City Hunter – KDrama review

City Hunter

Drama: City Hunter
Hangul: 시티헌터
Network: SBS
Release Date: May 25, 2011 – July 28, 2011
Number of Episodes: 20
Runtime: Wednesday – Thursday 21:55
Type: KDrama

Cast:

Lee Min Ho as Lee Yoon-Sung
Park Min Young as Kim Na-Na
Lee Joon Hyuk as Kim Young-Joo
Hwang Sun Hee as Jin Se-Hee
Goo Ha Ra as Choi Da-Hye
Kim Sang Joong as Lee Jin-Pyo
Kim Sang Ho as Bae Shik-Joong

Plot:

Lee Yoon-Sung works at the Blue House for the National Communication Network Team. He graduated from M.I.T. in the U.S. and possesses elite skills as an I.T. engineer. At the Blue House, Yoon-Sung meets Kim Na-Na, who works as a bodyguard there. The two people fall for each other even though Yoon-Sung was warned not to fall in love. An elaborate plan for revenge is his ultimate mission ….

Lee Jin-Pyo and Park Moo-Yul worked as bodyguards at the South Korean President’s home the Blue House. While the president and other high-ranking public officials were visiting Myanmar an explosion occurs there set off by North Korean agents. The explosion did not harm the South Korean President, but other South Korean officials were killed. To retaliate for the killing, five high-ranking South Korean officials plan a covert operation to go into North Korea and kill North Korean agents. Without the president’s knowledge, bodyguards Lee Jin-Pyo and Park Moo-Yul gather men who will take part in the dangerous mission. The men will be dropped near the North Korean coastline and then enter North Korea to carry out their assassinations. For their return, Choi Eung-Chan promises to have a submarine waiting for them to carry them back to South Korea.

Meanwhile, the five high-ranking South Korean public officers, who initiated the covert operation, changes their minds while the operation is taking place. The officials decide to give up on the 21 special force members taking part in the covert operation.

The special forces members complete their tasks and swim into the ocean looking for the submarine to take them back to South Korea. They spot the submarine waiting for them and attempt to board the submarine. A sniper on the submarine kills all of the special forces members except Lee Jin-Pyo – who survives and swims back to South Korea.

Lee Jin-Pyo, carrying out a promise to his fallen comrade and good friend Park Moo-Yul, goes to Park Moo-Yul’s home and snatches away Moo-Yul’s baby, while Moo-Yul’s wife hangs clothes outside. Lee Jin-Pyo then moves to Thailand with the baby. Lee Jin-Pyo sets up a camp in the jungles of Thailand, while growing and trafficking illegal narcotics. Jin-Pyo also raises the baby Lee Yun-Seong and eventually trains him into an elite soldier.

Lee Yun-Seong, now a young adult, enters a village in Thailand and spots a Korean man, Bae Sik-Joong, being shaken down by Thai gang members. On a whim, Lee Yun-Seong comes to his aid and helps Bae Sik-Joong escape. Lee Yun-Seong takes the Korean man back their camp. It turns out Bae Sik-Joong is quite a cook and he prepares dishes for Lee Yun-Seung and Lee Jin-Pyo. Lee Yun-Seong also spots a photo of a young woman named Kim Na-Na that Bae Sik-Joong carries with him. Lee Yun-Seong takes the photo and places it next to his bed. He becomes emotionally attached to the woman in the photo even though he has never met her.

A few days later, Lee Jin-Pyo loses a foot while saving Lee Yun-Seung from a landmine. While Lee Jin-Pyo is recovering, he finally tells Lee Yun-Seung about his birth father and how he was killed by his own government. Lee Jin-Pyo then vows to exact revenge upon the five government officials responsible for his father’s death.

Seven years later, Lee Yun-Seo finally arrives in South Korea. Prior to arriving in South Korea, Lee Yun-Seo studied at M.I.T. in the United States. He was also warned by Lee Jin-Pyo, prior to entering South Korea, to avoid falling in love because blood will be shed all around him …

source: AsianMediaWiki

Author’s voice:

I can’t really begin this article because I really liked this drama. The story, the characters, the actors and actresses were all amazing with only a few weaker part.

First of all I have to speak about Lee Min-Ho. The first drama I’ve seen him was in Boys Before Flowers and I don’t think I’m the only one. He was good there as much as he or anyone else can but in my opinion it wasn’t his role, it didn’t suit him. Just like his next project Personal Taste. Don’t get me wrong his acting was the best and he become popular after just the characters were a little stupid. However in City Hunter he got the perfect role: Lee Yoon-Seung, the badass, handsome assassin. From the action screens to the romance with Min-Young were the best act he had ever since I’m aware of him. He needs to have this dark side.

But I haven’t seen Park Min Young before City Hunter in dramas only in pictures where she had this cute smile. I was waiting for her because from articles I read she was good in Sungkyunkwan Scandal. In the drama she wasn’t going for the cute acting, she had as many action screens as Lee Min-Ho and she surprised me how well she’d done it. My friend still remembers her as ‘the badass girl’. I liked that she wasn’t stupid as Lois Lane (Superman) and she wasn’t damsel in distress.

Those who likes comedy element should watch out for the screens with Yoon-Seung and ahjussi. Their almost husband-and-wife relationship with the later’s tv-shop addiction is really sweet and funny.

The story is well written with a lot of action screens and political conversation. It has the creativity although there will be people who can easily guess what’ll come next. I was one of them but I never had a bad feeling about it, I could enjoy it because the plot was to good to bother me.

Maybe the ending was a little off, some screens wasn’t as understandable as the writers thought and they had to give a report about it after the ending. One of my biggest problem was the lack of the ring in the very last screen after so much drama after its appearance. The other is the unresolved daddy issue… But I don’t think i need to say much about it you’ll know what I mean.

Rating:

 

 

Your rating:

 

by picurzsu