“Thunderstruck Cop” Poster
Director: Kim Young-jun
Cast: Kim Soo-mi, Shin Hyun-jun, Chae Si-yeon, Jung Jun-ho, Jo Won Hee, Kim Heung Kook
Running Time: 107 min.
By Paul Bramhall
Being a fan of Korean cinema since the early 2000’s, one of the unique quirks of the countries film industry is for directors to seemingly disappear for years, sometimes decades at a time, then re-appear with a new movie out of the blue. My nostalgia for the era always makes it feel like an old friend has returned to the fold, with the likes of Jung Cho-sin, responsible for 2002’s Wet Dreams, suddenly reappearing to direct 2023’s Hantang, or Kim Seong-soo, who helmed the 2006 action thriller Running Wild, returning in 2022 for Christmas Carol. Joining their esteemed ranks in 2025 is Kim Yeong-joon, who made his comeback with Thunderstruck Cop.
Yeong-joon first came on my radar in 2003 when Premiere Asia, a sub-division of the UK’s Hong Kong Legends label that focused on non-HK Asian cinema, released his directorial debut from 2000, Bichunmoo, on DVD. A muhyeop flick infused with a HK new wave wuxia style aesthetic thanks to having Ma Yuk-Sing (a protégé of Ching Siu-Tung) on choreography duty, Yeong-joon and Yuk-Sing would collaborate together again on 2005’s Shadowless Sword, a production I still consider to be the perfect mix of Korean and HK action (rivalled only by Resurrection of the Little Match Girl, which saw director Jang Sun-woo bring Ridley Tsui onboard to choreograph). Yeong-joon would transition into melodrama territory for 2008’s His Last Gift, and wouldn’t direct a feature length production again until the one being discussed today.
The one commonality through his trio of 2000’s era directorial works is the casting of Shin Hyun-joon (Night of the Assassin, The Gingko Bed), and 18 years since they last collaborated, it’s Hyun-joon who once more takes the lead for Yeong-joon’s latest. Playing a former Violent Crimes Unit member who’s been demoted to a small-town cop (a familiar trope in Korean cinema), Hyun-joon’s daily life is spent between his civic duties and being a single father to his distant teenage daughter, played by newcomer Chae Si-yeon. The pair live together above the blood sausage restaurant run by his mother, played by Kim Soo-mi (Late Blossom, Granny’s Got Talent), here notably in her final role before her passing in October 2024. Hyun-joon’s life is turned upside down though when he gets hit by a bolt of lightning, after which he realises he’s able to hear people’s thoughts.
The only issue is that his powers occur under a certain condition – he has to have drunk the same energy drink he was consuming when the lightning bolt struck, and the ability only lasts until he has to relieve himself. If that description raises an eyebrow, then hopefully your mind will be put at ease somewhat when I say that Yeong-joon’s latest is first and foremost a comedy. A funny one at that, although admittedly there’ll likely be additional goodwill towards its modest budget if you’re familiar with many of the casts previous work. In many ways Thunderstruck Cop is a movie of reunions, as in addition to Yeong-joon and Hyun-joon returning as director and star, the pairing of Hyun-joon and Soo-mi as son and mother is also a welcome call back to the Korean cinema of the 2000’s.
The pair would play the same roles in 2006’s Barefoot Ki-bong, and similarly in the Marrying the Mafia franchise, appearing in the second (2005), third (2006), and fourth (2011) instalments. To see them onscreen together one final time feels like an appropriate send-off for Soo-mi, who made her debut in 1970’s Eight Daughters-in-law, capping an acting career that spanned more than 50 years. The 2000’s vibe is maintained with the casting of Hyun-joon’s close friend Jung Joon-ho (My Boss, My Hero, Another Public Enemy). It’s the first time for the pair to share co-billing since the 2000 firefighter drama The Siren, although just as funny as anything that appears onscreen is the story behind how he was cast. Hyun-joon asked Joon-ho to appear in a cameo, disguising the fact the role has significant screentime, as revenge for the fact Joon-ho frequently pulled the same trick on him to appear in many of the K-dramas he acted in.
Joon-ho plays the villain of the piece, and despite being on opposing sides, whenever they share the screen together their chemistry clearly comes through. Joon-ho even gets an opportunity to throw in a long-running joke about how Shin-hyun looks like he’s from Saudi Arabia, a reference to how his features are often said to be more Middle Eastern than Korean. In many ways it’s the best example of how Thunderstruck Cop’s charm largely banks on audiences being familiar with those who appear onscreen, and their relationships off it. Would the in-jokes and simple fact of seeing certain actors sharing the screen together make the production just as enjoyable for someone who’s unfamiliar? Probably not, and chances are it’d likely be perceived as a low budget attempt at a comedy with a cast who had their moments to shine more than 20 years ago.
Much like the previously mentioned Jung Cho-sin and Kim Yeong-joo’s latest works, Yeong-joon is clearly no longer able to command the same budgets he was more than 20 years earlier. However for those willing to look past the fact that it may not have the glossiest production values that many expect from a Korean production, there’s a lot to enjoy. Ha Hoe-jung (Dokgo Rewind, Woongnami) is a welcome highlight as a mysterious restaurant customer who also reveals he was hit by lightning, giving him the ability to see into the near future. The only problem was he was hit while sat on the toilet, so to active his powers he has to take a dump, which is just as funny as it sounds. You could almost look at Thunderstruck Cop as a low budget, middle aged version of Kang Hyeong-cheol’s Hi-Five, only with a lot more toilet humor – most of it quite literal.
While none of the inherited superpowers exactly lend themselves to action beats like superhuman speed or flying through the air, Yeong-joon throws in a number of scrappy throwdowns. One element that slipped through the quality control and I’m sure wasn’t intended to be comical is the fact that, in one group melee involving the bad guy’s brandishing steel pipes, whenever the ‘pipe’ strikes something it becomes clear it’s simply a pool noodle that’s been painted metallic grey. Once it’s obvious that they’re made from foam it’s difficult to maintain the sense of danger! While the action beats are certainly nothing to write home about, the fact that Shin-hyun’s daughter Si-yeon and her potential cop suitor both practice hapkido at least gives the characters a grounding in martial arts, allowing for some authentic techniques to be on display when it’s time to throw down.
Special mention has to go to the “Korean Hulk”, Ha Je-yong (It Will Turn Out Well This Time, The Prisoner), who’s cast as Joon-ho’s main bodyguard and righthand man. A powerlifter and arm-wrestling champion who’s likely most recognizable for appearing in the first season of the Netflix show Physical 100, his imposing presence is mostly played for laughs, and an inevitable comparison to Ma Dong-seok definitely isn’t wasted. Sporting an almost impossibly large frame and decked out in a ridiculous bright pink tee-shirt, a minor role it may be however it certainly leaves a last impression.
Overall Thunderstruck Cop scratches an itch that’s frequently left unattended for far too long – that of the Korean comedy that’s happy to not take itself seriously. A final scene cameo (an actual cameo this time!) from Hwang Bo-ra (Devils, The Phone) indicates that there could be future instalments, and if there is I’d certainly be willing to check them out. Oh, and stick around to the very end of the credits for a special message, one that, if you clock one of the production companies shown onscreen at the very beginning, may or may not be a surprise!
Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 6/10
