Movie

The Drug King

2018 · 139 min

A slow-burning, stylish rise-and-fall crime saga that immerses you in 1970s Korea's underworld with tension and moral ambiguity.

Tagline: He who was a criminal and a patriot.
Overview: Busan, South Korea, 1970s. Lee Doo-sam is a small-time smuggler. After helping a drug gang to smuggle meth, he falls into the dark crime world. Quick-witted and full of ambition, he eventually takes over the drug underworld and starts to lead a double life: a good community leader during the day but an infamous drug lord during the night.
How it feels: Dark, tense, cynical and melancholic. Measured and needs your attention.
About: Crime, ambition, corruption, power
Content: Strong violence and language. Mild gore and sexual content.
Note: Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Full breakdown

Tone: darkstrength 3 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
cynicalstrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: crime
ambition
corruption
power
betrayal
Places: big city
small town
Era: period
Audience: adult
Form: true story
serialised
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language strong
Violence strong
Sex mild