a captivating crime thriller, exploiting the concept of the "mole", which in this case, is planted within the police and not in some criminal organization. At the same time, the dynamics created by the connection of the four main characters, Choi Min-jae and his father, Hwang In-ho and Park Kang-yoon allow him to analyze his protagonists quite thoroughly, while also instilling his narrative with an intense sense of drama that adds much to the overall appeal of the movie. Furthermore, the concept of the father adds some mystery to the whole story, while also affecting the aforementioned dynamics, in another element that enriches the overall context. Add to that the effort to catch Yeong-bin, and the mystery behind Kang-yoon's power and you have a rather intriguing story that retains interest from beginning to end, particularly regarding the outcome of the protagonists' occasionally contradicting goals and the solving of the various mysteries. Granted, after some point the subplots here emerge as too many (the material is indeed more suited for a TV series) and somewhat far-fetched, but Lee's steady hand does not allow the movie to fall off the rails, neither in that regard nor in melodramatic terms.

The fact that Min-jae finds himself in the middle of the power struggle of two men that are evidently more powerful than him is also quite intriguing, even more so with the addition of the impact his father had in his life. Furthermore, his knack for judo allows for a number of impressive action scenes, which are also implemented as vehicles of progressing the story. These aspects benefit the most by Choi Wooshik's performance in the role, with the way he is both resolved and lost on which path to follow being excellently portrayed. Particularly the scenes where he makes it obvious he begins to enjoy Kang-yoon methods are among the most enjoyable in the movie. Park Hee-soon as Hwang In-ho and Kwon Yul as Na Yeong-bin are also quite good in their roles as the "villains" of the story, with their antithesis as characters working very well here. The one who steals the show, however, is definitely Cho Jin-woong as Park Kang-yoon, who gives another majestic, rather layered performance as a man who thrives under the pressure he feels from all sides as much as a mentor for his subordinates.

Review Korean Movie

Kang Gook-hyun's cinematography is top-notch, instilling the movie with an occasional noir essence that works well for the story, while the overall "polishness" of the images is implemented well in this case. The action scenes are all well-shot and realistic to a point, with Nam Na-yeong's editing finding its apogee in that regard, as much as in the rather fitting, relatively fast pace.

Despite some minor issues in the script, "The Policeman's Lineage" emerges as a captivating crime thriller, which, although does not reach the level of the masterpieces of the category, remains entertaining from beginning to end.

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