A corrupt cop gets involved in a case where one of South Korea’s most powerful men is involved. He hasn’t reached the top of a skyscraper with being a kind and good man. The cop also meets a younger teenage girl who becomes an important piece in this case as she has video footage that could destroy the empire to the old and powerful man.
Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage took me back to around 2005 when the South Koreans made movies with only unsympathetic characters. They made tons of these movies where a corrupt cop tries to do something right in his life, but it’s too late. Because he’s always going to be an asshole.
There are no characters here that I could root for. Most characters we meet are unsympathetic. This is the hallmark of many South Korean movies in the crime genre. There’s a lot of fighting and punching, but the most interesting thing here is that the cop can’t fight. He’s a coward and a pussy who mostly beats up people who can’t defend themselves.
And the funny thing is that he gets a nemesis that can fight and humiliates the cop several times. This is the main villans right hand. He’s the highlight in the movie next to the main villain that has a face you want to punch. And I liked his evil laughter. It’s just a shame he doesn’t get as much screen time as he deserves.
But great entertainment value isn’t found in Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage, as it gets too dark and cold. You will not find much warmth at all. Everything is gray and sad, and the characters aren’t well written. It’s a movie that you forget after a few days, and then it’s erased from your memory forever and ever.