“I, the Executioner” Theatrical Poster
Director Ryoo Seung-wan (The Battleship Island, Escape from Mogadishu) is a familiar name to fans of Korean action cinema, ever since his debut Die Bad in 2000, he’s consistently delivered a series of movies which combine action with a strong narrative.
Since his riotous parody of old school Korean action movies with 2008’s Dachimawa Lee, the director has taken a decidedly darker approach, with both The Unjust and The Berlin File exploring the not so pleasant side of life. While both contained plenty of his trademarks, Seung-wan himself expressed a desire to move away from these darker tales, and get back to the type of action movies that he watched in his youth, those that existed in a brighter world where the good guy wins.
2015’s Veteran was that return, and was arguably his most successful production to date, both critically and commercially. And now, Ryoo Seung-wan is putting finishing touches on its follow-up, I, the Executioner (aka Veteran 2), which is set to premiere in the Out of Competion lineup at this year’s Festival de Cannes (via Daebak).
I, the Executioner sees the return of Hwang Jung-min (12.12: The Day, Deliver Us from Evil: Final Cut) from the first film, with Jung Hae-in (12.12: The Day, The Age of Blood) joining his lead. Jang Yoon-ju (Ballerina) and Oh Dal-su (Ode to My Father) round out the cast.
Detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) and his Major Crime Investigation Division tirelessly track down criminals day and night, often at the expense of their personal lives. When the murder of a professor reveals links to past cases, suspicions of a serial killer arise, plunging the country into turmoil. As Major Crimes delves into the investigation, the killer taunts them by publicly releasing a teaser online, indicating the next victim, and intensifying the chaos. To tackle the escalating threat, the team brings in idealistic rookie officer Park Sun-woo (Jung Hae-in), leading to unexpected twists in the case’s trajectory.
I, the Executioner hits domestically on September 13, 2024. For U.S. audiences, Capelight Pictures is giving the film a September 27th theatrical release date! Watch their Trailer below:
First was cool as …, I’m intetested in a sequel.
I feel like I’m not one of the cool kids since Veteran didn’t light a fire under me. The Roundup series is what I wanted Veteran to be more like
After Ryoo Seung-Wan had such a good tribute of martial art films with Arahan, I hoped his following cop films would keep that spirit too.
It seems like audience tastes are also aligned with your thinking Andrew, since we’re about to be hit (pun intended!) with the 4th in the ‘The Roundup’ franchise in just 7 short years, and we’re only getting this sequel close to 10 years after the original.
In my head I always like to think Ma Dong-seok’s amusing last scene cameo in ‘Veteran’ is a pre-cursor to his character in the franchise which he’s now defined by.
I wonder if Ryoo Seung-Wan has something different in mind with the sequel. Is he gonna take a more competitive approach? I hope he stays true to himself while keeping up with current trends.
Loved the first one, far superior to “The roundup” 2, 3 and probably 4.
You don’t owe an explanation, but it would be interesting to know what makes Veteran better.
I watched the movie with the mindset that it was a tribute to 80s and 90s cop action films, but I felt what little action there was didn’t excite me.
The group fight with Hwang Jung-Min was going for a Jackie Chan aesthetic with the way he used his environment and props, but he didn’t come across as a guy who knew how to fight, and the rhythm and timing didn’t feel on point. Hwang Jung-Min had better fight scenes in other films.
When he finally faced off with the villain, that was also underwhelming because it didn’t feel like a battle or a glorious beat down. I know the action wasn’t the focus of Veteran, but the dialogue scenes didn’t hold my interest either.
With the 3 Roundup films, the first one gave a good sense of who the characters are and why the audience should care about them, and there was a sense of fun. That continued with the next 2 movies although I hope the 4th changes up the formula.
This looks more serious than Veteran. I hope it has as much grit and brutality as its advertising.