I, THE EXECUTIONER (NC16) 118 minutes, opens on Oct 31 ★★★★☆
The story:
The crime thriller I, The Executioner – a sequel released domestically as Veteran 2 – has elsewhere adopted the title of Tai Kato’s 1968 Japanese neo-noir along with its vigilante theme.
The psychopath is punishing criminals who evaded the system, executing them in the grisly manner of their misdeeds and causing nationwide chaos. A YouTube channel is quick to profit off the bloodlust by inviting submissions to his hit list. "Is there a good murder and a bad murder?" Do-cheol berates the excited public.
But it is this old-school veteran’s extrajudicial justice in the earlier film, roughing up nasties in his crusade against class inequality, that inspires cherubic rookie patrolman Park Sun-woo (Jung Hae-in) to join the manhunt. What good are Sun-woo’s lethal mixed martial arts skills otherwise?
Director-cum-co-writer Ryoo Seung-wan returns to critique the legacy of violence that is now everywhere: in school bullying, incidents of sexual harassment and internet culture.
This story is from the October 31, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the October 31, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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