The Fiery Priest

An All Time Classic with the perfect mix of Action, Fun, and Drama!

Where do I even start with this amazing K-Drama? I may be slightly biased with this K-Drama because of the obviously heavy focus on Catholicism but this k-drama instantly hooked me in the very first minutes of it. The character introduction of Father Kim was instantly iconic, the presentation of how he moves and his fiery personality made him larger than life. Kim Nam Gil does a perfect and flawless job in his portrayal of Father Kim, nobody else in Korea could have done what he did with the role. Right from the start The Fiery Priest does a wonderful job in establishing the tone of the entire K-Drama showing both a comedic side and a more serious side while adding in some actually pretty amazing action scenes with some fantastic choreography which is always a crucial thing for me when it comes to watching a K-Drama. It never strays away from the set tone once throughout the entire series. It expertly mixes it all together allowing for the viewer to laugh and enjoy the really fun and happy moments while feeling the emotion of the serious scenes.

One of the biggest motifs of the Fiery Priest is redemption focusing around Father Kim redeeming his two main partners in taking on the corrupt council that runs Gudam. It handles redemption in a perfect pace allowing for a proper pay off of Father Kim's two main partners. His first partner, Goo Dae Young, starts off as a foolish unlikeable corrupt goofball and turns into a brave passionate police officer who wants to protect the innocence at all costs while still being a goofball. Kim Sung Kyun does a great job in showing the duality of both forms of his character and acts as a great counterpart to Father Kim. Father Kim's second partner, Prosecutor Park Kyung Sun starts off as a crazy dirty backstabber who wants to get promoted at all costs and becomes a cunning brave, smart, and bold upholder of the law even if it makes her lose her job. Lee Ha Nee does such a perfect job with the role, really owning the craziness of the character. All of this is done through Father Kim's influence over them. Another person Father Kim influences in a good direction is Goo Dae Young's rookie partner, Seo Seung Ah, while she starts off already good and wanting to take on the corrupt Gudam gang, Father Kim makes he really brave and even stronger in her pursuit of doing good, I loved how Geum Sae Rok made her such a loveable character right from the start.

One of my favorite things the Fiery Priest did was it gave every main character a proper backstory on why they do the things they do which allows for a more in-depth look into the psyche of the character giving even more life and a feeling of natural connection to the characters. It's truly amazing how many character's got a proper backstory. The Fiery Priest held consistent to this all throughout the series which showed the screenwriter and director really knew their characters.

The supporting cast was fantastic with Father Kim's fellow clergy to his friends around Gudam especially Ssongsak, his growth as a character was amazing throughout the series, becoming a character I couldn't wait for the next scene he was in. Hwang Cheol Bum and his gang especially Jang Ryong were great fodder to Father Kim's fiery path of justice. Everything about this cast from the top to the very bottom was pure perfection, I wouldn't even change a single casting nor remove or add any single character.

The pacing of the Fiery Priest was perfect, it never once dragged on for even a single second. Every single scene had quality and entertainment which kept my eyes glued to my tv at all times watching this perfect K-Drama. The one slight disappointment I had was the quality of the filming which isn't the fault of anyone really, it's what SBS had given to the director but he did a wonderful job as is with it. The soundtrack from the OST to the background music is amazing, especially Hero by Norazo, it's such an energetic track that matches the fire and passion that Father Kim has.

This is my second K-Drama I have watched that was directed by Lee Myung Woo, the first I watched of his was Backstreet Rookie which was my first ever perfectly scored K-Drama, this man really knows how to put together a perfect cohesive and consistent K-Drama. Seeing Eum Moon Suk and Ahn Chang Hwan who both appeared and interacted with each other in Backstreet Rookie again in the Fiery Priest made me so happy, especially how they both developed a friendship toward the very end.

One final thing, I really loved how The Fiery Priest respected and treated Catholicism with honor and due diligence. Never once did I find anything disrespectful or offensive to my faith. Father Kim has become one of my all time favorite Catholic non-fiction heroes, he might even be in my Top 3 now next to Daredevil and Robocop!

I really really really love The Fiery Priest, I can't wait for the rumored second season! I'd recommend this K-Drama to absolutely everyone!

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A Must Watch

I just finished watching this series and I have to say for some odd reason I'm ready to rewatch this again and I usually don't rewatch Korean dramas I've seen.

The main character who I'm not familiar with was truly bad a* throughout the whole series. The whole cast had this special chemistry that made me want to watch all of this in one setting.

The fighting scenes were so top notch that I went into kid mode and kept rewinding and squealing...Sad I know but if anyone has watched this there's one particular scene where fighting occurs that threw me for a loop. That person became my favorite.

I'm not really big into female Korean actresses but the female cop was awesome. Except for the 'hip hop' scenes. Yeah, I cringed and was glad she didn't 'rap' too often.

The comedy in this had me rewinding and watching over and over. I never knew so many tears could come out of my eyes in every episode.

Since I'm not good with names, especially foreign names I'm just going to say the guy with the bob was my favorite. Poor guy got kicked and bounced up so fast only to fall the way he stood had me in tears!
Even the bumbling cop who surprised me throughout the series.

My least favorite of course were the bad guys but I also wasn't too fond of the prosecutor. Her constant 'Phoenix Sun' got on my nerves. Maybe it was the way her voice sounded. I hate female voices that are high and squeaky...ugh!

I definitely loved the fact that this was just comedy, mystery, and action. No sappy romances anywhere! These are my new descriptions for anything Korean right now.

Now that this one is done....going to find another to watch. Hope it's like this one.

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A MUST WATCH DRAMA

I could rave on and on about this drama but I’ll keep it short!

Such an underrated drama!! This drama is by far the greatest and best action comedy in KDrama history. It has a fantastic storyline, an engaging and intense plot, nerve-wracking twists and turns, superb acting skills, and valuable life lessons. A thrilling ride full of excitement and laughter!

Powerhouse Ensemble Cast! Each of them provided unforgettable fun, and they took on roles that were perfect for the actors. No matter how big or small the role was, each of them did a phenomenal job. Best squad ever!!! No romance but I didn't care. The main aces of this drama are the excellent storyline and character development. Along with an addictive OST that you’ll remember till the end.

The Fiery Priest made me laugh hysterically and I kept on cheering for our priest and his friends. One of my favorite dramas! I’ll be rewatching this drama again. Hoping season 2 happens.

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When you feel that the cast had so much fun shooting this drama :-)

I can hardly call another drama that was so much fun to watch. You could sense that the cast was enjoying shooting this a lot. I kinda hear them laughing after doing some scene's or when they got take a second shot I guess they were laughing so hard and couldn't continue filming the movie ;-) The cast in total, even the side characters are so well chosen and had enough airing time to be covered decently, even the villains.

The chemistry especially between Kim Nam Gil and Kim Sung Kyun was perfect. Also newbie police officer raping girl Seo Seung Ah appeard so cool. Besides the slapstick comedy there were some serious parts of the story covered in a good way...and while a bit repetitive the constant beat em up contest between the good and the bad turned out like crazy.

The plot might be nothing too new (corrupt politicians and police) and sometimes a little dragging, but overall enough story to keep you going. Music was well chosen, lots of scenes to be watched again...but in the end this drama shows some of the best cast of Korea and how good it worked out with and for all of them. Everybody watching this one I guess is eagerly waiting for a second season...which is quite rare in k-drama-history.

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it's got everything BUT romance!

This one is really entertaining... hardly a dull moment now and then! It has everything viewers could wish for - handsome actors and actresses, action, twists, comedy, melodrama... The balance between comedy and tragedy is unbeatable! The pace is good, fighting scenes got excellent choreography, actors are flawless! The ML and the FL are both gorgeous... BUT everyone in this drama is single and lonely! I admire the fact that the priest was all along true to his calling and never ever swayed, BUT how can no one in this drama have a family or at least some slight romantic interest??
As most watchers previously noticed, the funniest thing is Father Kim getting angry: he throws a fit, breaks things and beats people left and right! The female prosecutor is also good (on my new favourites list)! And the villains are totally charismatic!
This being said, it's still one of the best dramas out there, period.

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Loved this show so much my husband and I watched it TWICE.

I can't see anyone else besides drop-dead gorgeous, tough, elegant and ruthless (and occasionally goofy) Kim Nam-Gil as the lead. And Lee Hanee as Prosecutor Park is every bit his match for wit, tenacity and fiery temperament. She's a comedic genius who can also act seriously. Their chemistry was EPIC. Unlike an American show, the writer made sure that their propriety (and his sacred vows) was maintained. The supporting cast was great too. Jeon Sung Woo as Father Han and Baek Ji-Won as Sister Kim particularly stood out for me. Jung Dong Hwan as Monsignor Lee, Fr. Kim's savior and mentor was fantastic and felt genuine. Loved the up-and-down, warm father-son relationship they had, their arguments and Lee's touching kindnesses to Michael that thawed his frozen, wounded heart. I cried pretty hard when he got murdered early on. His tragic arc gave the show the DRAMATIC dark heft the story needed. And I liked how Kim Sung Kyun's Detective Koo went from being the idiot butt of his squad's jokes to being an effective, empathetic and moral officer who got his respect and mojo back. The OST is classic, catchy and effective with so many different moods and flavors. As a lapsed Catholic, watching the show made me miss attending church and gave me the impetus to return! But I must admit that I wish someone looking just like The-hand-of-divine-justice, HOT Father Michael Kim would visit my parish!!! I can't wait for Fiery Priest II to become reality and I hope that most of the cast, especially Lee Hanee, will be able to reprise their roles. 10+++

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AN INCREDIBLE, TOP-TIER SERIES I'VE EVER WATCHED

i rarely give a 10/10 rating and this series definitely deserve this! every casts are shining and had been given a proper spotlight and adequate screentime accordingly to their roles ofc. this is rare for a series, that's what i liked the most on this series. like, every role is perfectly suited for every characters. the director was a genius for this. infact, the actors were absolutely versatile to the point that they can do whatever role would be given to them!! the comedic effect isn't cringe, wah, i was really stunned to speak. this is the best! this is highly beyond recommended! this is the type of series that will make you binge-watch for a day/week! And the ending... THE ENDING WAS A BLAST! IT WAS A BANGER!

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An Absurd Comedy That's Amazing When Bingeing But You Realize It's Average in Hindsight

Watched this upon a friend's recommendation.

The show was already finished and I watched it all as fast as possible. Amazing without pauses, but once you're done or take a pause, you realize that it's actually not that great.

The comedy is mostly revolves around the irrational anger and physical violence that the MC turns to abruptly and he gets embroiled in gang activities, where the MC would have been beaten to death or hit by a truck at a crossing on a random night if it was an actual k-drama about chaebols but plot armor prevails in a comedic drama.

While i feel that the score of 7 is a little bit too high, scoring it a 6 or lower would not be reasonable as it is entertaining while you're watching it. It's difficult to give a just score as again, once you think about the show as a whole, you know that it wasn't that good.

I actually followed the main actor's other dramas because of this drama, and this show's success did propel him to stardom, but the dramas after this are all mid, or very short productions, like Island, which was split into 2 parts because they were uncertain about the show's success but still ended on a cliffhanger regardless, only to make Island 2 quickly on it's success but the long break in between had already taken it's toll on the audience

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