As with Boys Over Flowers it is difficult for me to look at
City Hunter with an objective eye. And
since this review is just my opinion anyway I’ll just gush over it as much as I
want. I really enjoyed this one. Prior to K-Drama’s my usual genre of
movie/show was action and adventure. So
the fact that this is an action/spy based story line, well I fell in love even
more. The basic story is South Korean
Spec. Ops group is sent to North
Korea by politicians, once there a deal is struck
with the States and the South Korean politicians end the mission and hide any
evidence of its existence. Then they
kill off their own people, only one man survives. He then steals his friend’s baby and raises
the child for one purpose, revenge. When
the baby, now a man, returns to Korea
he completes the revenge for the man who raised him.
I’m not even sure where to start because I loved
everything. So I suppose I’ll start with
Lee Min Ho. He did an amazing job. The character grows from a rambunctious teen
to a young man with a purpose and he truly did a fantastic job showing
that. Additionally, Lee Yoon Sung (Lee
Min Ho’s character) is being asked to do some truly despicable things by the
man who raised him. You can really see
the pain Yoon Sung feels at disobeying the only man he’s ever known as
family. And that pain only intensifies
as Yoon Sung’s past comes to light. He
really pulled me in and I felt his suffering with him.
Kim Na Na is my favorite female lead in any drama so
far. So often when a ‘tough girl’ part
is being cast the actress is not right for the part or just way over acts in
order to appear strong. It can ruin a
show when the ‘tough girl’ is trying too hard or not believable at all. Kim Na Na was just perfect. She was an excellent mix of strong and tough
woman with vulnerable and soft. I truly
believed that she could beat the snot out of anyone attempting to harm her
charge (the president’s daughter).
Though on the other hand when she’s home alone I believe that she just
wants someone to lean on and make her feel safe too. Park Min Young did such a phenomenal job
portraying Kim Na Na.
Sometimes the chemistry between the leads falls short, but
not here. The main leads and their
secondary counterparts just had the perfect mix of tension, aggression,
attraction, and sensual interplay. Along
with that, the supporting cast was perfect.
I especially enjoyed Ahjussi, he added just the right amount of comic
relief to a story that was intense.
Lee Jin Pyo, who went by Steve Lee when he returned to Korea, was the
man who stole Yoon Sung and raised him.
Oh I just loved to hate this man.
He was so focused on his revenge and so set in his ways that he didn’t
care what it was doing to Yoon Sung. He
was an evil and horrid man who I hated with a passion. Yet, he’s my favorite villain to date. I loved him, he was so broken, but had such a
strong will that he didn’t let his broken heart stop him. And then at the end he redeems himself and I
loved him even more.
Additionally I really loved Yoon Sung’s City Hunter
look. The face mask and the clothing he
wore. It was simple and easily obtained
which makes it realistic in the sense that anyone could have those items. He wasn’t wearing anything that was
cumbersome or tacky just for the look.
It was clean and simple and functional.
Also, for me this is my favorite look of Lee Min Ho’s.
The only criticisms that I have are minor and really just a
few nit-picking items. Yoon Sung is
supposed to be a genius and the Blue House is very pleased to have him
there. However, he just comes and goes
whenever he wants without a word or a reason.
I would assume that the Blue House is tightly guarded, scrutinized, and
watched. It seemed a little improbable
that he would have such free reign to do some of the things he did while
there. Additionally, speaking of
improbable. Being raised on a drug farm
and then somehow managing to enter the US with valid identification to
fabricate a past and go to school. I
understand that with most action flicks you need to suspend your disbelief, but
this just seemed like to much. Though I’m
not sure what they could have done to make it a little more believable.
The last thing that I could possibly say as a negative was
the fact that it felt like the characters were written to be particularly slow
in figuring out who the City Hunter was.
Yoon Sung didn’t exactly cover up his actions very well. I thought it would have been much better had
they discovered his identity sooner and we could see the struggle they had in
deciding what to do with the information.
They had the epiphany too late in the series for my tastes.
However, eve with those few small things this is definitely
in my top three best dramas of all times.
I would absolutely recommend it to anyone and will most definitely watch
it again.
For a full synopsis of the story check out this link.
Noona's Rating
Overall: 9 (I rated this 5 stars on DramaFever.com)
Story/Writing: 9
Cast/Actors: 9
OST: 9
Sets/Costumes: 9
Feels: 9
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