Korea has given us some amazing films over the past 15-20 years, and being a big fan of their action-thrillers, I decided to check out their TV programmes... Wow, are they bad.
The first thing noticed with Korea TV shows is that they all look cheap and quickly made. Yes, there is crane and dolly work, and they seem to frown on the detestable shaky-cam that plagues Western TV nowadays, but it's as if somebody said, "Hey, I have a 4K camera, let's make a TV programme," and to hell with aesthetics.
The second thing - which is also quickly noticed - is how bad the dialogue is. Films are seemingly honed to near perfection, whereas dialogue in Korean TV programmes (or, at least, in the handful I've tried to watch), meanders, repeats itself and is plain corny.
City Hunter, unfortunately, isn't an exception to the above. I got one and a half episodes in before I had to question why I was subjecting myself to such nonsense!
The plot plays out like a teenage melodrama disguised as an action-thriller, but ridiculous coincidences, bad characters, slow pacing and action sequences massively below the level I was expecting (not to mention how infrequently their occur), soon nailed its coffin shut. There's also the tiny factor of complete implausibility, as some kid who was effectively raised in the jungle somewhere near Cambodia, is speaking with modern Korean dialect and accent, and posing as an American computer genius... despite not being able to speak a word of English or having ever seen a computer!
Oh, and working for and interacting directly with the Korean president is a given, when you have a fake degree from MIT.
So, if you're a fan of Korean TV already (not that I can fathom why), you may be able to overlook all the stupidity and badness and enjoy the tall lead with his spiffy hair, or the admittedly gorgeous character of Kim Na Na, regardless of how preachy and imposing she acts, but for those who love Korean cinema and are looking to give their TV a go, look elsewhere (and I hope that you find higher quality programmes than all the "recommended" ones that I did).
The first thing noticed with Korea TV shows is that they all look cheap and quickly made. Yes, there is crane and dolly work, and they seem to frown on the detestable shaky-cam that plagues Western TV nowadays, but it's as if somebody said, "Hey, I have a 4K camera, let's make a TV programme," and to hell with aesthetics.
The second thing - which is also quickly noticed - is how bad the dialogue is. Films are seemingly honed to near perfection, whereas dialogue in Korean TV programmes (or, at least, in the handful I've tried to watch), meanders, repeats itself and is plain corny.
City Hunter, unfortunately, isn't an exception to the above. I got one and a half episodes in before I had to question why I was subjecting myself to such nonsense!
The plot plays out like a teenage melodrama disguised as an action-thriller, but ridiculous coincidences, bad characters, slow pacing and action sequences massively below the level I was expecting (not to mention how infrequently their occur), soon nailed its coffin shut. There's also the tiny factor of complete implausibility, as some kid who was effectively raised in the jungle somewhere near Cambodia, is speaking with modern Korean dialect and accent, and posing as an American computer genius... despite not being able to speak a word of English or having ever seen a computer!
Oh, and working for and interacting directly with the Korean president is a given, when you have a fake degree from MIT.
So, if you're a fan of Korean TV already (not that I can fathom why), you may be able to overlook all the stupidity and badness and enjoy the tall lead with his spiffy hair, or the admittedly gorgeous character of Kim Na Na, regardless of how preachy and imposing she acts, but for those who love Korean cinema and are looking to give their TV a go, look elsewhere (and I hope that you find higher quality programmes than all the "recommended" ones that I did).