The Killer tread a familiar action movie path. Did it matter? Not with Jang Hyuk showing off his particular set of skills as many times as the writers could work a fight scene in. His quiet confidence and proficient use of a body well honed by real life martial arts training kept me engaged from beginning to end.

Retired killer, Ui Gang, is maneuvered into babysitting the seventeen-year-old daughter of his wife’s friend when the two women embark on a three-week vacation. A reluctant sitter at best, Ui Gang finds himself dragged back into his profession when Yoon Ji is repeatedly kidnapped by human traffickers. The killer never breaks a sweat or even raises his voice as he works his way through the bad guy hierarchy. There’s never a moment when he doesn’t look completely in control, even when facing a gang of axe wielding thugs.

If I laid out the plot in detail, few people would find it surprising. If you’ve seen Nowhere Man, John Wick, or Taken or a jillion other movies with a similar story you’ll have the whole thing figured out in a matter of minutes. With this kind of genre, execution matters, and The Killer executed it well. As in there were executions aplenty. The action drove the story and rarely slowed down long enough for the viewer to start counting plot holes.

Jang Hyuk is an accomplished martial artist in real life and it showed in his agility and quick moves. The brutal and bloody fights were well choreographed and exciting to watch. Ui Gang dispatched the baddies with a number of different weapons or whatever sharp object happened to be nearby. Shadowy scenes were often Illuminated with neon lighting making the action seem otherworldly.

The Killer didn’t have the most inventive script. Luckily this genre doesn’t require uniqueness, only thrilling action. Would the film have worked without charismatic Jang Hyuk and his martial arts skills selling the action? Thankfully, we didn’t have to find out.

4 February 2024