The Worst Evil (2023)

In his quest for promotion, dedicated police officer Joon Mo is tasked to infiltrate an illegal drug cartel led by Ki Chul. Little does he know, that his wife, Eui Jung, is investigating the same mission and she has known Ki Chul in the past. How will Moon Jo navigate this situation?

One of the most anticipated dramas this year, starring my first crush Ji Chang Wook. My first thought: the premise is one of my favourite setups! Hidden identity with action, so it's right down my alley!

Pacing is great, we get things going right away, but I am not hooked from the premise, and the story is nothing new. What's groundbreaking is the performances. The fight scenes are very gory, looks extremely dark and they’re done so well. More than the plot, I'm captivated by Ji Chang Wook, his performance is at its' finest, this man can be anyone! Directing-wise, I don’t like the parallel double-date set up and the strange flashbacks, but the acting by our leads is truly amazing! It shakes the JCW fandom worldwide, that you’re probably already spoiled by the scene by now.

The Worst of Evil could have been better presenting their leads. While watching it, I had discussions with a lovely friend and I totally agree with her insight, so I quote them: “There are great potentials that are set up but never utilized: either it’s Ki Chul’s gangster set up, or a believable marriage between Joon Mo and Eui Jung, or Joon Mo’s instability for the lack of a father figure. It would be interesting if Ki Chul has a stronger influence to Joon Mo and Joon Mo drawn to him as a father figure, more than money and power that he’s lacking in his low-rank police status, sucking him deeper into evil… It could have been a more heart-wrenching scenario for this noir.”

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LEFT ME WITH A HEAD FULL OF THOUGHTS

This is a kdrama with every kind of emotion you can think of. But I have to say if you don’t like gore or violence then this may not be for you.
this is truly one of the best action, mind bending shows I have ever watched the acting was amazing as well as the selection for the cast and directing.
The key concept that this drama left me with was mending and determining the contrast between good and evil and how it can change our ways and morals beyond to what you would ever expect or imagine. Ji Chan Wooks character shows this marvelously and it was intriguing to see him change as the show progressed, it makes you realize how certain events can really change a persons morals and actions in order to achieve a given goal, how you can grow apart from people as well as deeper understand the people you once misunderstood by stepping into their world firsthand while excluding your own life experiences even your own identity as a whole. This drama had my eyes glued to screen always wanting to know what happens next and how the chatecters will grow and act while living in different environments as well as how their relationships will grow or drift. I won’t spoil the ending so you’ll have to determine your thoughts and opinions on the ending by responding to this review but I have to say that it really left me almost to tears making me think about ones experiences throughout different relationships and ways of life whether it be the interpretation on life, Thinking “Who’s good, Who’s evil?”, “What does good mean to you, What does evil look like?”
it is unbelievable how life can take its turns without you even realizing or noticing and this drama really does a great job of showing how the human race CAN really “get used” or adapt to other environments and how we as people can manipulate/train our brain to see different living situations, points of views, people, etc. and most importantly how we can actually reveal a whole different side of ourselves that we never knew possible.

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What did it cost? Everything

Gangnam in 1990s in neo-noir story about love, power and struggle with our own demons.

"Exceptional drama" - there are words that come to my mind, when I think about this series. Interesting idea for plot with many plot twists, hints and slowly developing story. You can fell aura of the last decade of 20th century in Korean criminal underworld.

Brilliant acting... Ji Chang Wook in action drama again is so satisfying. Fighting scenes are well-played and you can't take eyes on him in them. You can see emotions in his eyes, how he struggle and trying to keep his sanity. Complex character and I think one of the best in last years. Wi Ha Joon didn't disappoint as well, I could see that he shown something different in this role. I could understand his reasons and emotions, everything was perfect... and heartbreaking. Im Se Mi meets my expectations with her character and her struggles, her little facial expressions were brilliant. I can't niggle over supporting characters acting. they all do well. Also I was suprised by BIBI, I didn't know that she can act and be an eyecatcher in the screen.

I truly like music in this drama , it makes matching vibes with the story. Especially in the ending... it made me so emotional.

Filmmakers did amazing job with making characters. They are sophisticated, not obvious, not bad, not good. All I see is grey. Viewers may see that circumstances can made us do many things, terrible things. Things we do for love. Things we do for power. Things we do, because of our ambitious. Things we do, because of our greed. What make us going crazy, even if we try keep our beliefs. What we have to sacrifice for our work. And lasty if it is worthy to do it all...
In the end we all can see broken people, who lost everything. Whose world view was shattered . They know nothing. They don't believe in anything... they are shadows of who they were before

Highly recommended drama for neo-noir fans and ganster drama watchers. Great position for everyone interested in: morally-grey characters, undercover cop, difficult circumstances and what they can make us, psychological struggle and heartbeaking plot. I will come back in future to see one more time bromance and romance, action sequences and difficulties to stay true to yourself beliefs . Moreover I will think if it was worthy... after all it cost everything

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One of the best of its crime A MUST WATCH.........

Its one of the best drama of the year with a very powerful and effective cast , especially the male leads - they both are fantastic and up to the mark for their role , Female leads are also good , BIBI is more effective in the drama with her acting and all other scenes ( something i don't want to spoil but is there in the drama ) . The acting , the violence , the action and the brutal emotions looks so real and effective again the male leads are amazing and will never disappoint . The only downside is the underwhelming ending and some open threads which weren't closed properly in the last 2 episode , but if u think about it , the ending offered to us also makes a lot of sense . Don't take it as a bad ending show it defiantly worth to watch but a little anticlimactic .

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Best Crime based Kdrama !!

If you are looking for a crime based thriller Kdrama then this is for you. The casting was top notch and every character played it's role phenomenally . But for me Ji chang wook stole the show. Every scene, dialogue delivered by ji chang wook was to the point, and once again he proved how amazing he is an actor. Talking about the story it gave the viewers a glimpse of how illegal drug trade was prominent in 1900's in sk. It also gave audience a brief view on how undercover agent/ cops suffer mentally, physically while dealing with criminals and how their personal life gets entangled when family members gets involved. This is not a typical romantic kdrama where FL will end up with ML in the end. Talking about the music the music was good . Honestly the ending was realistic because Jun moo realised that how things can get messed up if family members get involved while dealing with criminals. And as for the chemistry between the leads it was good but the FL character lagged because she too much involved her personal feelings in the investigation and completely forgot that the SML was a literal criminal and she didn't even saw that the very end also the SML didn't regretted over his wrong doings. The reason why Jun moo shooted Ki Chul was he didn't wanted him to die through sucide because that would be a easy death for him. The SML wanted to die to let jun moo suffer mentally thinking that Jun moo will feel remorse and regret over his betrayal but Jun moo shooted him to show him that at the end justice wins and cops will always punish the criminals whether they have personal feelings or not. As for Jun moo and Eui-jeong relationship it was quite clear that Eui-jeong didn't loved her husband and more importantly respected him as a cop she was literally shocked like what did she expected from Jun moo to let a criminal win ? She shouldn't be call as a cop because she let her personal feelings for involved while punishing a literal criminal and it looked like she was not true to Jun moo her love was more for Ki Chul because of she loved Jun moo she wouldn't have lied to him about the necklace nor she would have kept the necklace. The ending basically tells that Jun moo as a cop would probably start his life fresh without the lingering feelings or memories of the past. A 10/10 drama for me!!

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If you have trust issues…

This was by far the most gripping and emotional nerve wrecking drama I have watched, it even tops Flower of Evil.
Ji Chang Wook and Wi Ha Jun have the best chemistry , and the Direcor and Screenwriters are The Worst of Evil (in a good way). I was on the edge all the time, and before the last 3 episodes I had a knot in my stomach because I feared for their lifes.
The end was heartbreaking…

Everyone in the cast was so good, and the leads were all excellent, with Ji Chang Wook and Wi Ha Jun showing outstand performances. I am still stunned, and overwhelmed with Emotions, and sad that we can‘t have more.

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Ji Chang Wook INCREIBLE

La serie, dentro de que se encuentra en el tipico drama de policia infiltrado en terreno hostil, te atrapa de una manera especial.
La intereaccion entre los dos personajer principales es perfecta.
Y en cuanto a las escenas de lucha, dentro de que a mi no me vuelven loca, son algo increibles. Ji Chang, hace uno de sus mejores papeles en estas escenas entrando en la perfección.
Hay que reconocer,ademas, que la aparición de las dos actrices protagonistas te crea ciertas dudas sobre si todo esta permitido para conseguir un proposito o no.
Reconozco que soy una fanatica de Ji Chang Wook y he visto todas las series de él, bien sea en versión original o traducidas, y esta se puede considerar un cambio en su carrera, aunque me gustan todas.

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Not Like Your Typical Thriller KDrama

If I'm being honest, I watched this without knowing anything besides the fact that Wi Ha Joon was in it. Bro, go watch it. It's so good and the story, characters, and production is very inspiring. The cast is perfect, the story is perfect. The ending is also really impactful, and you can take in a lot from this drama. I can't even describe how I felt after watching it. Usually after finishing a drama, I would want there to be more in the story. But the ending felt empty but complete, not in a bad way. The actors made me feel some type of way, especially Wi Ha Joon. The story his character had and how he interprets Jung Ki Chul is the best. (Also, very attractive). But anyways, 10/10 for sure and totally recommend because the story isn't basic, and the writing is far from bad.

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A good gangsters vs cops dramas in an old Hong Kong movie style.

This is typically the type of story you used to find in old Hong Kong crime movies with men and brothers fighting each other in a story of cops, crime syndicate, mafias, and undercover operations. It was usually very romanticized, violent, and dark and in the ends, the outcome left no one unhurt. This drama totally follows this path.

1/ STORY
The story is rather simple. A cop accepts to do an undercover operation for a very personal reason. This leads him into a world of gangsters where bad guys also have their values and laws which make them not so bad and good guys are not always so good but have deviant behaviors and make questionable choices. He navigates in this and meets a local boss, and they develop an understanding and a friendly bond throughout time. The problem is that two women enters the scene, and they will make the two men question themselves, who they are and who and what they want and love. The result in the end is a terrible outcome for everyone.

2/ WHAT I LIKED
- The bonding between the two male leads and the bromance despite an uneasy personal situation in connection with the FL.
- The individual character development of the ML and of the SML. As I said, they are very romanticized but there is a clear beginning, a transition and an ending that is well told.
- The action and violence. I would have liked a little more of them.
- The ML and SFL. Their interplay was endearing. Cop guy and gangster girl trying to handle each other.


3 /WHAT I DID NOT LIKE
- The schemes were not so well made. I questioned some events that looked a little bit too simple or unrealistic.
- A little too much of "Who has the bigger balls". But I guess that's inevitable in a gangster's vs cops story.
- The last 3 eps were a bit underwhelming with some plot holes and far-fetched events that make them look rushed and inconsistent.

4/ CHARACTER - ACTORS
- Joo Mo: a simple and dutiful guy who becomes a gangster to bust a drug ring but he makes encounters that change him, his values and vision of thing and make him question his job. I liked the character and JCW was good portraying him.
- Ki Chul: simple guy with big dreams but a romantic who will question himself and try to change things for the best or the worst? Endearing despite his bad actions. WHJ was convincing too.
- Eui Jung: Some say she is useless in the drama. On the contrary. What she does or do not do triggers most of the tragic events. She is the main cause of everything. Im Se Mi. Second time I see here after True Beauty. Totally different. Good acting.
- Lee Hae Ryeon: the crazy and fun character who reveals herself not as hardened as expected. Superb job from the actress.
- Hwang Min Gu: The brute cop. Too much screen time for him and his antics. But his demise was fun.
Not a lot of noticeable characters beside these.

5/ OST: I enjoyed it bit nothing memorable.

6/ REWATCH VALUE: Probably rewatchable but a little too dark.

7/OVERALL
It is darker and sadder and more violent that expected. The schemes and counter schemes kind of drag the plot at times but overall, it is a good story. I would say the mafia and crime thing is not the most impressing or the most important. It is the personal situation and development of each of the main characters. From their point of view, it is a tragedy. A well told one. I totally recommend this drama. 9/10 . I do not give 10 because of the few telling flaws of the last eps but It is a good drama.

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JCW back with an action packed neo-noir series

The story, acting, cast, bgms, cinematography, action choreography were awesome. They delivered more than what I had expected. Would like to see JCW in action and romcom series more often.
The story thread goes something like this: Set in Seoul in the 1990s, a former DJ starts selling a new powerful drug nicknamed "Gangnam Crystal" in city nightclubs after mastering a gangster organization. Since the police know little about the origin of such drugs, in order to crack down on this rampant drug trafficking organization, rural police officer Park Jun Mu is assigned to sneak into the organization, only to discover that his wife, Yoo Eui Jung , also a detective, has volunteered to participate in this dangerous mission and seems to have an unspeakable past with the heinous underground drug king. Park Jun Mu in this drug-related mission, not only does he wholeheartedly fight the drug cartel, but also works hard to protect his wife's safety at all times.

Well, overall this was a gem of a find

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INCREDIBLE Story, Acting, Production; Sure to Be Re-Made by Production Crews Across the World.

The spoiler is at the end and marked.

I concur with everything written by Shinnosuke_Lee, including the evaluation of the ending.

This was an INCREDIBLE show in all the ways that reviewer mentioned. Loved it all. They all were incredible performances. I double-foot stomp BIBI's performance. It was great and a needed breath of fresh air in the overall cast of characters. The story really is stellar with constant twists and edge of your seat drama. (When the violence got too much for me (as an older viewer), I just turned off the audio and/or covered my eyes.) The cinematography, the editing, etc. were phenomenal. I expect this to be remade a number of times by various artists across the world, because the story holds up so well and can be set in many parts of the globe. What more would you want in a cops-robbers/love story? I am surprised that the rating overall on MDL is not higher.

(I did have an issue with the Disney digitization which gave a slight green cast to the footage. This emphasizes the film noir effect, but I don't like it. I was a video editor, so most people, other than folks like me, will likely not be bothered by it.)

SPOILER:
I note that some reviewers think that the drug boss's motivation is money/success. I concur only in that he believes that this will win the love/respect of his childhood sweetheart, which is his ultimate goal--the same goal as that of the ML, which is to win the love/respect of his wife. (A reviewer compared the drug boss to Jay Gatsby in the novel "The Great Gatsby" and I concur.) The FL has "the face that launched a thousand ships," as they say of Helen of Troy. And I think that the FL lead was able to feel empathy (NOT love) for the drug boss, just as the ML was able to feel empathy for the Chinese drug negotiator--but the true love remained between the ML and FL, as evidenced by her continued pleads for him to be pulled from the operation.

Regarding the ending, IMHO the ML again sacrificed himself and his marriage for both the FL and drug boss, with whom he had developed a strong relationship. The drug boss had an "honorable" death and the FL didn't have to take the blame for his death. Therefore, the ML remained true to his character of protecting those that he loved, he didn't "turn evil." If the FL realizes this in time, then perhaps there may be a way for them to get back together.

Regarding the title of the drama, I wonder if the writer is trying to say that the worst evil is often the things we do for love. Did both men destroy themselves to gain the love of a woman? (Back to Helen of Troy) It is true that people do terrible things to protect their loved ones or to protect/foster the God they love or to avenge those that they love. Food for thought.

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