I really enjoyed so much about "Taxi Driver" and its unique spin on anti-heroes and revenge thrillers, but I also found it messy and even a little hard to follow at times. The Rainbow Taxi Company concept is great and hooked me instantly. I loved the Batman vibes and the based on a true story element to each episode, but the overall plot is all over the place and is saved by a dynamic cast and some epic action sequences. Mainly Lee Je Hoon as Kim Do Gi being awesome!

Lee Je Hoon is so amazingly good! I know he has had other great roles but this really is a star vehicle (pun intended) for him! Whether he's casually beating up a gang of thugs, driving fast and furious style, or in hilarious disguise, he is impressive. Also, add to that the emotion he can bring to the role that makes his motivation believable and easy to root for, even while he's clearly breaking the law. He is ultimately what kept me interested from the beginning until the end, especially when parts of the story were frustrating or didn't work for me. Kim Do Gi is the most consistent thing about this whole drama and worth a recommendation to watch on his own.

The rest of the cast is great too. Some of the characters definitely annoyed me, but it was never the actors' fault, even when the performances were super campy. First, there is Kim Eui Sung as
Jang Sung Chul, who I always love as a villain, but it's nice to see him in this light. He still had some duplicity in his performance that he does so well, even as the good guy-ish lol. Pyo Ye Jin, Jang Hyuk Jin, and Bae Yoo Ram play the rest of the team and I loved their unique personalities and care for each other. My one complaint is that Pyo Ye Jin as Ahn Go Eun took a mostly passive role in one storyline that really bothered me. She eventually makes up for it, but I still feel like her character could have been much stronger considering her overall role on the team. Esom as Prosecutor Kang Ha Na was another character that frustrated me. In an attempt to create a rivalry I feel like her character became unreasonably one-note. This also got better towards the end, but I just really dislike the stubborn cop getting in the way trope, and I wish there was more to her character earlier on. She does have interesting chemistry with Kim Do Gi but don't expect anything beyond mutual admiration to come from it.

The shadier characters on the other hand are entertaining but also very cartoony. Cha Ji Yeon has a double role that is pretty impressive and Cha Ji Yeon is almost like a Disney villain as Baek Sung Mi. On the opposite end, you have Lee Yoo Joon as Wang Min Ho who is just super likable and good balance for Ha Na. All of the guest characters were great too which kept the episodes interesting and made you root for the Deluxe Taxi even more. It's hard to go too much into detail without spoilers, but I'm also glad they took extra time to go deeper into some of the revenge stories beyond just focusing on a specific crime and its aftermath.

If you don't like disturbing storylines then this is not a drama from you. This is definitely a crime drama at its core with a ripped from the headlines law & order-y feel. The vigilante twist is what makes this drama unique as well as the clever way they recruit new clients. Where I think this drama messes up is that it seemed like they didn't really think through what the Taxi Company's ultimate goal was and hearing it explained didn't make much sense. Then a sudden plot twist seemed to be thrown in just to give the story a direction, but that plot felt rushed through too. I did like what felt like a change in direction in characters, especially the women characters, and that they seemed to intensify the action scenes. Some of the action sequences in the second half are truly DAEBAK, and are so good I didn't really care what was happening in the story if I'm honest. I also liked the moment where they slipped in some real true-crime footage which did get me right in the feels (even if it contradicted earlier scenes). I just wished the entire plot felt more cohesive.

Would I watch this again? Maybe, but I think I would much rather just watch some of the action sequences again. I did like the dynamic between the characters while watching the first time but I would be much more curious about the possibilities of a season 2... which seemed very possible judging by the final scene (which I loved).

Overall I enjoyed this drama for what it did well and not necessarily as a complete story. I would still recommend it because what it does well is more than enough to entertain! I laughed, I teared up, I was horrified, and I cheered. I love that they challenged what justice is and empowered victims and their families. By the end, I was ok with forgiving all plot holes and too easily resolved conflicts. In the spirit of choosing to seek revenge or not, if you're choosing whether to watch this drama or not, I feel like "Taxi Driver" is a drama I can forgive and will never forget.