City Hunter (2011)

This was my first action drama as well as my first drama with Lee Min Ho. It was recommended to me by a friend. At first I was a bit wary of it but decided to give it a shot. Within the first 15 minutes I was hooked. Just the the concept of revenge caught my attention and enticed me. Then Lee Min Ho popped onto the screen and I could not stop watching this drama even if I wanted to. The casting for this drama was tremendous, each right up to par for their roles. they had you crying and laughing around every turn. It was an emotional roller coaster. On top of that the action sequence were very well choreographed and extremely well executed. I have to say that there wasn't a single fight sequence that was dull.



The romance wasn't dull or over played.



The music was also great aspect of this drama. Moving the story and tone along. I seriously want this soundtrack now.



This drama is filled with a great balance of romance, action, suspense and mystery. I definite must see.

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This came close to perfect.

The plot was thrilling, the action scenes were great, the actors were top nodge...
There was a lot of romance...
And surprisingly that's my critique:
It was maybe even a little bit too much romance for such a drama, especially later with
the on and offs going on between them. And then, when you suspect a great romantic ending after so much prelude, there was practically none in the final episodes. It was really anti-climatic in this regard.

But really, I just loved the leading male and female roles (finally a tough girl!).

It is almost as perfect as Healer. Almost. ;)

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I feel like City Hunter is the best drama ever created. No, I am not exaggerating.

First off, let me just say Lee Min Ho. Alright now for the real stuff, Lee Min Ho fighting and looking good. OKAY I TOTALLY LIED.

This drama is quite something. Sometimes, I'm annoyed by how complicated dramas are, and I have to say the first episode is quite something. The plot twists within this drama are killer. Every episode has you hanging on wanting more.

I ACTUALLY HAVE NO CLUE WHAT TO SAY ABOUT THIS DRAMA, EXCEPT TO JUST WATCH IT.

PLEASE?!?!?!? If you're reading this, do me, a stranger, a favor, and WATCH IT. I promise you will love it as much as I do.

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This KD is awesome!!! It brings all the best elements of a drama together with great acting and great directing!!! Lee Min Ho and Park Min Young are great actors. I have now watched everything that they have been in and they never let me down. The action is very well done and this drama is good from episode to episode. There is never a time when I am bored and ready to skip through. I love it when the bad guy is a person that you sympathise with and this drama does that with excelance!!! I haven't rewatched this KD because I haven't watched many and I am constanly searching for something new, but when the time comes that I can rewatch...this will be the first on my list!!!

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Disappointed with ending

Search for this title on a streaming service for a long time and was excited to see another classic Lee Min Ho series. Unfortunately…..

At first I loved the chemistry of the actors together. A classic revenge story that started strong. So disappointed with sudden ending and unresolved character storylines, that I’m angry I wasted my time. Don’t waste yours.

However Lee Min Ho is always lovely to look at. ?

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LOOOOOOVE

I vividly remember watching this drama for the first time when it aired, and to this day, it remains one of my all-time favourites. Even though it's been a while since I first watched it, I still find myself going back to rewatch it occasionally. It was one of the first K-dramas that I watched, and it holds a special place in my heart for that reason.

What really sets this drama apart is its unique and captivating storyline, which I still believe is unmatched by any other K-drama I've seen. The characters are equally compelling, and the music in this drama is a true masterpiece. The songs are so well-chosen and I still listen to some of the songs.

Overall, this drama is a true gem, and I can't recommend it enough to anyone who loves K-dramas.

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min ho is really handsome and his acting is remarkable... Though the main lead girl is too little naive but their chemistry and amazing kisses filled her lacking places with beauty... Story is really interesting if you are into political and manipulation kind of dramas this is a best treat for you...if you are into obsession and intense love Lee min ho is ready to give you his best... Whatever might be your genre is, this drama offers you all.... Two people went through the same pain but their ways to take revenge and deal with that pain are different... One is too violent to kill and other is too patient to wait... Every picture has two sides and neither both sides are wrong nor right... Sometimes situations put you in trouble to make harsh decisions... That's how Lee min ho portrayed his character... Action and romance are two different genres but writer entangled both so beautifully and actors performed it wisely...

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Hmm, I actually couldn't get myself to actually finish this drama until weeks later because the romance portions felt too long for me. Usually I'd binge if the drama got me hooked. The ending wasn't really something I'd take so yeah and I don't appreciate what happened to the poor prosecutor but it's okay because tbh he was kinda annoying to the bad guys because of his stubbornness.

Story: Pretty good but I want less romance all at one time like it would have been better if they broke it up. The romance should have been more scattered out throughout the drama. Also, some parts were practically meaningless like when he sat there and stared at Minyoung for a good 10+ minutes (something most fans would enjoy of course). The ending didn't do it for me. Not a bad ending though. Good storyline though.

Acting/Cast: CHEMISTRY- Minho and Minyoung were adorable together. I enjoyed Hara's snobby attitude lol it was funny to see her get rejected. Oh and the cast are so good looking like I would totally rewatch this just to see all those attractive faces together again. The cast selection was good and there is so much eye candy lol.

Music: Fitting

Rewatch Value: Maybe

Overall: I recommend but more on a superficial level (eye candy & good plot on the surface level).

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I'm watching this drama once again after a few years, and I have to say that it's much better than the dramas that are being made now. Previously, I rated it a bit too harshly, I guess because of the very average (at best) acting of ML and FL. Long legs do not make a man a good actor. The music is not bad and memorable, unfortunately there is too little variety and I constantly hear the same three songs, which is not only tiring, but also shows a lack of finesse. But at least there are some leitmotivs. As for the plot, it's a bit naive, but it gives great entertainment just where it's needed. The fight scenes are sometimes ridiculous, as the actor clearly lacks skill, but at least they are there and not pathetic. I have a huge weakness for ML2 and unlike ML you can see the emotion on his face. So all in all, the drama is not perfect, but it presents great entertainment value regardless of gender. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

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Great Action Movie

9/10 is my rating. This is a South Korean drama with 20 episodes (60 minutes/episode). Lee Yoon-Sung (Lee Min-Ho) was raised to seek revenge for his father who was killed by his own country men upon the order of five high ranking officials. His adopted father, who was the only surviving member of the elite troup that was targeted by the officials, raises Yoon-Sung as a key player in his revenge plot. As part of that plan Yoon-Sung attends an elite United State technological institute and excels enough to be hired as a telecommunications expert at the Blue House in South Korea. Yoon-Sung encounters Kim Na-Na (Park Min-Young), at the Blue House where she works as a body guard. His adopted father warned him to never fall in love as his "mission" would involve a lot of blood shed in his adopted father's mind. Yoon-Sung has his own way of doing things though.

Spoiler ? I really liked the action in this movie. City Hunter reminded me of Batman maybe or James Bond. His character was extremely well developed and you understood his motivation in the things that he did. The romance between him and Kim Na-Na character was sizzling but very tragic. My heart broke for both so many times throughout I nearly lost count. I read that Lee Min-Ho does his own stunts and that made his performance as an actor all the more amazing. Everyone in this drama acted very well and the characters were well developed and evolved as you would expect based on the happenings. I read that the romance was left up in the air and some even wondered if City Hunter was still alive or if she was seeing a ghost. That would have bothered me if he would have died but I read a summary of that final episode from the producer/writers and they said he was not a ghost. So the ending is not sad the romance just doesn't wrap up in a happily ever after. You have to decide, for yourself, if them seeing each other a year after the final big action - if that means they will be together or not. So if you are in it for the romance you might be disappointed by that. I think it is still more than worth it to watch it for the suspense and action.

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I loved it but how I wished the production executed the 20-episode time frame a lot better T^T

This drama was once a part of my youth like what most people around my age say. The first time I watched it was from the local TV in my homecountry and it was dubbed in our language, not Korean. However, I did not understand it that much because I did not keep up with the episodes aired at that time. The second time I watched it was in its original dub and this is the first Korean series that I completed with its original dub. I loved it tho, but the memorability was not that high, unlike the time when I watched 'Faith' for the first time later on.

Now, it's my third time watching it. As an adult, I'm now more aware of the real world and politics. Finally, I came to understand this series more and its memorability seems to be higher than before. Unfortunately, despite having a full 20 episodes, the last two episodes were rushed. No proper pacing and resolution, especially in the last episode.

I needed more to see the president's point and view and how the city hunter turned out after his life's endeavor. I did enjoy this series a lot, I just don't understand what happened later. I felt so lost, especially after eliminating the third prospect. The half of the story went well but then the plot became a bit rushed, disorganized, and went nowhere later on. The 20-episode frame was not managed well. The number of episodes should be enough to cover all the five politicians' arcs, but this was not put into proper pacing, not divided well, and the last two most important politicians were not highlighted that well. I want to see more from the president's point of view, but I felt like the first three politicians' parts were the most well-executed.

There were some questions my mind thought of after re-watching it:

- Where was Chun Jae Man's bodyguard? The one that Yoon Sung kept in his house? Nothing was shown about him after he told Yoon Sung to get rid of his former master.
- What was Kim Na Na's father's purpose for being bedridden in the hospital all throughout this series?
- Did the president's family, especially Da Hye, that the city hunter is a family? Did Da Hye know that her tutor is her half-brother?
- What happened to Na Na? Why did she quit being an agent from the Blue House?
- How did the public respond to the president's corrupt acts? Was there some sort of understanding, or was he just judged and impeached without the public knowing his side?
- Were there any legal consequences or punishment for the city hunter? Did the public find out who the real city hunter was? Or did they just think that it was Lee Jin Pyo?

Also, Park Min Young's role, Kim Na Na, whom I thought was the best character, felt discarded in the last few episodes. Even the ending for her was too sudden. The role of her father felt so useless all throughout the series. Her character and skill as an agent felt so useless as well (after the part when she took the bullet). When the male lead decided to be thrown by her, her role started to be kept in the shadows. Kim Na Na's character had so much potential and she really gave off that cool female lead vibe, but that had gone to waste. Actually, she could be my favorite character here if she was just properly highlighted. It felt like she became just a supporting character.

Another character that went to waste in the last few episodes was Prosecutor Kim Young Joo. There was no sense of fulfillment in his role, he just ended like that without any strong reason to be taken out of the story. I was so hopeful about his character that I thought he and the city hunter would work together until the very end. Poor Se Hee for being left behind like that without any proper screentime with her ex-husband.

Nonetheless, I still love the overall plot and theme of this drama. This is actually one of the most decent action dramas in Korea in my opinion. I haven't seen the original yet, but so far, I'm still satisfied with this version (just the last two episodes were not just really enough for me). 'City Hunter' is still highly recommended. Actually, this is one of Lee Min Ho's best dramas alongside 'Legend of the Blue Sea' and 'Faith' (I am eyeing Panchinko now. Gonna check it out when I feel like it). I hope to see him more on-screen with a different kind of role (like what Kim Soo Hyun and Lee Jong Gi do). I want to see if there are more of his acting skills that he could bring out.

Favorite scene: Grown Poochai in Thailand part. The action scenes were so satisfying.

I used to rate this drama 8 out of 10. But now, I'm rating it higher to 8.5. Good watch.

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