I think I’m in my era of recounting good dramas that resonated with me. If I’m being honest, I’m trying to get back to my K-drama era, and so far, I’ve been unable to take that final step towards the newly-released dramas, so I thought to rewatch and talk about the dramas I watched a long time back, just to see if I’ll be able to get back in that sphere. And then I remembered one of the most epic dramas I’ve watched and thought to share it with you today.
The K2 (2016)
Kim Je Ha(Ji Chang Wook) is a formerly renowned mercenary soldier known as “K2” who becomes a fugitive after being falsely accused of killing his girlfriend during his service in Iraq. He is able to find his way back to Korea and is employed as a bodyguard for Yoo Jin, the owner of JSS Security whose husband is running for president. Je Ha has a plan for revenge and uses his new job as a platform to target Park Kwan Soo who is the leader of the ruling party and his boss’ rival and whom he suspects to be the mastermind behind the murder of his girlfriend.
But now Je Ha is assigned to guard An Na, his boss’ husband’s illegitimate daughter and soon enough, they begin to develop feelings for each other. But now Je Ha’s loyalty is put to the test when the person who wants to harm An Na the most is Yoo Jin, his boss. Where will his loyalty lay?
My Review and Rating
If you guessed that the only reason why I was interested in this movie in the first place was because of the presence of Ji Chang Wook, you guessed correctly. I’ve said it once so I’ll say it again that he is my absolute favourite K-drama actor, so I don’t usually need to ask around whether a movie is worth watching or not where he is concerned. As far as he’s in it, I’m definitely watching it. But that’s the thing, he’s such an exceptional actor, my trust in his movies and acting is not misplaced. And his character in The K2 as a huge lover of action film, was not excluded.
Concerning the other characters, I’d love to say that Yoo Jin was my second-best character after Je Ha, the protagonist. Even though she was a villain in the series, I loved her strength and how multi-dimensional her character was. Her emotional instability when she couldn’t control Je Ha and how she eventually grew fond of him. I wished she stayed a true villain till the end but her vulnerabilities and insecurities made her more humane, and I even started to toot for her character.
I think I was more invested in the political/crime aspect of this drama than the romance aspect. And maybe it’s because Je Ha’s love interest barely had an element of sass in her and was far too mien for my liking. But she was cute and their love scenes made my heart flutter more than a little bit. One thing you can be sure of in any Ji Chang Wook romance movie is that the love scenes will certainly have you kicking your feet. He’s charming that way. So yeah, the romance part was all good, but the intrigue and incredible plot twists associated with the political aspect of the drama were far too gripping to ignore.
I loved the humour as well. Of course, this is one thing every K-drama has in spades, so this certainly didn’t disappoint on that count and the backing characters made sure it all went smoothly. One thing that was hard to keep up with was the multiple plotlines. Flashbacks were employed greatly but the excess plotlines were hard to keep up with. But It was made up of plot twists, so I can’t complain.
At the end of the day, I can safely give The K2 a 4.8/5. And that’s me being modest. It’s a really good series and I’m glad I got to watch it. Maybe this sparks my interest in taking that final step back to K-drama.
