Notable Cast: Ma Dong-seok, Son Suk-ku, Choi Gwi-hwa, Park
Ji-hwan, Heo Dong-won, Ha Jun, Jeong Jae-kwang, Nam Moon-chul, Park Ji-young
The beast cop is back in a follow-up to one of South Korea's
most entertaining thrillers of the last 10 years, The Outlaws, only
this time we ditch the standard 2 numbering of a normal sequel and instead go
with the oddly titled The Roundup, which is such a simple and less
exciting title than Outlaws 2, but I digress. Is this sequel
anywhere comparable to the sheer awesomeness of the stellar first film? In
short, absolutely, and in some ways, it excels even more (i.e. the action).
Ma Dong-seok, aka Don Lee, is back as Ma Seok-do, the smart-mouthed, heavy-hitting train of a cop who does whatever he must to bring the
baddies in to meet justice. He is more charismatic than ever in this film. He
really shined in the first entry of this series, but here he seems to embody
his character even more, sinking himself into the role. There may not be a ton
of depth to the character, but Ma brings such a level of bravado and sheer
power to the character, you can't take your eyes off of him. He can be a gentle
giant one second, and then the next he is punching you through a door, or a
window... or a wall.
Many returning fans will be curious about the action. Let me
tell you, it is just as brutal and even more action-packed than the first film.
Ma mega punches his way through every scenario. It is so entertaining and
highly exhilarating to see him send people flying left and right. The villain
here, played to ghoulish perfection by Son Seok-koo, is a wicked ball of energy
that matches the beastly nature of our tankish hero. While you always feel that
Ma will win in the end, that does not ever mean that the main baddie here isn't
absolutely heartless and terrifying. There are several sequences where I was
shocked by how ruthless he was.
Getting into the very few gripes I have towards the film, I
would have to say, right off the bat, I absolutely hated when Ma and company
traveled to Vietnam and the film immediately got that very Hollywood
yellow-tinged visual to everything. Film fans know exactly how stereotypical it
has become to shoot these countries in this putrid color. When they do
eventually return to South Korea, the color scheme returns to a beautiful
naturalism. Bring on the eye-rolling. Also, this might be personal preference,
but I hope in the currently shooting The Outlaws 3 that the beast
cop finally meets someone who gives him a proper run for his money. I get that
he is practically a walking death machine, but I want to see him be broken. It ultimately
up the stakes at hand and it would make for an even more intense outcome.
Again, I am not sure it is even a criticism, but the danger can
sometimes feel a bit safe as Ma never seems to be taken down a notch.
Yes, the hype for The Roundup aka The
Outlaws 2 has been through the roof for the fans and the time I had
with the film was very fulfilling and highly entertaining. Action fans are
gonna eat this one up and fans of Korean cinema in general (or of Ma Dong-seok)
will find a lot to be satisfied with here. I cannot wait to see the conclusion to
this hard-hitting trilogy of action thrillers. My highest recommendation!
If you want to check out The Roundup, you can find where to watch it at all kinds of digital retailers at this LINK!
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