A DARK CLASSIC IN THE MAKING
It is a drama that takes hold from the very first episode and never loses its momentum. The lead actor, Ji Chang Wook delivers a performance that defines the series. He embodies both menace and vulnerability, making the character unpredictable and unforgettable.The writing is equally strong, carefully balancing crime, loyalty, and emotion. The love triangle adds another dimension, creating tension that isn’t just about romance but about trust, betrayal, and survival. It pushes the story into even more powerful territory, making every decision matter.
What makes this drama stand out is how carefully it balances its noir edge with human emotion. It has the grit, the suspense, the atmosphere of noir masterpiece, but it never loses sight of the character at its core.
This is the best Kdrama I’ve watched so far, and honestly, the type of drama I’d recommend to my film club friends. It’s not just worth watching, it’s worth rewatching again and again.
Plot 10/10
Acting and Characters 10/10
Cinematography 9.5/10
Writing 9.5/10
Pacing 10/10
OST/Score 9.5/10
Overall 10/10
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A Gritty Crime Drama
This drama is a gritty crime drama that delves into the dark underbelly of organized crime. Starring Ji Chang Wook, Wi Ha Joon, and Im Se Mi, the series explores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the quest for power.Story
The narrative is intense and fast-paced, focusing on the rise of a criminal empire and the moral ambiguities faced by those within it. The story is filled with twists and turns, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats. The writing is sharp, with well-developed characters and a plot that explores the complexities of crime and justice.
Acting
Ji Chang Wook delivers a powerful performance as the conflicted anti-hero, while Wi Ha Joon shines as his ruthless rival. Im Se Mi adds depth to the story as a woman caught between loyalty and survival. The supporting cast is equally strong, bringing authenticity to the world of organized crime.
Cinematography
The visual style of the series is dark and gritty, perfectly capturing the harsh realities of the criminal world. The action scenes are well-choreographed and realistic, adding to the tension and drama of the series.
Music
The soundtrack is intense and brooding, perfectly matching the tone of the series. The music enhances the suspense and emotional impact of key moments, making it an essential part of the viewing experience.
Rewatch Value
"The Worst of Evil" has significant rewatch value due to its intricate plot and rich character development. Each viewing reveals new details and layers, making it a compelling rewatch value.
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Not Like Your Typical Thriller KDrama
If I'm being honest, I watched this without knowing anything besides the fact that Wi Ha Joon was in it. Bro, go watch it. It's so good and the story, characters, and production is very inspiring. The cast is perfect, the story is perfect. The ending is also really impactful, and you can take in a lot from this drama. I can't even describe how I felt after watching it. Usually after finishing a drama, I would want there to be more in the story. But the ending felt empty but complete, not in a bad way. The actors made me feel some type of way, especially Wi Ha Joon. The story his character had and how he interprets Jung Ki Chul is the best. (Also, very attractive). But anyways, 10/10 for sure and totally recommend because the story isn't basic, and the writing is far from bad.Was this review helpful to you?
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A good gangsters vs cops dramas in an old Hong Kong movie style.
This is typically the type of story you used to find in old Hong Kong crime movies with men and brothers fighting each other in a story of cops, crime syndicate, mafias, and undercover operations. It was usually very romanticized, violent, and dark and in the ends, the outcome left no one unhurt. This drama totally follows this path.1/ STORY
The story is rather simple. A cop accepts to do an undercover operation for a very personal reason. This leads him into a world of gangsters where bad guys also have their values and laws which make them not so bad and good guys are not always so good but have deviant behaviors and make questionable choices. He navigates in this and meets a local boss, and they develop an understanding and a friendly bond throughout time. The problem is that two women enters the scene, and they will make the two men question themselves, who they are and who and what they want and love. The result in the end is a terrible outcome for everyone.
2/ WHAT I LIKED
- The bonding between the two male leads and the bromance despite an uneasy personal situation in connection with the FL.
- The individual character development of the ML and of the SML. As I said, they are very romanticized but there is a clear beginning, a transition and an ending that is well told.
- The action and violence. I would have liked a little more of them.
- The ML and SFL. Their interplay was endearing. Cop guy and gangster girl trying to handle each other.
3 /WHAT I DID NOT LIKE
- The schemes were not so well made. I questioned some events that looked a little bit too simple or unrealistic.
- A little too much of "Who has the bigger balls". But I guess that's inevitable in a gangster's vs cops story.
- The last 3 eps were a bit underwhelming with some plot holes and far-fetched events that make them look rushed and inconsistent.
4/ CHARACTER - ACTORS
- Joo Mo: a simple and dutiful guy who becomes a gangster to bust a drug ring but he makes encounters that change him, his values and vision of thing and make him question his job. I liked the character and JCW was good portraying him.
- Ki Chul: simple guy with big dreams but a romantic who will question himself and try to change things for the best or the worst? Endearing despite his bad actions. WHJ was convincing too.
- Eui Jung: Some say she is useless in the drama. On the contrary. What she does or do not do triggers most of the tragic events. She is the main cause of everything. Im Se Mi. Second time I see here after True Beauty. Totally different. Good acting.
- Lee Hae Ryeon: the crazy and fun character who reveals herself not as hardened as expected. Superb job from the actress.
- Hwang Min Gu: The brute cop. Too much screen time for him and his antics. But his demise was fun.
Not a lot of noticeable characters beside these.
5/ OST: I enjoyed it bit nothing memorable.
6/ REWATCH VALUE: Probably rewatchable but a little too dark.
7/OVERALL
It is darker and sadder and more violent that expected. The schemes and counter schemes kind of drag the plot at times but overall, it is a good story. I would say the mafia and crime thing is not the most impressing or the most important. It is the personal situation and development of each of the main characters. From their point of view, it is a tragedy. A well told one. I totally recommend this drama. 9/10 . I do not give 10 because of the few telling flaws of the last eps but It is a good drama.
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Outstanding
The Worst of Evil is an outstanding Kdrama, and not just in the noir genre. It is a fascinating story with captivating characters, stellar acting, great action sequences, THAT KISS, a touch of classic tragedy and a real departure from simplistic black-and-white storytelling. Very few of the characters in this drama are actually good, some are very very bad, and most of them fall somewhere in between.The intriguing plot revolves around our policeman hero who goes undercover, partially to impress his wife’s family who think she married the wrong guy, and ends up working for his wife’s ex-boyfriend who is now a gangster and decidedly not a good person - though we forget that pretty quickly thanks to his charisma. The wife, anxious to help, gets involved with her ex, while our hero catches the fancy of a drug lord’s daughter, and is torn between real affection for the girl and loyalty to his wife. This is where the element of a classic tragedy comes into play. The wife only gets involved to help her husband, who only got involved in the first place to get her family off her back, and in a bitter case of irony, that is what destroys their marriage in the end.
The characters are so well written that I found myself rooting for the bad guys on numerous occasions. When their bag of drugs is stolen, my first thought was Oh No! before catching myself. These people make a living off the misery of others, but we don’t really care, do we, since many of the “bad” characters are really charming or have redeeming qualities. The drug lord’s daughter easily could have been a cliched figure, but she is ultimately just a girl unloved by her father, who’s a constant threat in the background, with her bodyguard / replacement father figure the only person she trusts until she meets our hero. And while not all if the gangsters are really bad, many of the “good guys" are not good at all. There is so much corruption and blind ambition displayed by some of the policemen that it is clear that the line between good and evil blurred a long time ago.
I can highly recommend this show to anyone who enjoys the crime & mystery genre, great storytelling, or just something very far removed from the bubbly secretary and chaebol heir type of stories (though I quite enjoy these stories too). My one and only point of criticism was actually the wife’s character. Not that she hooked up with her ex, because she had a good reason. No, I thought she is way too passive during the big fight, especially as a trained policewoman. Generally speaking, nothing riles me up more than the female character just standing by while her boyfriend gets beaten up, or falling over in a dead swoon as he comes to her rescue. This is a recurring theme in Kdramas, Hollywood movies, fairytales and just about everywhere else, and it’s bloody annoying. Other than that, this drama was a perfect 10.
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INCREDIBLE Story, Acting, Production; Sure to Be Re-Made by Production Crews Across the World.
The spoiler is at the end and marked.I concur with everything written by Shinnosuke_Lee, including the evaluation of the ending.
This was an INCREDIBLE show in all the ways that reviewer mentioned. Loved it all. They all were incredible performances. I double-foot stomp BIBI's performance. It was great and a needed breath of fresh air in the overall cast of characters. The story really is stellar with constant twists and edge of your seat drama. (When the violence got too much for me (as an older viewer), I just turned off the audio and/or covered my eyes.) The cinematography, the editing, etc. were phenomenal. I expect this to be remade a number of times by various artists across the world, because the story holds up so well and can be set in many parts of the globe. What more would you want in a cops-robbers/love story? I am surprised that the rating overall on MDL is not higher.
(I did have an issue with the Disney digitization which gave a slight green cast to the footage. This emphasizes the film noir effect, but I don't like it. I was a video editor, so most people, other than folks like me, will likely not be bothered by it.)
SPOILER:
I note that some reviewers think that the drug boss's motivation is money/success. I concur only in that he believes that this will win the love/respect of his childhood sweetheart, which is his ultimate goal--the same goal as that of the ML, which is to win the love/respect of his wife. (A reviewer compared the drug boss to Jay Gatsby in the novel "The Great Gatsby" and I concur.) The FL has "the face that launched a thousand ships," as they say of Helen of Troy. And I think that the FL lead was able to feel empathy (NOT love) for the drug boss, just as the ML was able to feel empathy for the Chinese drug negotiator--but the true love remained between the ML and FL, as evidenced by her continued pleads for him to be pulled from the operation.
Regarding the ending, IMHO the ML again sacrificed himself and his marriage for both the FL and drug boss, with whom he had developed a strong relationship. The drug boss had an "honorable" death and the FL didn't have to take the blame for his death. Therefore, the ML remained true to his character of protecting those that he loved, he didn't "turn evil." If the FL realizes this in time, then perhaps there may be a way for them to get back together.
Regarding the title of the drama, I wonder if the writer is trying to say that the worst evil is often the things we do for love. Did both men destroy themselves to gain the love of a woman? (Back to Helen of Troy) It is true that people do terrible things to protect their loved ones or to protect/foster the God they love or to avenge those that they love. Food for thought.
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One of the best of its crime A MUST WATCH.........
Its one of the best drama of the year with a very powerful and effective cast , especially the male leads - they both are fantastic and up to the mark for their role , Female leads are also good , BIBI is more effective in the drama with her acting and all other scenes ( something i don't want to spoil but is there in the drama ) . The acting , the violence , the action and the brutal emotions looks so real and effective again the male leads are amazing and will never disappoint . The only downside is the underwhelming ending and some open threads which weren't closed properly in the last 2 episode , but if u think about it , the ending offered to us also makes a lot of sense . Don't take it as a bad ending show it defiantly worth to watch but a little anticlimactic .Was this review helpful to you?
Worth the heartache ?
I watched this show at the gym during cardio workouts... best decision ever. I used to go twice a week, and this show had be working out four times at least. I think I scared the people next to me with my gasps, and at one point i genuinely lost balance from the shock of seeing those fitted suits.Wi Ja Hoon is genuinely fabulous and now one of my absolute favourites, and Ji Chang Wook is as wonderful as ever. I will be grieiving the end of this show for a long time, but it was sooooo worth it 🥹
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The best Crime Korean Drama of the year!! (Drug related/ Gang's / Action Packed/ Bromance 100%)
I'll keep it short as always.When I started this drama I thought it would be the good old generic stuff that already exists... To my surprise it was actually quite different and new in terms of what I've seen in modern drama. I loved how easy it was to follow the plot and how creatively the characters were set. Story was very enjoyable. This drama is a definite MUST WATCH from me. Also the tension between the male lead and the second female lead was too good!!! I was actually more interested in their "business" in some of the later episodes.
Lastly I don't think everyone would agree with my opinion on this but I think the ending was actually perfect for once... It didn't make me feel empty and needing more when it ended. I mean of course I wanted to see the ML and the second FL meet again but it was more of a fantasy on my end😂. Also the main FL was just a there as a prop. Literally didn't serve a purpose than to annoy the both the ML's with the lackluster "romance".
This drama was definitely one of the best this year when it comes to Crime Drama's related to drugs and gangs and the action and fights and gore was done perfectly. Definitely a ✅ form me!
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One of the masterpiece series of korean dramas
It's one of a masterpiece. The plot and the main lead actors acting is the strength of the drama. The main male lead actor, ji chung wook just nailed it, his acting was at It's peak! One of his look with bloodshed was terrifying. And fight scenes are awsome. There is a fight scene were thr other gang attack 2nd lead's gang, then the two main lead actors fights back as their last fight..it was hell like fight. Brotherhood genre is the mai strength to the plot. But there is a scene which felt awkward, which is the main actress and 2nd lead's kiss scene. It felt like awkward, also the main lead's (ji chung wook) and other mafia girl's kiss scene. They were essential for the drama, they can't exclude it. But it really felt awkward watching it. Because they have already married to eachother(ji chung wook and main actress). In the end It's emotional. But i think that's better. It's like a happy ending kind of a feel.. Really that's the better end for the main leads.Was this review helpful to you?
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The Worst of Evil is Betrayal
At some points throughout the beginning and middle of the drama I wanted to drop it but something always captured my attention. The last two episodes were tense, I was on the edge of my seat - anticipating the entire time.At first I didn't want to accept the ending but the more I thought about it, this is as real as it can get.
Ji ChangWook and Wi HaJoon did extremely well with portraying their characters.
I would also like to commend Lee ShinKi (Chief Seo). I look forward to seeing him in more roles. As well as BiBi, she did so well for what I believe is her first time acting (?i'm not sure). I'm so proud of her.
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Very addictive
I really loved this drama and watched it really quickly. As always, Ji Chang Wook is a masterpiece, Bibi's character felt just like her but not like her at the same time, and Wi Ha Joon was great, too. I completely forgot he was meant to be the bad guy, to be honest.The only thing I didn't like was the very last episode. I'll be honest, I didn't like the ending. There was one particular decision made that made me think "WHY??" but maybe some people understood why he did it better than me. I liked that the ending was realistic between Junmo and Euijung, though.
Overall, I'd recommend it! 👍🏻
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