Next up as part of our Fantasia Film Festival coverage is the new South Korean serial killer flick, The Gangster, The Cop & The Devil.
A serial killer is stalking the streets and picking his victims randomly. His method usually involves driving into the back of a moving car forcing the driver to exit that vehicle. When the clueless, unsuspecting driver approaches, he/she is then killed in a frenzied and vicious knife attack.
Wanting a bit of peace and quiet, gang boss, Jang decides he wants to drive home by himself. He is then attacked by the serial killer but manages to fight him off with some of his speciality powerhouse bitch-slaps (and wow man, there’s more than ever in The Gangster, The Cop & The Devil).
So, Jang is the only person to ever escape with his life. He is the only witness in a serial murder case. This forces the head of Violent Crimes Unit to team up with the crime boss to track down the serial killer. If the gangster finds him first, he’s allowed to carry out his unlawful punishment; and if the cop finds him first, he gets to bring him to justice. The race is on.
All I can say is WOW, I absolutely loved this film. I can actually say that The Gangster, The Cop & The Devil is the return of the dark and violent serial killer films that we love, the ones South Korea used to do so well.
Just like the magnificent, I Saw The Devil, the serial killer in The Gangster, The Cop & The Devil, well and truly fucked with the wrong person.
Imagine being a serial killer and accidentally randomly attacking the head of a crime syndicate? Jang has a lot of back-up and muscle. This brings something really fresh to the serial killer sub-genre. Something I think you’re gonna love.
Fans of South Korean serial killer movies will be delighted to see something that has a little bit of all the classics that we loved. Also adding in a fresh new take on how to track down the serial killer. This, with countless bitch-slaps and swollen beat-to-shit heads, The Gangster, The Cop & The Devil is a welcomed edition into a sub-genre that needed a good kick up the ass…or maybe it was just a bitchslap?
RUN TIME 110 mins
RATING Not Rated
RELEASE DATE June 7, 2019
DIRECTED BY Won-tae Lee
STARRING Don Lee (aka. MA Dong-seok), KIM Moo-yul, KIM Sung-kyu
As always thanks for reading. Check back soon for more Fantasia Film Festival coverage.
Words by Gary Gamble
Founder/Owner/BigCheese @ Moviehooker
