A Superior Day ~ A Father is Forced to Hunt a Serial Killer

A Superior Day is a 2022 Korean drama, 8 episodes, categorized as Cat-And-Mouse Crime Thriller, and streaming on Tubi TV, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime.

 

• Memorable Quote: “If you want to find your daughter, come to the parking lot now.”

SUMMARY: An ordinary firefighter is blackmailed into killing his neighbor ~ a suspected serial killer ~ to save his kidnapped daughter. As the clock ticks down, he becomes trapped between a psychopath and a contract killer in a deadly 24-hour race.

♦ Does Kidnapping Justify Killing?

In “A Superior Day,” Lee Ho-Chul is a dutiful firefighter who thought a person needed help. Unfortunately, the sound he heard was somebody being murdered. When he opened the door, the killer attacked and injured him. That was just the beginning. Lee Ho-Chul was a devoted husband and father, living a quiet life, who is now suffering from PTSD because of the attack. He receives a chilling text message that shows a photo of a blood-soaked man standing over a corpse. Lee Ho-Chul immediately recognizes the figure: Kwon Shi-Woo, his seemingly polite next-door neighbor.

Before Lee Ho-Chul can process the shock, he receives another message:

• Kill Kwon Shi-Woo within 24 hours, or you will never see your daughter again.

His daughter has been kidnapped! The message sender is Bae Tae-Jin, a contract killer who has been hunting Kwon Shi-Woo. Unbelievable! According to Bae Tae-Jin, the next-door neighbor is a psychopath who murders to satisfy his twisted sense of superiority. But Bae Tae-Jin is a contract killer. Why involve an innocent firefighter in this “brawl”? Bae Tae-Jin is using Lee Ho-Chul as bait. He has turned him into a desperate father who will likely do anything to get his daughter back. But why can’t Bae Tae-Jin, the contract killer, kill Kwon Shi-Woo, the serial killer? Uummm … he has an agenda and decided to use Lee Ho-Chul to accomplish it

A 24-Hour Nightmare

Lee Ho-Chul is thrust into a 24-hour nightmare. He doesn’t understand the motives of the Bae Tae-Jin. But he must save his daughter. He has to navigate the city, evade police suspicion, and confront Kwon Shi-Woo. Lee Ho-Chul’s wife is a police officer, and she becomes involved in the investigation/ She doesn’t know her husband is being threatened and coerced.

Kwon Shi-Woo is not a nice neighbor. He’s a cold-blooded killer who is disturbingly calm and intelligent. He describes himself as “superior”. Kwon Shi-Woo enjoys tormenting Lee Ho-Chul and hints that he may know more about his daughter’s kidnapping than he lets on. Lee Ho-Chul is not a killer. He’s just an “ordinary man”, a father who wants to rescue his daughter. He has 24 hours to decide whether to trust Bae Tae-Jin, confront Kwon Shi-Woo directly, or attempt an impossible rescue on his own.

Main Characters:

• Lee Ho-Chul (played by Jin Goo, “Moon River”,”The Witch: Part 2. The Other One”, “26 Years”,“Mr. Sunshine”, “My Lovely Angel”, “The Auditors”, “Shadow Detective 1 and 2”, “Descendants of the Sun”, “White Nights”)
• Bae Tae-Jin (played by Ha Do-Kwon, “Marry My Husband”, “The Witch’s Diner”, “The Player 2: Master of Swindlers”)
• Kwon Shi-Woo (played by Lee Won-Geun, “Jugglers”)

Where to Watch: Tubi TV, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 5.9 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7 out of 10 stars
• Dramabeans: 6.5 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is the same as MDL.

I had no problem finding reviews for “A Superior Day”. It’s like viewers saw the low rating, but they just had to watch the K-drama for themselves. Most of them were not thrilled. They used words like predictable, underwhelming, lackluster, inferior, and unnecessary gore. I must say that when I read the plot summary, it sounded exciting! Imagine being an innocent person, just doing your duty as a first responder, and you get stuck between a contract killer and a serial killer? That is wrong on so many levels. It’s wild!

I go A, B, C with ratings. If I say 7 out of 10, it’s a “C”. That’s why I agreed with My Drama List. But watch it for yourself. It’s free with ads on Tubi TV.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Review | K-drama review: A Superior Day – drab and forgettable serial killer thriller proves to be anything but superior | South China Morning Post

A Superior Day. An Inferior Thriller : R/KDRAMA | Reddit

Review: A Superior Day (OCN, 2022). | The Cat That Watches TV

KDrama Review: A Superior Day. | K&J Reviews

TRAILER/TEASER:

Global, CJ ENM. “A Superior Day.” YouTube, 23 Aug. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2B_5BsptA8. Video.

♦