South Korean writer/director/actor Ryoo Seung-wan is quickly establishing himself as one of the top tier filmmakers working in his homeland today, and I, The Executioner somewhat perfects a formula that he began with Veteran in 2015. In terms of tone, this now franchise of Veteran and I, The Executioner somewhat bookend the incredible South Korean cop/action/comedy franchise starring Ma Dong-seok known as the Roundup series. I don’t believe they’re related in terms of filmmakers or stars or a “shared universe” or anything like that. But they certainly share a vibe that is incredibly crowd pleasing and satisfying, and worth noting if anyone is seeking a “vibe check” before they check out I, The Executioner for themselves. You’ll be getting a cop thriller with plenty of laughs, as well as sophisticated fisticuffs.
It’s shocking that Veteran is almost 10 years old, and this is only the first sequel to that highly successful and influential Korean crime film. I personally didn’t see Veteran until just a few months ago, but after watching most of the Roundup series over the last couple of years, it hit me that Veteran sort of walked so that those films could run. In Veteran, seasoned detective Seo Do Cheol (Korean star Hwang Jung-min) is determined to get his man no matter the cost, and the cost will be dear. The system weighs heavily against him as he tries to take down a criminal who is rich and well connected. It’ll take his entire dedicated team of fellow officers, who are portrayed as goofball losers with hearts of gold, incorruptible outcasts, to close the case. They’ll bend rules, endure angry calls from their spouses, and get their man no matter what. It’s a solid enough formula that wouldn’t have fully gelled without a truly hateable villain that the audience wants to get got as much as the lead characters do. But that dogged, rag tag, comical team of South Korean detectives has become somewhat of a genre unto itself with 4 Roundup films playing in that same sandbox.
But what about, I, The Executioner? I mentioned all those previous films to say that I, The Executioner feels like somewhat of a warm cinematic blanket for fans of South Korean crime/action films as it almost perfects the formula that so many similar films have laid out. Cheol is as stubborn and dogged as ever, complaining about the low wages and high sacrifice of being a detective and monkeying around with his brothers in arms. This time around, a Robin Hood style serial killer seems to be emerging (although his bosses won’t believe him). Known as “Haechi”, our killer is terminally online, and only kills people who seemingly committed heinous crimes and got away with them. So Haechi kills killers, often recreating the deaths of their victims in his own killings. He’s a vigilante serial killer, to some extent, so the public kind of loves him and I, The Executioner very much highlights the complications of social media and true crime YouTubers whipping up public opinion into a frenzy. It’s a great, chaotic set up to throw our lead detectives into. Cheol is tasked with protecting a guy he largely views as a scumbag, and who got out of being punished for a crime Cheol believes he committed. Cheol and his team have to walk a fine line of being cops who bend the rules, but who will do what’s right when the time comes. And Cheol will stop Haechi if it kills him.
Seung-wan writes and directs here, and what’s most impressive about I, The Executioner is the remarkable tonal balance it achieves, even more successfully than Veteran did. The world around Cheol is a chaotic one, with his son struggling with bullying at school, a serial killer on the loose, bosses who won’t back him up, and the internet in a speculative whirlwind that places his team in a media firestorm. The tension is ratcheted up to 11 not just for our characters but in the style of the film as well. But within that stew I, The Executioner brings tons of laughs, and also presents a credibly threatening villain with real heavy duty stakes. Then top all that off with some high energy chases and action set pieces, and you’ve got something special, if familiar, going. All the stops are pulled out to ensure you are entertained in a way that only South Korean cinema can really deliver.
I would recommend I, The Executioner to anyone who enjoys a good police procedural. It’s accessible whether you’ve seen Veteran or not. If you love thrills and laughs, this will have a lot to offer. Fans of Veteran or The Roundup films will know what they’re in for here, but the ride will prove worth it even for the familiar. I, The Executioner is one of the most straight up entertaining and furiously paced films I caught at Fantastic Fest 2024 and I’d welcome a third installment of Seung-wan and Jung-min’s madness.
And I’m Out.
