Beyond Evil? Beyond Amazing.
A thick story with some logical yet sudden twist and turns, leaving you to guess what will happen after each episode, alongside some amazing performances from a stellar cast, that's right, this is what happens when watching Beyond Evil. I feel like Beyond Evil is best watched when you take it slow, episodes are "heavy" so you will need to take your time with it, but it's definitely worth it if you do. Shin Ha Kyun absolutely shone in his role, as did many other cast members, but I thought I had to mention Shin Ha Kyun himself here as I will remember his performance in Beyond Evil for a very long time, I definitely need to watch more dramas that have casted him.The OST is, for me anyway, the strongest OST of 2021 by far currently, I have literally been listening to it when exercising at the gym. Re-watch value could be considered low here, however, there are two things to consider: like before, episodes are heavy; and also consider my re-watch value rating is normally considered lower compared to most people when writing reviews.
I highly suggest for everyone to watch Beyond Evil!
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Brilliant Thrilling Story with Phenomenal Acting
Beyond Evil is a compelling incridible story that keeps you guessing. The plots are so unpredictable well-written. There is easter eggs in every episode and we can see them get revealed in a good pacing.They casted a great actors & actress that played a phenomenal acting. Both the main and supporting characters have back stories to support their purpose in the mysterious plot. I must say every characters in Beyond Evil are important and significant for the story line. Shin Ha Kyun one of the main actor, won the Best Actor award from the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards for his role. At first I came watching this for Yeo Jin Goo, but Shin Ha Kyun surely catched viewer's attention especially mine.
The cinematography was dark, creepy, and perfect for the story. The OST add so much atmosphere and match the characters and story perfectly. I must mention the promotional poster, as a designer I really love the idea! It captures how the two main characters are like a set of twin that slowly merge together.
While I can understand some people find the show confusing and dragging, I had nothing to dislike from this series. Beyond Evil is surely an outstanding heavy thrilling story for psychological drama fans like me.
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This review may contain spoilers
Rice car
I feel like this drama is basically a Rice car. On the surface it looks amazing. The cast is full of good looking people, and the two male leads absolutely nail their roles. Did Shin Ha-kyun deserve the actor of the year award from the Baeksang Awards? Probably. Did the show deserve the best script? Absolutely not.This drama suffers from trying to be greater than it is. In doing so, it tries to add suspense and wonderment through (if I actually counted) probably around 50 different plot twists. I'm all up for plot twists, but they weren't meaningful in any way. Just a bunch of cheap suspense tricks. E.G. You see X as following victim at 8:10 so he must be the killer. Surprise we now know that at 8:15 X actually left the victim and the at 8:16 Y was the last person to be wit the victim. So on and so forth for almost the entire series. I don't really know why people claim that they were at the edge of their seats from suspense, but to me this is not suspense. It's the equivalent to cheap scares in horror movies. Just like cheap scares don't count towards making a scary movie scary, these cheap twists don't create actual suspense and certainly don't qualify as good writing.
People also praise the character development in the show, but I am still wondering what they are talking about. Sure we are all cheering for the two male leads to get along and at the end they finally do, but I basically just revealed the entire series of events that lead to that development with, "they finally do." LDS is dead set on finding the culprit for his sister's death the entire series and continues to hide from his friends what he's doing until he's doesn't and until he's not. We never see the progression of his anger slower subsiding, realizing that there is more to life than being stuck on his sister's murder for over 20 years, or that he should share that burden with his friends and family. The only semblance of development we get from LDS is his attachment to HJW which can be summed up over the prison scene where he says, "we protect our own," HJW multiple random barge ins and suspecting LDS, a bowl of soup that LDS treats HJW to, and the last episode where they smile at each other. HJW's development isn't much better, he's pretty much dead inside until he feels sorry about his father's crimes and then again the smiling scene before the end credits.
Lets talk about the council woman's unconvincing confession. She confessed because her son said he'd kill himself if it turns out to be true that she killed chief Nam and KJM. But she didn't and her confession has no bearing on that. There was no evidence that she did killed anyone and it was never shown that her acquittal banked on such a confession. Heck it didn't even show that she was ever arrested or charged. A huge leap in logic to reach the outcome we got. Plot convenience is not good story writing.
Now lets talk about the crucial moment where HJW learns of his father's crimes and convinces LDS to not take things into this own hands. He promises to go to hell to bring his father down by gaining his trust. He makes this promise knowing that the recording he has would be inadmissible in court. Not only does HJW not go to hell, he didn't even go to jail. He did absolutely nothing Beyond Evil worthy to go to "Hell." In fact, his father goes to jail because the Council Woman's plot convenience "confession" ( her word against theirs) magically makes the recordings admissible in court? Yea, sorry that's now how that works. And what exactly did gaining his father's trust do to bring him towards arresting his father? Absolutely nothing. Just some more showboating that make the audience go "OMG," with no actual substance. Just like the cheap plot twists exhibited throughout the series. What was the point of HJW saying he'd gain his father's trust if there wasn't actually going to be any follow up on that? Just more rice.
This show did not deserve best Screenplay of the year. Not even close.
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Goosebumps!
This slow-burning serial killer drama is literally a work of art!All the cast fit in very well in their respective characters.
Complicated storyline evokes the curiosity, & keep on going.
Soundtracks are amazing & synchronizes very well at the right timings.
Shin Ha Kyun's acting skills are beyond excellent, & I recommend another Daesang award for him.
The director pointed out certain weak points or loopholes in the law of South Korea, &
his sincere intention & good faith can obviously be seen till the final minutes of the finale.
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Beyond Excellence.
This is one of the best drama... The acting was super good .... Story was very interesting..... Ost was good ..... I love the Han joo won and Lee dong sik's characters..... I loved how they were enough strong to face everything..... Idk why many people found han jo won quite annoying... I think he did nothing annoying... He was just trying to find the real culprit ...In this drama every characters were necessary... I think the casting director is smart he picked the right actors who fit in their role perfectly...
Only one thing I didn't like that kang jin mook died easily after killing so many people....
He deserve to rotten in the jail.....
Dong sik and Han ju won's life was quite cruel ... Especially for Dong sik ...... However I gald that they didn't kill anyone despite of everything.....
I wanted to happen something between ju won and jae yi .... But nothing happened ....
I felt a little bit bad for oh ji hun ... He didn't get any chance to confess his feelings for min jeong....
I usually don't rate ... But I felt this drama deserve more rating ..
People should watch this drama... I think none will regret after watching this...
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Good but
The story line is okay, the mystery part is okayy, the setting is okayyy, the characters are okayyyy except that the LCY is truly a pretty girl to watch, but somehow it is still a drama worth to watch. In short what really makes me thrill about this drama wasn't the story line, mystery, the setting, nor the plot, but was the perfect teamwork and relationship between LDS and HJW, where you will wonder if you can achieve it with your partners or colleague in that way all the time. However, the story is still a little bit too draggy and to be honest sometimes will watch until fell asleep and couldnt bear to fast forward. Only if the drama is not that draggy it can be quite a perfect drama to me.Was this review helpful to you?
A thriller that didn't feels like a thriller
I read the reviews before watching this and i was expecting a masterpiece but this wasn't even close to be one.The first part of the drama wasn't that bad but the second part was so slow, predictable and it gets boring. It has very little suspense, we could discover and imagine what happened already in the first episodes and for the remaining 6 episodes we were basically waiting for them to discover and arrest the villains, it didn't feels like a thriller.
Dongshik's character's was good, i loved that he was unpredictable and creepy sometimes.
Jungje was my favorite and he was the most interesting character, you will probably hate him at first but trust me you will root for him in the end.
Jihoon was so cute and lovely, i wished they could 've write him as a more interesting character to know better in the second part of the drama but at least he was a breath of fresh air during the boring and unnecessary long episodes.
I liked Jaeyi, she was pretty and caring but her character wasn't that special for me, especially the unnecessary interaction with Joo Won? I don't know how to explain this but they made it look like there might be something between them, i'm not a fan of romance in crime drama but maybe it would've made things less slow and boring in this case.
Special mention to Changjin that was the only villain that caught a little bit of my attention.
I couldn't see the big family they were bragging about, they didn't look like they cared for each other at all.
Same for the bromance i had high expectations for it but the main leads kept pointing fingers at each other and arguing for basically 15 episodes with some little glimpses of affection in the last one.
The city was deserted and it was really weird and the others cops have been very forgettable for me.
The ost was good same for the acting but i really can't understand all the people saying it was a masterpiece.
The plot was weak, it was predictable and didn't have suspense, the villains weren't that good (usually they are my favorites), one of the main lead was annoying and had a little character development only in the very last episodes. It should have had no more than 10 episodes in my opinion.
If you want a good dark, psychological and super intriguing thriller that keeps you on the edge then this is not for you.
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Started off as an anti-buddy cop drama.....but ended up being much more than that…..
Where do I begin....this was spectacular! If you're someone who enjoys a good slow burn mystery thriller THEN THIS IS FOR YOU! There are absolutely no reasons for not watching this.....so here is why this show deserves all the accolades, praises and is one of the best shows of 2021. I have not given any spoilers so feel free to read.
1. Simple done right: At its core, beyond evil is a very simple murder mystery but it is the execution that blows the mind of the audiences. Classic isn’t always bad. With the amount of dramas Korea is churning, the pressure to present new and unique stories rests heavily on the shoulders of the makers. But Beyond Evil is a great example of sticking to basics of a genre yet somehow reinventing story telling styles.
2. Three Cheers for the Screenplay: As I said the story is simple, then what made it a standout show? It was the screenplay. The carefully placed hints, the decision to reveal what aspects of story to the audience, when, how and systematically placing flashbacks in every episode is mesmerizing to watch. I cannot praise the writing team enough for the amount of intelligence and creativity they showed while building every episode.
3. Layers, Layers and Layers: This show can be very deceptive. On the face value it might seem like a straightforward murder mystery but at the end of the day it presents umpteen perspectives to the same plot. The show has successfully bypassed binaries of good and bad. It elevates the discussion on grey characters and grey scenarios. Every character has motives, secrets, complex emotions and varied outlook that clashes with each other. These layers add depth to the story without distracting the plot, rather it enriches the narration.
4. Remarkable Character Development: The testament of a great show is when the characters draw the audience into their world, make them invest and embark on a journey together. This show does exactly that. If you compare every character from ep1 to 16, you will be able to distinctly witness an evolution or devolution. Not a single character remains same by the time the show ends. Every character changes for good or worse.
5. Top Tier Acting Skills: I have always believed that Korea produces one of the best well rounded actors not only in Asia but also in the world. This show proves my point. If the screenplay/script is one pillar of the show then acting is the other. Our two lead titans Shin Ha Kyun (Lee Dong Shik) and Yeo Jin Goo (Han Joo Won) are outstanding. Everyone has been praising Shin Ha Kyun for his spectacular performance, even speculating possible Baeksang (totally deserving), so I thought to comment on Yeo Jin Goo. I never followed Yeo Jin Goo’s career in the past and I only saw Hotel Del Luna, which honestly centered on IU and therefore he did not leave any impression on me. But his nuanced and compelling performance in this show attests his years of experience in the industry. I cannot wait to see what kind of projects this young actor will choose in the future. Special shout out to every other cast member….they were equally great and deserve to get bigger roles after this show.
Beyond Evil has definitely raised the bar high for the industry. This is one of the finest of its genre, so featuring it on Netflix is a great decision. A show that will be remembered for a very long time…..
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Masterpiece
It's like watching a puzzle slowly put together with each new piece/episode providing new inisight to the bigger picture. Everything is brilliantly connected and every character matters and is involved in some way.The show is not just about finding out who the killer is but most importantly about the people involved and how deeply they were affected by it.
I don't see an issue with the pacing, it's what you would expect from a psychological thriller, no time was wasted. It slowly builds and forms the story with each episode and once you get to the end you see just how perfectly thought and planned out it was.
The cast I can't praise enough, all of them were phenomenal and had me so immersed that at times I forgot to read the subtitles, especially Shin Hakyun who blew me away every episode.
The ost seemed a little odd at first but I quickly fell in love with it and thought it perfectly fit the show.
No words are enough to describe how much I love this show and I'm not really good at reviews so if I could only use one word to describe it it would be masterpiece, it's by far the best k-drama I have seen.
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Definitely 1000% Daesang Award-winning Show !
Daesang Award-winning Show and performances by the 2 main leads - The Best Bromance Duo carried by Yeo-jin Goo and shin ha Kyun!!wow wow wow wow DAEBAK INFINITE TIMES INFINITY!!!
BEYOND EVIL IS ONE OF THOSE SHOWS that literally leaves you glued to the screen, to the plot build-up, piquing your curiosity radar into thinking what happens next, one of the greatest whoDUNIT stories ever told in History!!
Standing ovation for :
1. The Leads Shin Ha Kyun and Yeo Jin Goo for powerhouse performances, delivering their characters to the T, they were just perfect!! And it's unbelievable that Yeo Jin-goo is just all of 23 of Age!!!
Yeo Jin Goo is just perfect as an Actor, wow!!!!
2. The Writers and Director and Cinematographer of the Show Beyond Evil!!!! Kudos to the Team for the perfect edge-of-seat psychological thriller for the audience!!!
This show deserves lots of Awards and TOP HONORS!!!
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I wanna rewatch this already!! Masterpiece
It's beyond great! You should definitely watch this. The story is really good in my opinion but some people may find it predictable or repetitive. Still it's not all about it. I really love the way the characters' psychological/emotional states, their reasoning and their relationships with each other are portrayed. I love the writing so much. I find this series more about these things. So if that's what you're looking for, you'll love it even more. Also I reallllly like how they wrote Joo won <3Was this review helpful to you?
Beyond Masterpiece
Plot is well-written. Nothing unpredictable. Every episode will make you crave for more. When you thought that you finally understand it, the show will throw another bomb. The acting is phenomenal. They choose the right people. All of the cast is amazing. They didn’t even drag the story even for a short time. They always gives you something new. Something to think about. Gives you chills, will shock the hell out of you, can make you laugh then cry. Beyond Evil deserves more recognition and love. A masterpiece indeed.Was this review helpful to you?
