“Veteran” is just a plain, fun romp of an action/comedy film about a Metro detective who is hellbent on taking down the drug addict man who is the son of a wealthy corporate tycoon. The theme is a fairly common one of a wealthy man who believes that he’s untouchable and above the law. Plus, I needed something to get the bad taste of “King the Land” out of my mouth, and this movie more than fit the bill for me in that regard.

Detective Seo Do Cheol leads a band of misfit detectives on various sting operations. The film opens up with him taking down an auto theft ring, and the apprehension of the Russian and Korean criminals down on the docks is beyond hilarious! Watching Detective Bong howl like a Native American battle cry, and fly out of nowhere to take down one of the operatives, is one of the funniest moments of the scene as she ends up missing the guy entirely and knocking herself out.

Do Cheol finds out that a friend (Bae) who helped him with the sting operation is trying to get his back pay of wages that the corporation is refusing to pay him, and the sadistic, drug addict, Jo Tae Oh takes great delight in having Bae beaten in front of his young son and then covering up an attempted murder with a suicide ploy. Of course, Do Cheol doesn’t believe a word of it as he’s already experienced Jo Tae Oh’s sadistic side first-hand at a party where he delightfully abuses two women just for the sheer pleasure of it.

As we’ve seen countless times before in K-dramas and movies, the rogue detective finds himself up against the system, where he’s forced to deal with high-priced lawyers, corrupt police officers who are being paid, and even high political officials who all want Do Cheol to leave the case alone. Even his wife is approached by Jo Tae Oh’s lawyer and assistant with a purse filled with money as a payoff. However, Do Cheol refuses to back down and vows to do whatever it takes to uncover the truth and take Jo Tae Oh down.

Do Cheol is a skilled fighter, and an above-average detective, and Hwang Jung Min plays him perfectly. He’s a likable guy who seems to take abuse from everyone, from his superiors, his co-workers, and even his wife, who snaps at him as soon as he gets home from a long day.

Yoo Ah In gives us an equally riveting performance as the drug-crazed Jo Tae Oh, a man who delights in the pain of others. He wears a smile like the Joker and before you know it, he goes on rampages of rage and violence. We are given hints as to why he might be like this as his father, while not on drugs, is certainly ruthless and prone to violence himself. Jo Tae Oh believes he has to prove himself in order to be his father’s successor, but his cravings for violence end up being his undoing.
The only part of the movie that had me scratching my head was the end. During their showdown, Do Cheol allows himself to be beaten in order to secure an “assault on a police officer” charge, or even just a “resisting arrest” as their fight is in front of cameras and many spectators all recording the incident on their phones. While it made the fight more interesting, I didn’t understand why he would have to take such a beating. Perhaps the charge is different in Korea, which is why I sort of dismissed it. In the US, after Jo Tae Oh hits him with the first punch—which takes place after Do Cheol is already read him his rights—that would have been more than sufficient for the charge to stick.

Koreans are masters of combing and using different thematic and genre elements in their shows and movies. This movie has plenty of action, laugh-out-loud moments, and scenes that will have you cringing, and the film also gives viewers something to think about. Koreans love using entertainment as a means to try and invoke change. In this case, it’s about not allowing the wealthy to prey upon the poor or the helpless nor allowing the wealthy to simply buy their way out of prosecution. In short, nobody is above the law and everyone should be held accountable, no matter who they are or where they come from.

All in all, this movie was a lot of fun, and I’m already looking forward to Veteran 2!