“Revolver” ~ I Want My Money or Else!

“Revolver” is a 2024 Korean movie, categorized as Noir, Revenge, Thriller and Suspense, and Crime.

SUMMARY: An ex-detective gets caught up in corruption and her “friends” ask her to take the blame. All of them shouldn’t go to jail. Right? She agrees but only because they made “promises”. When she was released from prison, she discovered that her “friends” had disappeared and nobody planned to keep their “promises”. She got played and screwed.

♦ You Want Me to Take One for ‘The Team’?

Ha Soo-Young was a police detective who got involved with some shady characters. Some of them work in law enforcement and some of them work “elsewhere”. A person known for throwing drug parties got arrested. Im Seok-Yong, the chief of the detective department, informs her that the person who was arrested recorded all of his phone conversations and her name came up several times. What? That’s incredible! Her name was the only name?

Im Seok-Yong arranges for her to have a private meeting with a few of the other “guilty parties” who could go down if they don’t take action quickly. One of the people present at the meeting is Andy and he practically promises Ha Soo-Young the world. She doesn’t need the world. An apartment to live in when she is released from prison and a substantial amount of money will do. She recorded the conversation.

Two Years of My Life and Now You Won’t Pay Me?

What good was the recording? By the time she got out of prison, two people showed up for her.

• One person showed up to let her know that she had been abandoned by her “friends”. Whatever promises they made to her, they had no intention of keeping them.
• Another person showed up to give her a ride. Jung Yoon-Sun called Ha Soo-Young “noona” and also knew her name.

Ha Soo-Young asked who she was and why did she come. Jung Yoon-Sun acted like she was a “friend”. But Ha Soo-Young immediately didn’t trust her. However, she didn’t want to get in the car with the guy who showed up. So she accepted a ride from Jung Yoon-Sun. It didn’t take long for her to get disgusted with the driver, so she got out of the car and said she’d find her own way around.

Now what? She doesn’t trust Jung Yoon-Sun and figures she’s just after her because she knows about the money that was promised to her. Im Seok-Yong is dead. And that guy named Andy? Where is he? She needs to at least find him, because he’s the one who was so willing to promise her the money if she took the fall for everybody else who was involved in the organized crime racket. She was in prison for two years. The time she served was worth every penny she asked for. She intends to collect payment.

Main Characters:

• Ha Soo-Young (played by Jeon Do-Yeon, “Crash Course in Romance”, “Kill Boksoon“)
• Im Seok-Yong (played by Lee Jung-Jae, “Squid Game”)
• Andy (played by Ji Chang-Wook, “Healer”, “The Worst of Evil”, “The Sound of Magic”, “Suspicious Partner”, “Welcome to Samdal-Ri”)
• Jung Yoon-Sun (played by Lim Ji-Yeon, “The Killing Vote”, “The Glory”, “Welcome 2 Life”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 5.4 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is the same as My Drama List.

Honestly, I was expecting better. This movie starred Jeon Do-Yeon, Lee Jung-Jae, Ji Chang-Wook, and Lim Ji-Yeon. Wouldn’t you have been expecting a lot? I’m not the only one with this type of reaction. There were lots of mixed reviews for this movie. Here are a few examples.

“The movie is called Revolver and reads like a fresh take on Lady Vengeance.” ~ Koala Playground

“Despite Jeon’s compelling performance, “Revolver” falters in its execution. The film overly fixates on Soo-young, seemingly relying too heavily on Jeon’s star power.” ~ Yonhap News Agency

“There was not enough action or background story of the various characters. … Exploring their narratives further would have given them more meat. Perhaps this is what led to Revolver’s wavering and monotonous plot.” ~ HallyuSG

LINKS OF INTEREST:

[Herald Review] ‘Revolver’ a slow-burning noir complete with icy protagonist, diverse characters | The Korea Herald

Korean thriller ‘Revolver’ starring Cannes award-winner Jeon Do-yeon lands global deals : r/Koreanfilm | Reddit

Revolver (2024) Movie Review – A slow-burn revenge drama that fizzles out in the end | The Review Geek

TRAILER/TEASER:

EonTalk. “Revolver (2024) 리볼버 Movie Trailer | EONTALK.” YouTube Video. YouTube, June 27, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK4CH36ewug.‌