Now this is how the action drama should be done. City Hunter blends the revenge theme with the superhero genre skillfully and delivers an excellent mix of action, thrill, romance, comedy and lots of fun. I’ll call it what everyone calls it: badass, for lack of a better word. I wonder why I put it off for so long!!
The drama begins with a man Lee Jin Pyo who wants to take revenge from five men who caused the deaths of his colleagues including his best friend. He prepares his friend Lee Yoon Sung’s son to fulfill his mission, but our hero not only takes revenge from this dishonest government official, but also aims to eradicate corruption from society. That’s what makes City Hunter so special and different from other revenge dramas. It’s not just a revenge story, but a hero-making as he struggles to keep his ideals and moral values ​​intact, while fulfilling the goals of revenge as well.
City Hunter is fast paced, well aimed, and beautifully shot. The background score adds to the atmosphere of the show effectively. This drama keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout its run and never gets boring or boring. This drama has its flaws but segue never gives you time to think about it and we just sit back and enjoy our hero’s journey with him.
I love the show to handle the story with so much heart. There are so many poignant moments that prevent the show from being a shallow, shallow action thriller. The most complex and interesting, yet touching relationship is between our hero Lee Yoon Sung and his father Lee Jin Pyo, who raised him to be who he is today. They are always at odds over their ideas and methods, but they still love each other very much and can sacrifice anything for each other.
I like our hero, who doesn’t choose a high-level scheme or plan to do his job. In fact, he uses simple ways and methods that look so attractive solely because of the trust he gives when completing his tasks. I like his attitude as well as the fact that he hopes to live a happy and peaceful life. He’s cool and bubbly, and not the stereotypical gloomy character that often appears in revenge-action dramas.
I like the methodical approach in the drama to expose the bad guys one by one. Drama always excites us and its intensity can be felt every time.
The romance between our main cast does take a backseat as the series progresses, but it’s incredibly sweet and loving. The crackling chemistry between Lee Min Ho and Park Min Young keeps us glued to the screen to explore their interactions. Their love also goes from humor to testing, which gives an additional arc to the love line.
Another great thing to watch is the interaction between our hero and the righteous prosecutor Kim Young Joo. Both want the same thing but in completely different ways. One always sticks to the law, while the other always breaks it.
This drama is full of charming characters who grow on you and each form their own little team; such as the prosecutor and his investigative staff, Yoon Sung, Na Na and Shik Joong ajhusshi, Blue House employees, to name a few.
But I feel that in later episodes, too much emphasis is placed on the fourth target and it takes a lot of time to complete. Also, the finale isn’t that exciting.
Lee Min Ho was fantastic in his title role. He showed various emotions in his acting and gave a confident and outstanding performance.
Park Min Young looks cute and she has also done an excellent job in a role that also requires her to be brave and act as an agent here.
Kim Sang Joong wows you with his brilliant acting by showing anger and pain at the same time. Her roles are very well written and despite the fact that she is a gray character here, you can’t help but feel sad for her because she suffered so much in life.
Lee Joon Hyuk is charming in the role of a virtuous and honest prosecutor and delivers solid action.
Among the actors who make up the group of five, I like Chun Ho Jin the most because his character has more depth and complexity than the others. Lee Kwang Soo and Yang Jin Sung gave a lot of fun with their comic moments. Kim Sang Ho has given warmth with his adorable acting.