This review may contain spoilers
Slow, Dark, and Thought-Provoking
Evilive tells the story of lawyer Han Dong Su’s descent into darkness, as he awakens the hidden demon within and transforms into someone with virtually no limits when committing crimes. What makes the series intriguing is not just his transformation, but also the way it portrays a cast of characters who are all “bad” in their own ways. It leaves viewers asking: what truly defines evil, and how do these flawed individuals differ from one another?Han Dong Su begins as a timid lawyer, careful never to cross certain lines even while defending criminals to make a living after being unfairly dismissed from his previous workplace. His life takes a sharp turn when he becomes entangled with Seo Do Young, the second-in-command of a powerful gangster group who has been betrayed by his own people. Seo Do Young offers Han Dong Su a hefty sum to uncover the evidence he needs. At first, Han Dong Su refuses, fearing the danger involved, but cornered by his circumstances, he takes the risk, only to find himself pulled far deeper than he ever imagined.
While nearly every character in this drama is morally compromised, the one I find the most evil is undoubtedly Han Dong Su. He begins as a pathetic loser, but gradually transforms into a despicable figure, betraying Seo Do Young and ultimately killing him to seize everything he once had, the businesses, the house, the gang, and even his allies. Seo Do Young is far from innocent himself, but at least he has a bottom line. He doesn’t harm people without reason, and as long as others don’t cross him, he leaves them alone. What makes his downfall even more tragic is that he genuinely believed in Han Dong Su’s potential, supporting him and even entrusting him with the gambling business.
Han Beom Jae is probably the only character I genuinely pitied in this drama. Unlike his brother, he still carried a tiny bit of conscience, he knew when to stop, even after all the crimes he had committed with his brother. And yet, the most heartbreaking part is that his goodness couldn’t save him. Tragically, in the end, he becomes a victim of his brother’s greed, dying while begging him to stop.
In terms of acting, the cast truly shines. Each performer is completely in their element, bringing depth and authenticity to their roles. While the story itself may have its flaws here and there, the actors elevate the material with strong, convincing performances that make the characters feel real and engaging.
As for the ending, I honestly didn’t see it coming. I thought Han Dong Su might finally change for the better after losing his brother and being left by his wife. But by that point, he was already too far gone, beyond saving and the only path left for him was to fully embrace the very evil he once feared.
Overall, Evilive is a decent watch. It’s a slow-paced drama, but that slowness gives you room to reflect on deeper questions, especially about morality and how far people can fall once they cross the line.
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It was AMAZZZZING
Wowwwwwww, wowwww, wowwwwww...I'm not a big fan of this genre but this was a crazyyyyyyyyy amazing ride for me... There was NO boring episode, no badly written character...Everything was perfect, especially the cast and the acting....10/10, highly recommended if youre a fan of this genre......I dont wanna give any spoilers but I loved certain characters soooooooo much and my heart ached whenever something happened to them....
One person that was highly underrated in this series was Kwon OhJae played by actor Bae NaRa....Like man was soooooooo daym handsome..Wowwww🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
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The premise , the plot , the characters , the storytelling , none of it disappoints . It seems like kdramas are finally taking a step out of their comfort zone and delivering morally ambiguous antiheros and I sure as hell am here for it .
Although the main villains are too stereotypically villainy ( seriously I can see them twisting their mustache and snickering each time they appear on the screen ) , I can ignore that because Shin Hakyun alone completely more than makes up for it with his amazing portrayal of Han Dongsoo , an incredibly smart lawyer who decided to live most of his life complying by the rules , which had cost him , a lot . And we watch as he's inevitably driven into a corner and forced to make a choice . Fight fairly and undoubtedly lose , or accept a bloodied hand , the only salvation that reached him in the most desperate moment of his life . When his family is on the line , he has no choice but to accept Seo Doyoungs help . And even though each time he convinces himself that he will put an end to it before he's too far down to climb back up , we the audience understand and anticipate that that's not going to happen , that something or someone will force his hand , because of course , that's what this whole show is all about and I absolutely love it, watching someone this smart finally let loose and go out for blood , how can I not be excited !
Watching him rack up his brain to come up with ideas to save himself and his brother was seriously one of my favorite parts of this show .
I have to add , I love the outfit choices , even up to his haircut and the glasses he wears . As I was watching the show I couldn't help but notice how nicely he always tried to dress , even when the situation didn't call for it . I am not an expert but you can tell a lot about a person with how they present themselves to the world . And it seemed like he was trying to make up for some inferiority complex through his clothes . Because he was so deeply humiliated , made to feel like a fraud , his fashion was a way of reclaiming some of his personhood " I'm a real lawyer , I even look the part , from my hair to my shoes . " But more than anyone else he was probably trying to prove it to himself . And Seo Doyoung saw right thought that : " You look better without the glasses . " I was completely blown by that line , he saw through this fragile facade for what it was , but instead of mocking it as a shameful and lame act , he instead praised his real self , because who Han Dongsoo really is , is better than whatever fake persona he was trying to trick himself into believing was him .
How will all of this end , will our protagonist be able to bare the consequences of his choices ? How will his brother be affected ? Will Doyoung face justice ? I can't wait to find out!
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Recommended Drama
Awesome dramaWish to have watched it back 2023 but a well recommend drama for those who like thriller, crime, action...
Mr Shin Ha kyun in Beyond evil was great and now in this one masterpiece.
Same as Kim Young, have watch Trigger 2025 first and in this too superb 👌🏻.
The turning table was so good 🔥.
Sad for the detective, but for me I glad Attorney Han has chosen that way at the end. For me he deserves it, after the survivals!!. Yes there always be some loses and 'dear' ones to leave him.
But Attorney Han was the mastermind in this, and the operation, the mind thinking!
"You're just like me".
"When you gaze deep into a monster, the monster also gazes into you". - Seo Do Yeong
Yes the end, 'he' takes on the operation,
But can we see a part 2 or no, as the old man is still on that bed.
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Good Enough
Korean Drama '' Evilive '' is the journey of a man towards embracing his inner darkness.The drama is a complex psychological thriller, without getting too complicated for the viewer to follow. With excellent performances by all the cast members and, especially, the three main leads, the drama manages to pull off a difficult plot, as it presents a story of a man who comes from nothing and starts descending deeper and deeper into darkness, after getting a taste of it. In the end, it makes you think about what it takes to turn someone into a monster anyway.
The pace of the drama, in addition, was masterfully managed, although there were some times that things got a bit too slow. Also, the gore was just enough to provoke but not to disgust.
So, overall, eight out of ten.
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Elegy of a Nice Guy
Innocence and Justice are two things you won't find here. If we were to divide the life of Dong Soo into segments, there would be two distinct periods ; before and after Do Young. This is a detailed case study of a chance encounter between a downtrodden attorney and a seasoned young gang leader that gives way to a burgeoning bond between the two. What seems to be a simple happenstance becomes a catalyst for a(n) (un)welcomed awakening.Genre
Psychological, dark humor , crime, gang-related.
The Technical Stuff
This is storytelling that says "Look here, what do you see? What do you think happens next? ". The skillful use of lighting , camera direction and nuanced acting made the writing shine even more.
Dong Soo and Do Young
Do Young, a young gangster who is number 2 in his organization after having fought and schemed his way up the ladder of success finds himself inexplicably drawn to the unassuming Dong Soo. Dong Soo, on the other hand, a nice guy who no longer believes in himself and has accepted his fate of being the perpetual underdog meets the alluring Do Young who is everything he knows he should stay away from. The mind games ,wordplay and the ever-present yet subtle undertow between the two leads made for an electrifying chemistry. Honestly, in the last arc ,I felt like the kid of divorced parents who was being forced to choose who to live with, I couldn't choose. I absolutely loved the look of pride and mirth in Do Young's eyes every time Dong Soo's brilliance was on display. Can the pupil be greater than his master? Back to the awakening, as the story unfolds, you start to realize that there's a leviathan lurking in the recesses of Dong Soo's heart that only Do Young can lure to the surface.
If this was to be packaged a paperback novel I think the table of contents would look something like this:
Ep /Chap.1 Enticement
Ep/Chap. 2 Unease----> terror
Ep/Chap. 3 Affinity
Ep/Chap. 4 Kindle
Ep/Chap. 5 Descent
Ep/Chap. 6 Rumpelstilskin
Ep/Chap. 7 Bloodlust
Ep/Chap. 8 Renaissance
Ep/Chap. 9 Fracture
Ep/Chap.10 Scorn
*Sigh* I'm off to find another dark drama to stave off these withdrawal symptoms.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Crime Thriller That Will Peg Your Attention
So, when I googled for the meaning of “Evilive”, I found it literally means “to pay back evil with evil”; which pretty much sums up the gist of this storyline. Starring Shin Ha Kyun, Kim Young Kwang, Shin Jae Ha in pivotal roles, “Evilive” depicts main lead Han Dong Soo’s slow yet steady descend into the evil world of crime. What leads him there and will he survive the ordeal remains to be seen? I just got done with watching “The Worst of Evil” and was unsure about starting another noir action. The only reason to start this drama was Shin Ha Kyun and Shin Jae Ha; both are fabulous actors and this show having a male centric casting drew my attention. It isn’t an easy watch, must add that. Manipulation, lies and deceit seem to be at the centerfold of this thriller, and each twist or turn is profoundly bewildering. You can expect the unexpected with this drama. Set in the 1980s, the cinematography is picturesque and reminiscent of the era where desktop computers were still in use. We are talking about them, because the show majorly focuses on the advent of online gambling. The first fours episodes are evenly paced, the storytelling is intriguing and indulgent. Let’s drive into this world and learn more!Read the complete article here-
https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2023/10/28/evilive-first-impressions/
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This review may contain spoilers
A drama that only appears to be good
"Evilive" it's a story about a lawyer and a psychopath, who start to work together, doing a lot of illegal things. The relationship of Dong Soo and Do Young it's different, but it was quite disappointing.Kim Young Kwang's expressions are really good, specially when he killed his ex-girlfriend, but after that I thought I would see basically a bloodbath, but that wasn't what happened.
The whole thing with the online casinos, it doesn't made sense that Dong Soo thought of that. It's something that only someone in that world would think so easily.
In some moments, the drama reminded of "Big Bet", but this drama lacks dept, the story is really weak. It's not worth the watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Il fascino del male portato in scena da due protagonisti "cattivi" di prim'ordine.
Davvero un bel kdrama. Non il mio genere preferito, ma comunque del tipo che ogni tanto ci sta. Soprattutto quando è ben fatto, come in questo caso.La figura del cattivo, qui, la fa da padrone. Due spettacolari protagonisti portano in scena il male, e il suo fascino, in tutte le sfaccettature. Figura cardine della storia è senza ombra di dubbio quella di Han Dong Su, interpretato da un Shin Ha Kyun strepitoso come sempre. In apertura viene presentato come un avvocato dall'aria patetica, vittima di soprusi da parte di un capo corrotto: nonostante la rabbia per l'ingiustizia subita cerca, arrancando, di tornare a galla. "L'onestà non sempre paga", se dovessimo riassumere. A gravare poi sulle sue spalle c'è il peso di un'intera famiglia, che non conta solo la moglie ma anche la madre anziana e affetta da demenza senile, oltre a un fratellastro più giovane ma economicamente non indipendente anche se già padre di una piccola nipotina. Ed è proprio grazie a un contatto del fratello che arriva a conoscere il primo cattivo della storia, Seo Do Yeong, prossimo alla scarcerazione e praticamente a capo della banda criminale della città. Interpretato da un Kin Young Kwang davvero più affascinante che mai, il giovane gangster viene presentato come uno psicopatico crudele e folle ma che, di fatto, rappresenterà a tutti gli effetti la seduzione del male. Bello, giovane, potente, intelligente, pronto a sfruttare chi di dovere per raggiungere i propri obiettivi e a togliere di mezzo chi prova a ostacolarlo o a infastidirlo, al pari della mosca schiacciata con la palla da baseball contro la parete. Il loro incontro in carcere, con Seo Do Yeong prossimo alla scarcerazione e Han Dong Su che si propone come consulente legale, è molto particolare: se Han Dong appare terrorizzato, Seo Do Yeong è sicuramente incuriosito dall'avvocato ligio ma ormai caduto in disgrazia, quasi vedesse già oltre l'apparenza. Un incentivo economico che Han Dong fatica a rifiutare - soprattutto a causa dell'insistenza del fratello - e la richiesta di verificare se la donna di Do Yeong lo stia nel frattempo tradendo: inizia così la collaborazione tra i due. A dettare le regole è Seo do Yeong che, dopo aver eliminato la fidanzata e il suo braccio destro - entrambi in combutta per farlo fuori - costringe i fratelli Han a diventare complici facendo occultare loro i cadaveri. Da lì torna a pretendere la collaborazione di Han Dong Su, quale consulente per i suoi loschi affari (gioco d'azzardo clandestino). Se il giovane fratello comincia a prendere le distanze da quel mondo, a costo di rinunciare al guadagno facile, Han Dong Su rimane via via sempre più coinvolto. Apparentemente è vittima della situazione, nella realtà emerge a pieno l'ambiguità della sua figura: la vendetta repressa e il desiderio di rivalsa lo portano a superare la linea, a dimenticare di voler vivere secondo le regole, giustificando una zona d'ombra che va via via facendosi sempre più ampia e scura con la scusa di essere stato indotto e costretto dalle circostanze. La sua, in realtà, è una vera e propria scelta. Potrebbe voltare pagina - come più volte suggerito dal fratello - ma sotto sotto non vuole farlo. Dopo anni di umiliazioni, la gratificazione dell'ammirazione della moglie, il non dover più preoccuparsi dei debiti, la considerazione professionale di colleghi che ormai lo ignoravano e deridevano... Tutto questo ha lo stesso effetto di un magnete. Il suo cambiamento interiore, lento e credibile, si riflette anche nell'aspetto: abbandona gli occhiali e il taglio di capelli banale, gli abiti dozzinali lasciano il posto a completi su misura e rolex al polso, l'auto da rottamare verrà sostituita da una macchina nuova di grossa cilindrata e - sul finire - addirittura da un autista privato. E' un'evoluzione lenta, ma inarrestabile. Seo Do Yeong al contrario è molto più coerente e lineare: è un cattivo che ha messo in chiaro le carte in tavola, che agisce - anche crudelmente e illegalmente - ma secondo determinate regole. Il rapporto tra i due nella parte centrale del drama è spettacolare: non c'è fiducia, non c'è propriamente stima, ma c'è un legame ancor più solido, fatto non solo di opportunismo ma anche del desiderio comune di togliere di mezzo i rispettivi nemici. Lo stesso Seo Do Yeong, a un certo punto, si troverà a tenere d'occhio Han Dong Su, quasi percependo il proprio controllo venire meno su di lui: ha creato un mostro - o, per meglio dire, ha liberato il mostro che dimorava sopito da qualche parte nelle profondità dell'avvocato dimesso che aveva conosciuto - e questo mostro rischia di diventare più malvagio e abile di quanto non lo sia lo stesso Seo Do Yeong. E' l'anticipazione di una disfatta: Han Dong verrà completamente avvolto dalle tenebre meritando a tutti gli effetti il premio di miglior cattivo della serie. Il finale è spiazzante ma azzeccato.
Quanto alla recitazione, ci troviamo di fronte a una prova di altissimo livello: i due protagonisti tengono di fatto in piedi da soli l'intera serie che, soprattutto nella parte iniziale, regala in ciascun episodio una scena ad alto impatto in apertura. L'attenzione nella parte centrale viene mantenuta viva grazie al particolare rapporto che si instaura tra i due, quasi una sorta di insolita bromance - uniti dal fascino del male, direi - mentre nell'ultima parte le svolte impreviste ma non imprevedibili guidano lo spettatore verso l'unica soluzione sensata e possibile.
Non c'è niente di scontato, la banalità è fortemente bandita e la bontà a basso costo anche.
Che il genere sia tra i preferiti o meno, la ritengo una di quelle serie che non può comunque non essere apprezzata.
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