Model Taxi (2021)

An Almost Perfect Drama That Survives A Nearly Ruinous Misstep

For the first several episodes of Taxi Driver, I was completely hooked. A fun take on the revenge story that was both playfully irreverent and deeply, brutally serious. The theme and tone of the episodes managed to balance this perfectly. Our various characters reveled in their ruthless undertaking with, initially, little thought for the broader moral complexities.

Naturally, as the series progressed, these moral complexities worked their way to the surface. Mature and nuanced debates about justice versus revenge, vigilantism versus an established justice system, etc. etc. became more prevalent without ever damaging the pacing or feel of the story.

Mostly, this is a drama that doesn't really need a review. You get what's on the tin. It's done exceptionally well. Enough is left unresolved to leave room for personal consideration. The action sequences were wonderful. The characters were wonderfully developed and the whole cast had lovely chemistry. I also enjoyed the pronounced lack of romance.

HOWEVER.

About halfway through, a storyline was begun that damn near ruined the whole thing. I'm not one to jump up and down about how women should or should not be portrayed. I'm of the mind that women, like all human beings, exist in limitless variety and so there really is no "wrong" portrayal, strictly speaking. But this went far enough to offend my intelligence. A case was introduced that had a personal connection to the woman on the team. Many cases arose throughout the series that had personal connections to the various main characters. And all of them struggled to deal with their own emotional baggage as they worked on the case. However when hers came about, she didn't struggle. She ran away to her house where she locked herself in her bedroom and hid under her bed (literally) for days. She was an adult whose irrationally and unnaturally childish behavior was being depicted as normal and unsurprising. No one could reach her. They ended up having to cope with her absence as they tried to handle the case without her essential skills. It came across like she, being a woman, was literally incapable of dealing with the emotional weight of it. This particular case, too, dragged on MUCH longer than the previous ones had, which made this situation feel like it would never end. I almost dropped the drama because of it. An absurd decision that someone ought to be punished for.

And it wasn't like the men were depicted as having an easy time with their personal issues. One had a panic disorder that actually landed him in the hospital. They all struggled, but the men were, apparently, able to at least maintain lucidity and uprightness (and adulthood?). Whereas the woman, being female, actually fully shut down under the pressure of ~~trauma~~ and reverted back to a seven-year-old child. It was like this was the only way the writers could think to portray a woman having a hard time with something. Like they thought it was somehow unrealistic for her to at least be able to attempt to struggle through it. And that it was far more realistic for the woman to respond to difficulty exactly the same way a child would. Because a woman and child are more or less the same thing, right?

If you fast forward through all that garbage, this series is really wonderful. Though I'm hesitant to watch Season 2 on the chance there might be more of that.

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Rainbow Taxi to the rescue ❤

I had to write about this one because, oh boy, for me, it was pure perfection. Taxi Driver is INTENSE. I was moved by the cases, by the characters, by EVERYTHING, since the first episode and it only got better and better. I have no words to describe all that this drama meant to me...

First, let me just say this, it is SO MUCH MORE than just an action drama. Taxi Driver brings real stories, things so horrible it's hard to believe they really happened, so the cases are all about making the criminals pay - no matter how "protected" by power/money/status they are. And THEN they give voice to the victims - listening, protecting and helping them. This is so powerful. The message is clear: if you are a victim, stay strong. Don't break. Speak up. Look for help. You are not alone. You do not have to go through it alone. Call for help. Report. / And in the end of each episode they display the numbers of crime report lines, helplines and listening services in Korea.

The cast is AMAZING - I loved everyone in this show, so many great actors/actresses. The characters are captivating and the Rainbow Taxi Squad will be in my heart forever ❤

If you are looking for romance, this drama is not for you. But, if you are in the mood for a badass squad and teamwork , great action, some thriller, crimes and plots that will make you feel A LOT - from hate to love, to sadness, to hate again and so on - this one is definitely for you.

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Amazing

Fantastic action and acting. This series makes you feel things and absolutely LOVE the characters. I've already re-watched it once because it's just that good. It's a group of people that goes around helping individuals when regular law enforcement can't (or won't) help them.

Hard action sprinkled with some comedy and heartfelt stories. Lee Je Hoon is absolutely amazing in this series. Every episode can be viewed as a stand-alone story but there is also a storyline that connects them all to culminate in the last few eps, both for season 1 and two. But why would you only want to watch one ep? Both seasons have a somewhat closed ending, so you will not be left hanging.

Supposedly a season 3 is in the works and I will definately watch it!

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“If my way doesn’t work, I’ll follow your method.”

A fast pacing action crime drama that had me hooked since the first minute. But… here’s the thing, as much as I love Lee Je Hoon and Esom, I have to say this: the premise and plot is really interesting but the outcome is much more dramatic and unrealistically based on the good guy’s pure luck. Even though I truly enjoyed the entire series, I just can’t overlooked some major flaws in this drama.

Okay, so let’s start with the thing that I love first, shall we? I love how the cases were based on real stories which did great to ground this drama. The scoring was really good, it added a memorable flair to the entire drama. It actually started out strong with the factory employee and school bullying cases. The cast selection is smashing. Lee Je Hoon showcases an amazing versatility, he completely embodying every role that he does in this drama. We got to see him as the dumb jeotgal-loving businessman, the awkward substitute teacher, a docile but avaricious employee, silly illegal mobile phone dealer, and of course, the lieutenant turned taxi driver. Esom is, and as always, so charismatic on screen. Cha Ji Yeon’s impressive potrayal of her villain character. And last but not least, Lee Ho Cheol’s remarkable acting as twin with an opposite characteristic.

However, this drama really does struggle in the second healf of the drama. From the data centre case onwards, it just became too focused on the villains rather than the victims. It lacks focus to the existing cases and became too dramatized and unrealistic. Kim Do Ki, the male lead, never lose. Everything else is just a small hiccup for him. He just seemed so unrealistically powerful to the point where there was no conflict during any fights. You just knew he would survive ??‍♀️ Imagine getting stabbed in the shoulder yet still managed to fight with 20 people and still wins. That’s not humanly possible, like… I can’t relate, the US Marines can’t relate; yet Kim Do Ki can lmao.

The fighting sequences, while enjoyable, are not as neat as some other movies/dramas. Some fights look obviously fake and the stuntmen are obvious as well (i think they struggled to find stuntmen with the same physical appearances with the actors). But, all in all, fighting scenes with an upbeat music playing in the back is always my cup of tea.

I do think this drama would have a much better outcome if it still maintaining their episodic arcs which based on real life cases, though. Those cases were more ‘humane’ rather than whatever the hell happened in the second half of the drama.

All in all, it was definitely an enjoyable ride. In terms of quality, this was definitely an extremely well produced drama, with phenomenal cast. If you want to watch this, just watch it for Lee Je Hoon’s acting, you’ll definitely won’t regret it.

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Sometimes the law doesn't work

Ok this is the last show i watched and loved it so it is pretty fresh in my mind and maybe this review will get a little long sorry about that. I will try not to put too many spoilers but just in case i warn you there could be some.

Plot: This season is mostly about revenge. The rainbow taxi group have a set up when they try to help people that was mistreated and the law didn't help them. I really like the way they show the clients getting in contact with them: mostly when people try to end their lives because they can't take it anymore, their phone number appears to help them.

This season is dark in a lot of aspects but that makes it good too. The cases they work are real cases (A few days ago i found the one about the company CEO and it is exactly as show in the drama something i found amazing and very brave).

We also get to know more about the team and why they do this something neccesary to understand them.

Characters: We have 5 main characters that for me personally complemented each other real good and it is what gets you hook up on the show. They feel as family at times even when all the scars they carry.

In this season the leader is Jang Sung Chul, the one who got them together. He is a little cocky at the start and doesn't listen to Kim Do Gi when he have doubts about getting help for someone worse than the people they punish and this will be his downfall in a way.

Kim Do Gi is our ML, our real hero, our taxi driver. Of course i'm not that objective since Lee Je Hoon is just sooo good. Soo very good at performing all the parts he really do in here. He isn't only Kim Do Gi he is also all the characters he pretend to be to get the revenge. His tragedy is heartbreaking and i really like everything that happened around it and how he gets some kind of clousure in the end. There is something that he still carries with him to season 2 but i think that is good too, it keeps the character more realistic in a way.

Either way in this season i will say that our hacker, Ahn Go Eun is the one who gets the best arc and the best clousure to her tragedy. That they link a case with her is something brilliant from the writers. Watching how she cries desesperately in her room, unable to move, just finding some comfort in some bandaids that Do Gi give her early on. Amazing performance by Pyo Ye Jin and something that stays with you.

Hightlights: Again i'm not that objetive because i was hooked from the very start, when our taxi driver appears to take a killer who was release earlier for good behavior. The first episode set the tone right away and i guess you get on it or probably won't enjoy it. For me everything is good: The plot, the acting, the music, all fits perfectly. I will say episode 14 is an all time good one, what happens almost kill me, it got me on the end of my seat. Amazing.

Negatives: Ok, we need to suspend disbelief in some cases. Kim Do Gi is the typycal action hero (Hawai 5.0 anyone?) so it seems nothing can't hurt him. It gets a little weird when after a beating with a baseball bat he is just like a day in a hospital but wel this happen in this kind of shows.

Also in one of the final eps we see prosecutor Kang Ha Na and Kim Do Gi go see the social worker from Maria's case (The first one) and she is in a mental hospital, traumatized because her time in Baek cell. i felt that they wanted us to feel sad for her, to show us that revenge doesn't always work but it felt flat on me. In the end this one took advantage of disable people so really i can't feel sad for her.

In conclusion, I love it and i really will recomend it to anyone.

Special shout out to Wang Tao Chi and Madam Li because really hilarious ;).

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Entertaining but inconsistent tone

While I really enjoyed the show, I don't think I could give it a 9 or 10. It started off really interesting with a great premise however, nearing the second half the writing started to feel rushed and inconsistent.

We were introduced to Hana as a committed prosecutor who followed the law precisely, but by the end of the show, she didn't mind bending the rules for a good cause. Normally, I wouldn't have minded this but as a viewer it was confusing because she kept changing her mind right until the last 2 episodes. After finding the prison she concluded that being a dark hero was just as bad as being a criminal (I didn't mind this change of heart.) But then she changed her mind again in the last half hour of the show without much explanation again. After saving the taxi team from going to prison she planned to resign because she felt she could no longer act as a prosecutor (this I understood), but then we see in the last few minutes that she joined the taxi team. I felt that this could have been explained a bit more. My issue with this is that it didn't feel like character development but rather inconsistent writing, it all happened so fast.

I also felt that the show could have held a stronger stance on the dark hero/vigilante message. They did a great job with this in the first half but not so much in the second half. It felt like the writers were taking the safer route. I understand that the characters realized their prison was not the best idea (I agree with that too lol) but then they decided to "quit" the whole taxi business and let the law do its thing. I'm assuming they did this to surprise the viewers when the taxi team came back together a year later, but it was just a little confusing. Like I said it felt a little rushed and like they were taking a safe stance on the dark hero message. Whereas in Vincenzo I feel like they didn't shy away from this. I'm wondering if the tone would have been more consistent if it was just one writer. I haven't read the webtoon, but I'm curious to see if they approached the vigilante theme similar to the drama.

BUT regardless of this I REALLY did enjoy watching the show, I just felt it could have been executed slightly better.

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Revenge will bite you back

This drama has been the guru of all revenge movies…

Not a melodrama material. However ten times the fun.

Must warn for all the blood and gore, violence and angst, swearing words. This drama for sure and for real has that truth beyond the truth essence in life.
Each episodes depicts the harsh truth for the weak must suffer. Retaliation then made by this awesome not so ordinary party of five. Each has their painful story and each face their demons, eventually.

Villains are on another level of viciousness. Again, viewers consideration is highly recommended. Be very wise and thoughtful and keep in mind this is just story telling with intense visualization. So when it get too intense quickly take three minute pause, get a soda for a sip or just make sure to watch it with a friend.

Acting is top notch. Lee Je Hoon is on a roll of yet hit wonder. Have been adoring him with this type of genre, ever since Signal.
Then again, this production has an amazing ensemble cast. Heroes, villain and victims are played with excellent acting skill.
OST and BGM are well orchestrated. It is like the utmost perfect set up. Watching this drama from start to end is such a revelation that action super heroes film can be made as real as this. Without extreme CGI or embellished costume suit. Even their villain is scarier than some loony scientist or billionaire gone mad.

This drama deserves more seasons. It even has the perfect ep 16 ending. Superb!

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I don't normally write reviews....

So this is probably the second time I'm writing a review. I heard a lot about Taxi Driver before I gave it a chance and what pushed me to watch it was a friend's recommendation who's really picky about what she watches and the reviews on MDL.

First of all, for someone who's lost a loved one to similar incidents as portrayed in the show and can empathise with the plot and the characters, this is a great show to which I can connect at a deeper level than someone who hasn't experienced something similar.

I love how Lee Je Hoon perfectly portrayed Kim Do Gi, a man driven by his need to protect other people from going through everything he went through and Kang Ha Na (Esom) who didn't want to believe that the law was flawed, changed her idea about how justice was delivered.

I loved the cast for this show, they were familiar faces, good actors who played their characters well.

I'll admit that at the end the show became a bit predictable but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I enjoyed it a lot.

Its one of those shows, when you reach a certain point, you just know that it's different.

9.5/10

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amazing cast, amazing plot and fight scenes? count me in.

*sighs* i don't even know where to begin.
when i started to watch taxi driver, it was already episode 11 and even though it's very hard for me to watch 10 episodes in a row without getting tired ou bored, i couldn't stop watching -- and not because of the plot itself, but also because of the relationship you created with the characters.

taxi driver brings a contradictional situation because you don't want to be a criminal, but at the same time, since criminals do bad things do good people, you want them to suffer. so i personally think they were able to work with that very well: the characters are conscious of what they're doing; they know they aren't heroes, but they can't be silent in a situation of injustice.

the "taxi driver" group has such a funny dynamic! it's not a work that can be done alone and because they need each other very much and because the reason they're working in there is similar, they really look like a family. and their relationship is so so so captivating that you just want to see more of it. since the begining it's clear that every opinion matters.

another thing that made me enjoy so much is the fact that episodes have like their own plot (that is lowkey related to a main plot). i think that this kind of storyline is so interesting, because you're able to show a lot stories and create a lot of scenarios that need to be shown and that need to be discussed without compromising the whole drama.

of course you can find some flaws in the story. for example, i didn't understand much of the process of keeping the "villains" arrested in a cell, i've never read any foucault, but i don't think that was going to work out fine. and in the end, specially the 15-16 episodes i thought they just mixed a lot of things and it was such a rush... the end itself (the last scenes) is good but i think that the drama was supposed to end in the episode 14 and afterwards they just added stuff to have 16 episodes. (but that's my personal opinion).

well, basically: taxi driver is an amazing drama, with and amazing cast, with a good character development and with a lot of funny scenes... AND FIGHT SCENES (with i personally love). it makes you lose a little bit of hope in humanity, but it also makes you promise yourself that you'll never shut up in situations of injustice........... and that you'll never transfer money after receving a call from a prossecutor office.

(ps. english is not my mother language, so i apologize for any mistakes)

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