This review may contain spoilers
Dropped then rewatched
I really liked this drama at the beginning, I thought the stories were interesting and I enjoy revenge dramas cause it’s satisfying. However Kang Ha Na’s character just annoyed me so much, like I understand she was just doing her job but I just wanted her to BACK OFF. So I dropped it and then I had nothing else to watch so I rewatched it AND THANK GOD she started kinda working/ understanding them, so she became less annoying. I just wanted her to stop ruining their operations.The rainbow taxi team’s relationship was nice, I liked the way they worked together, but the main character Kim Do Gi was so OP that sometimes it was laughable. He could literally survive anything and his IQ is like 1000 apparently. I don’t know what kind of training he got in the military but he was unrealistically strong and smart. And he got hurt so many times but he never suffered any long term damages or even scars lol, but the villains used to get one punch and they would be on the floor. Anyway it was fun to watch tho cause it was just like let’s see how he survives now. I did like the fight scenes tho, my fav one was the night vision POV one, I thought that was quite creative and a cool way to show the fight.
Another thing that was funny was how the roads were ALWAYS CLEAR. Sometimes even in the day time the roads were empty and they would be doing the most with the cars- car chase, accidents, explosions, idek what else but it would just be them.
I thought it was quite ironic that the law they complained about and fought against the whole drama, was the thing that kept them out of prison because of the ‘lack of evidence’.
Also, I didn’t understand in episode 16, I thought Oh Cheol Yeong’s son did know that Oh Cheol Yeong was his dad, because of the scene in the toilet where he has the flashback? But then they concluded that he didn’t know who his dad was? I’m confused.
Overall I did enjoy the drama, the stories were interesting and the acting was very good from most of the actors/ actresses. I think most of the stories were based on true stories, which made it more heartbreaking.
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Alternative to a crap legal system
With a high budget feel, great stunts, bags of action and a credible cast, this was a pretty thrilling drama.Plenty of revenge providing satisfying viewing when a multitude of incredibly unsavoury characters, got their judgement calls.
I honestly felt like this drama was giving a pretty big finger to the country's very flawed legal system, which favours wealthy and connected citizens over guilty ones.
It was a little odd, therefore, to include details and phone numbers for various crime departments at the end of episodes. A Premium Taxi Service one would be better.
Some of the cases made for very disturbing viewing, from violent bullying to rape, sexual assault and murder.
It is a very violent series, so those affected by realistic cases and cruelty, should avoid it.
It's pretty OTT, but for the vast majority of the time, gets away with that comfortably. It feels weird to say I enjoyed it, but I did, more than not.
I only rolled my eyes up in disbelief a couple of times and was made to laugh occasionally too.
One episode near the end even made me cry; because the hurt was understated and realistic, not melodramatic.
At one point, when the initial storyline was wrapped up, it did drag/dip somewhat and I thought they shouldn't have stretched it to 16 eps. However, it then picked up again and I enjoyed it to the end.
There is one factual case in a latter episode's epilogue, involving a trumped up, wrongful conviction. This resulted in an innocent man spending a long time in prison and it also really disturbed and angered me, because it involved an 8-year old child. What the police back at the time did, was shocking, shameful and unforgivable.
It really is like the writers (they were changed part way through following a disagreement between the original and director) want the country to recognise how flawed and corrupt their systems are, and how they let people down. An argument for the statute of limitations being dropped was also featured, which is applied by many countries and enables perpetrators of older cold cases to get off . Same applies to double jeopardy really.
I loved both Lee Je Hoon and Esom in this; perfect for their roles. Not a weak actor in it.
Whilst the action was often pretty fantastical, it's still a thought provoking watch.
The OST was suitably heavy rock orientated, in fact sometimes a little too much so, but overall pretty good and appropriate.
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This review may contain spoilers
Great Start but Can't Hold On
As someone who like multiple cases in one show, I like this. The idea of helping people getting revenge is really good. Unfortunately as the story progressing, it annoys me more and more. As a group who is specializing in revenge, they work carelessly and keep making "rookie" mistakes. The turning lamp in the mirror is such an embarassment. Another silly mistake is when Jin-Eon crashed by a truck, they somehow allow Ju-Chan to run away easily. They somehow always feel invincible like nobody will watch them kidnapping or abducting someone, while on the other hand they can easily hack any surveillance cameras and see what the bad guys are doing. It seems contradicting when we have a very powerful and unstoppable character, which is the hero and is undestandable, but he keeps making stupid decisions.The first half of the show is good, but it becomes dragging after they begin to work for themselves instead of the clients. The plot becomes predictable from there, and the makjangs become too much. They even forget about Dong-Hee's family, the one who request to get revenge on Sung-Mi after all!
Still this show is highly recommended! The whole cast play excellently, and the highlight is absolutely Lee Je-Hoon as Kim Do-Gi. The music is quite good, and it's really recommeded to rewatch for the eye-pleasing action scenes!
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Jolly Good Fun
Looking for something sweet and happy? TURN BACK! Do you believe the criminal justice system is always right? YOU'RE IN THE WRONG PLACE! Are you in the mood for a butt load of action, suspense and revenge? LOOK NO FURTHER!This show is so much more than what I thought it was going to be. You're emotions will run wild with this series in all the right ways. The plot twists were outta this world with satisfying bolts of craziness and you can't deny this is something we need in the real world, which is what makes this show so relatable and "fun". lol It's action packed from beginning to end with all the heart racing punches and winching uppercuts you could ask for. If you don't think the criminal justice system is warped this is NOT the show for you but I whole heartedly am convinced you'll love it none the less.
Enjoy...
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When I first saw the title and the storyline, I didn't think it was for me. But then I gave myself a chance to watch it, and I was amazed, actually I still am.
The acting in this was excellent, what I liked the most was the taxi itself. I've watched quite a number of series with cars as one of the main concentrations, they are good, but not that feasible. In taxi driver, the taxi they used! You can relate to it, like it's not too fictious... You get what I mean. The music was okay too.
As I said, I like being brief... Taxi driver!, Is a must watch.
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the law does not gurantee justice
crimes are committed daily, and the perpetrators do not always receive proper punishment. rainbow taxi is an organisation run by people who were let down by the law in the past and decided to seek justice for those who experienced the same lack of it as they had.'taxi driver' is dark and violent, but in the best way possible. it depicts various cases, all based on real crimes; that's why this drama feels so realistic. it shows that we should not close our eyes to how evil and rotten the world can be. on the other hand, watching our rainbow taxi team is pure joy. with their mutual trust and support, those individuals create an excellent contrast to the fierce plot itself.
and now, all i am hoping for is a confirmation of season 2.
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This review may contain spoilers
Should you watch it? Yes, especially if you are into action/crime/violence
This rating is specifically based on my enjoyment of the show. Let me explain...What I loved:
-Lee Je Hoon was excellent. The scene where he was with the reporters and confronted the killer. Oh my gosh, his anguish. Watch his neck during those scenes, it was heartbreaking. He's got the "cold/cool" guy down to an art form, but you could feel how he cared for his team and the victims they worked for.
-Esom as the prosecutor. I know a lot of people were saying that she was irritating, but that was the way she was supposed to be. I thought her arc from sticking strictly to the letter of the law to moving into a gray area was very interesting. I was looking forward to her joining the team and was disappointed to find that she isn't in season 2.
-The team. Funny, quirky, excellent at their jobs, I loved the found family feel of them. I liked how the writers showed that they were smarter than the criminals. Thank you for not making a romance between ML and hacker!
-The cases. I liked seeing them don different characters to take down the bad guys. I would have preferred if they stuck with a client per episode instead of the last part of the drama focusing on one big bad situation.
-I didn't have any difficulty with the ML always winning every fight. It made me root for him even more.
The reason for my lower rating:
-This isn't my typical genre and I thought it was excessively violent, often at the expense of the story. I was bothered by the language as well.
-Product placement was pretty obvious.
-The one glaring thing for me was, considering how they've been doing business all this time, flying under the radar, the prosecutor didn't have any trouble figuring it out and finding their lair.
I will watch Season 2, but I'm hoping for more cases and less violence.
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Taking a new spin on revenge...
I really enjoyed so much about "Taxi Driver" and its unique spin on anti-heroes and revenge thrillers, but I also found it messy and even a little hard to follow at times. The Rainbow Taxi Company concept is great and hooked me instantly. I loved the Batman vibes and the based on a true story element to each episode, but the overall plot is all over the place and is saved by a dynamic cast and some epic action sequences. Mainly Lee Je Hoon as Kim Do Gi being awesome!Lee Je Hoon is so amazingly good! I know he has had other great roles but this really is a star vehicle (pun intended) for him! Whether he's casually beating up a gang of thugs, driving fast and furious style, or in hilarious disguise, he is impressive. Also, add to that the emotion he can bring to the role that makes his motivation believable and easy to root for, even while he's clearly breaking the law. He is ultimately what kept me interested from the beginning until the end, especially when parts of the story were frustrating or didn't work for me. Kim Do Gi is the most consistent thing about this whole drama and worth a recommendation to watch on his own.
The rest of the cast is great too. Some of the characters definitely annoyed me, but it was never the actors' fault, even when the performances were super campy. First, there is Kim Eui Sung as
Jang Sung Chul, who I always love as a villain, but it's nice to see him in this light. He still had some duplicity in his performance that he does so well, even as the good guy-ish lol. Pyo Ye Jin, Jang Hyuk Jin, and Bae Yoo Ram play the rest of the team and I loved their unique personalities and care for each other. My one complaint is that Pyo Ye Jin as Ahn Go Eun took a mostly passive role in one storyline that really bothered me. She eventually makes up for it, but I still feel like her character could have been much stronger considering her overall role on the team. Esom as Prosecutor Kang Ha Na was another character that frustrated me. In an attempt to create a rivalry I feel like her character became unreasonably one-note. This also got better towards the end, but I just really dislike the stubborn cop getting in the way trope, and I wish there was more to her character earlier on. She does have interesting chemistry with Kim Do Gi but don't expect anything beyond mutual admiration to come from it.
The shadier characters on the other hand are entertaining but also very cartoony. Cha Ji Yeon has a double role that is pretty impressive and Cha Ji Yeon is almost like a Disney villain as Baek Sung Mi. On the opposite end, you have Lee Yoo Joon as Wang Min Ho who is just super likable and good balance for Ha Na. All of the guest characters were great too which kept the episodes interesting and made you root for the Deluxe Taxi even more. It's hard to go too much into detail without spoilers, but I'm also glad they took extra time to go deeper into some of the revenge stories beyond just focusing on a specific crime and its aftermath.
If you don't like disturbing storylines then this is not a drama from you. This is definitely a crime drama at its core with a ripped from the headlines law & order-y feel. The vigilante twist is what makes this drama unique as well as the clever way they recruit new clients. Where I think this drama messes up is that it seemed like they didn't really think through what the Taxi Company's ultimate goal was and hearing it explained didn't make much sense. Then a sudden plot twist seemed to be thrown in just to give the story a direction, but that plot felt rushed through too. I did like what felt like a change in direction in characters, especially the women characters, and that they seemed to intensify the action scenes. Some of the action sequences in the second half are truly DAEBAK, and are so good I didn't really care what was happening in the story if I'm honest. I also liked the moment where they slipped in some real true-crime footage which did get me right in the feels (even if it contradicted earlier scenes). I just wished the entire plot felt more cohesive.
Would I watch this again? Maybe, but I think I would much rather just watch some of the action sequences again. I did like the dynamic between the characters while watching the first time but I would be much more curious about the possibilities of a season 2... which seemed very possible judging by the final scene (which I loved).
Overall I enjoyed this drama for what it did well and not necessarily as a complete story. I would still recommend it because what it does well is more than enough to entertain! I laughed, I teared up, I was horrified, and I cheered. I love that they challenged what justice is and empowered victims and their families. By the end, I was ok with forgiving all plot holes and too easily resolved conflicts. In the spirit of choosing to seek revenge or not, if you're choosing whether to watch this drama or not, I feel like "Taxi Driver" is a drama I can forgive and will never forget.
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Specially Lee Je-hoon he nailed it 🔥. If u have watched his previous work then u should definately watch this it's his one of the best work (at least for me) and all other cast has done tremendous job as well.
I'll just say just go for it.
One last thing this show deserves more appreciation and popularity than it got. It's popular in Korea but not in other countries. Hidden Gem 💥.
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Overcome Evil by Good
There are a lot of anti-hero Korean dramas this days like Vincenzo, Doom At Your Service, and this one, Taxi Driver. I thoroughly enjoyed this show from start to finish. All the actors were amazing at their given roles. There were a lot of thought-provoking themes that would challenge your ethical standards and morality. Having said this, I really enjoyed all the lessons and takeaways this drama gave the viewers.I am looking forward to another season. I just couldn’t get enough of their dynamics. I am also very satisfied with the ending. It was wrapped up very well and it would leave you with no regrets.
This is a good drama and you won’t regret spending this seeing it. It is definitely worth it.
Thank you and congratulations to all the cast, crew, and the entire production for giving the audience a stellar show. One of the best this year has to offer.
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Brilliantly satisfying drama
Don't get mad... get even.Taxi Driver (or Deluxe Taxi to give it it's proper name) is an action-packed drama based around righteous revenge under the cover of an innocent taxi service. When our protagonists are at the end of the road (no pun intended...) due to horrible and painful circumstances, they find solace in the offer of getting revenge. In turn, they help other people who are in despair due to the actions of some very horrible people and act on their behalf to bring these people to justice.
Meanwhile, a tough prosecutor, played by Esom, is suspicious of these activities.
Taxi Driver has an 80's/90's feel to it which I loved - a bit like Knight Rider or The A-Team and so has a little bit of cheesiness to it - but that's needed to balance out the more gruesome aspects of it.
Well worth a watch and while I don't condone violence or revenge it's really satisfying to see it play out. Watch now before the second season comes out.
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