Vigilante (2023)

Meh eh i guess

I usually like the revenge vigilante plot in dramas.
Everyone's acting was good.
My favorite character was definitely the copy cat Vigilante..
My least favorite character was the woman reporter.
the fighting scenes were great as well it fits into the overall story and does not stick out like a sore thumb. Gruesome scenes were gruesome.
I think if there was just a little bit more emotional investment - building up the characters emotionally (for example the victims) may have invested me more into the show but they only showed the criminals in the act or after it.

Story was fine.
It's a good watch but very average.

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Vigilante Oh Yeah

This was amazing from start to finish. The action and fighting scenes were fantastic.
I did however didn't like the female reporter even at the end. I was though glad we
got to know why she as she put it through the Vigilante wanted to cause an uproar
in the world because of what happened to her father. I was also disappointed that
his friend had to die. It was hard for him to let his friend be labeled The Vigilante but
it seemed to be what his friend wanted. I liked it at the end that as he stood there at
the graduation ceremony that he didn't raise his hand nor did he repeat the oath. I think
after some got rewarded even in death that was the and what happened to his friend that
was the final and last straw. He just looked straight ahead with a strong determination.
But because of the annoyance of that reporter its a solid 9/10.

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WHAT A GREAT POTENTIAL FILM

The Plot: the way they portray an anti-hero is so well done, it made me feel sympathy and that's what ppl who have gone through many injustices should do to protect themself and their family, but disagree with it at the same time because violent is not a great choice.
I'm impressed by NJH's acting in this drama, there are some moments lacking expression but in conclusion, he still makes an effort to play a complex character and makes it more charismatic. I appreciate every actor who has always tried to improve their ability in their work. Besides, other char is so interesting to watch the writer did not let any char less important although they're just side char, they have their own path and choice.
In conclusion, NJH made me look at him from a different perspective now

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He will show what is real justice

What is this impenetrable line that holds the balance between justice and vengeance? What is the guarantee that the line forever exists? What happens when someone toes with the line? You know that a drama is intricately complex when it asks these types of questions. And as it may be, the audience may begin to ponder over these very questions, perhaps more as the drama moves along.

Vigilante tells the story of Kim Ji Young, a prospective police officer who adopts the identity of a Vigilante to punish those who have been let off lightly by the law, perpetrators who continue to commit crimes, in an attempt to provide a sense of safety to not only the victims of the crimes, but to the general public.

The drama is efficiently character driven, and there is not one character who is morally white or black, most of all our Vigilante. He is surrounded by characters with an equally ambiguous moral compass, a journalist who cares about ratings as much as the vigilante justice system, a vigilante fanboy who's values don't nearly line up with those of the actual vigilante, and a police officer who serves his own version of vigilantism to catch our dark hero.

When each character performs what they believe is right, a web of chaos is created wherein everyone has to now perfect unprecedented actions to achieve their goals. Beneath it all though, the leads have a common goal, the crux of it all: Justice. While their methods may differ, their morality may sway, they strive to protect the public by performing their own form of justice. This creates conflict and leads to confrontation between the characters where everything they believe in comes into question, until it finally bubbles up to create the complicated connections between the characters.

There were some interesting questions the drama asked, all the while blending it with the quintessential K Drama thriller vibes. Most importantly, the story was gripping and there were no scenes I would categorise as filler/unnecessary. I believe there is much more complexity to the story than they actually showed, sort of like barely scratching the surface, and it will be interesting to see the story play out as a result of Ji Young's state at the end of season 1. Overall, a very solid series in all aspects that I would highly recommend to those who want to get a glimpse of sweet, sweet justice.

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In my opinion, the drama gave me everything I expected from the title. It was a vigilante story.
I was completely immersed in the story presented by the creators of the drama. The plot, pace of action, characters, music, cinematography, and finally the final episode were perfect for this type of story.
There was, is, and will be evil, but this evil also creates people who fight against it. A story without end.
From me, the drama received a solid 10 for all elements. Because if there were any shortcomings, the creators of the drama hid them well from me, who was eager for each next episode.

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what i think?

i’m ngl i don’t really know what t think abt this show like i liked it but at the same time it bored me like i would go on my phone doing other things while it was playing i feel like the fighting and killing was putting me off cuz it was in every single episode personally i js don’t think this was for me like i did like it js not my type of thing it was really fast forward as well i feel like i would’ve liked it if it went more slow and was more mysterious i’d probably recommend it t ppl who like stuff like this thriller crime political typa shit and ofc the handsome male leads was a plussss and there was pretty female leads i was going t fall in love seriously that was one thing i liked about this show and that’s about it

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It had promise but fell short

The story is underdeveloped which made it hard to follow as there wasn't enough depth and wished it had more episodes to finish it off.
The actors were great with Ji Yong my favorite as we understand why he is doing it yet the other one (vigilante we don't as I feel it is a bit of fun for him and a thrill. Officer Cho Heon brought it together as he mirrors both worlds and easily blurs the lines between them.
The reporter is honest in her work and does what needs to be done for truth. She is slightly creepy as when she was laughing while being tortured.
The actors needed to be developed more in-depth as feel that they was shallow at times

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Always rooting for the Anti-hero

Nov. 29, 2023

Finishing Vigilante definitely solidified the strength of Nam Joo Hyuk's acting skills. I may have not read the webtoon version of it so my opinion is definitely much different than those who have read it.

But for someone, who only watched Vigilante and not the webtoon. I must say that this is a pretty solid drama. I feel like the 8 episode format was okay. Though, I wish it was a bit longer. I feel like I need more explanation and details in regards to the plot development and structure. Since this is an crime-solving action drama, I was really hoping for a stronger grasp of plot development from the writers. Or maybe a better execution from the directors? Not quite sure but it lacks that type of feeling, I just can't seem to point out.

Nevertheless, this is still a pretty good drama regarding my few critiques. Definitely add on your watchlist!

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BEST DRAMA EVER MADE.

I honestly think that this was made such perfectly like I am in love with this drama, I would watch it over and over again, and I would fall in love with it every single time.This drama had so many emotions as well as action scenes and truth spoken, that I'm just impressed, and I honestly think that everyone who love action, justice, law, police and those categories should watch this instantly. This was such a great drama like I can get over it.!I think that this has a great values and a big big big potential for a bigger drama. Overall, like American industry could never madk this, cause it's such like perfection and just full of emotion. Actions like it has a bit of everything and like the dose of everything that's the best like you could've made it. It made it better. I mean everything can be made better, but this one trust me guys just watch it!!!!😍

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Hot Damn!

The premise is nothing new; Vigilante taking justice into his own hands but it's a really good series.

The 1st episode of this drama is probably the best episode I have seen of a Korean drama this year!! It was just so good from opening scene until the last. Taking names and kicking asses and I was here for it. Every episode was really good and kept the same intensity. I wanted Ji Yong to make them all pay!! I haven't wanted a bunch of people beat up badly in a long time. I have never watched a show with Nam Joo Hyuk, the ML but he was fantastic. So good! I really liked Lee Joon Hyuk he was great as Gangok. Shin Jung Keun as Mr. Bang was excellent as well.

There were some really good scenes and in episode 5 this was one of my favorites. I LMAO during the scene with Cho Heon and that low level criminal in the car. The criminal asked where are we going and Cho Heon said to his last address and he said you can drop me off here and I'll wait for a cab. That shit was hilarious.

This is a quick, bingeable, very enjoyable watch.

12/24/23

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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.

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