Nine years after the box office success of the hugely enjoyable “Veteran” (now on Netflix if you haven’t seen it), Ryoo Seung-wan returns with a sequel to his action-comedy that takes this world of police mayhem a little more seriously than its predecessor without losing any of its entertainment value. Sure, “Veteran” didn’t shy away from commenting on society’s broken structures and systemic inequalities, but “I, The Executioner” (which, it should be noted, is simply called “Veteran 2” in its home country) looks itself squarely in the mirror, interrogating generations of stories about cops who will do whatever it takes to deliver justice. Vigilante justice has taken on a new form in an age of internet mobs, but Ryoo hasn’t made a simple cautionary tale about online justice — he’s created a film that’s wildly entertaining but also very much on its mind about how far we should be willing to go to balance the scales. Is there such a thing as a good murder?
A creative vigilante has been meting out justice to criminals who have managed to escape the system, whether they have gotten away with their crimes entirely or simply haven’t received an appropriately long sentence. (“Dexter” fans will recognize the behavior.) The press has dubbed the mysterious, unknown figure “Haechi,” especially one famous YouTuber who helps fuel his popularity with increasingly heated rhetoric, knowing that the Internet loves to see bad guys get what they deserve.The name comes from a mythical creature of East Asian origin that judges those who have committed sins.)
“Veteran” protagonist Seo Do-cheol (the charmingly tough Hwang Jung-min) balances his work on the Haechi case with bullying-related issues facing his son at home, and is forced to step away far too often as the unknown killer gains confidence. “Veteran”’s marvelous investigative team, which is reintroduced in a well-deserved slow-motion shot after a spectacular opening fight sequence, gains a new member in the fearless Park Sun-woo (Jung Hae-in). The Internet dubbed Park the “UFC Cop” after he strangled a knife-wielding man with an impressive leg-swing. While Seo wonders why he’s asked to protect vile criminals from what they possibly deserve, Park unleashes his skill set on anyone who could Sea Haechi represents a new era in crime fighting, one that understands the role that internet mob justice will play in how justice is delivered in the future.
There’s a pretty big twist two-thirds of the way through the movie in “I, the Executioner” that I bet at least half the audience sees coming, but that’s not a problem when a movie is as well-constructed as Ryoo’s. From the opening fight scene to an expertly constructed rooftop battle in the rain that’s among my favorite scenes of the year, Ryoo blends a sense of slapstick into his fight choreography that’s just plain fun to watch. Especially in an era of overly manufactured CGI superhero battles, there’s something smile-inducing about fight scenes that seem clunky and clumsy. In the first sequence, a cop tries to deliver a flying kick to a bad guy and lands short of his target. It’s not just that kind of fun pacing that elevates the action here, but how that amateurish quality is embedded throughout the action scenes. People slip, fall, and stagger around — you know, like even people trained in real fights would do.
The final scenes of “I, the Executioner” lose their way a bit, as Ryoo overcomplicates his climax with multiple potential victims and thus dismisses some of the interesting moral questions at the heart of his story. While the ending of “I, the Executioner” is undeniably enjoyable on the surface, it’s a little disappointing to see some of the ingenuity of the rooftop fight go, along with some of the film’s richer ideas. At this point, though, most viewers won’t care (and I really adore the epilogue that reminds us what Seo really cares about). They’ll be too busy wondering why it took so long to make another film in this series and hoping it won’t be another nine years before another one.
This review was submitted by Fantastic Fest. It opens on September 27th.