Payback: Denaro e Potere (2023)

12 episodi di pura tensione! Vendetta, colpi di scena e un cast stellare

Bellissimo drama, capace di tenere incollati allo schermo fino all’ultimo episodio… geniale e interpretato da un cast superlativo!

A differenza dei soliti 16 episodi, “Payback” si sviluppa in 12 puntate. Questa scelta si è rivelata vincente: mantiene alta l’attenzione sul drama senza inutili lungaggini o riempimenti.

La storia ruota attorno a Eun Yong, un titano della finanza e capitalista di successo, che ha vissuto isolato nei pascoli della Mongolia. Rientra in Corea quando suo nipote Tae-chun e Joon-gyeong, figlia del suo defunto benefattore, gli chiedono aiuto. Eun si prepara così a combattere contro poteri corrotti per proteggere la sua famiglia e vendicare la morte di un caro amico.

Il cast è eccezionale. Lee Sun Kyun, tra i miei attori preferiti, brilla in questo suo ultimo lavoro, trasmettendo tutta la sua bravura e dando valore all’intero drama. Kang Yoo Seok conferma le sue grandi capacità come giovane attore, mentre Park Hoon interpreta magistralmente il lato oscuro della procura, tanto da farti detestare immediatamente il suo personaggio. E questi sono solo alcuni degli interpreti… in realtà, tutti sono strepitosi.

“Payback” è un drama consigliato a chi ama storie con continui colpi di scena e intrecci intelligenti. La sceneggiatura è davvero top!

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Compelling, complex vendetta, expressive play, impressive spirit & cunning plot development

KDrama Orbit starts into 2023 just as the year 2022 had been – full of productions with their fingers put right into the sore of wounds of society, savouring its imbalance with relish. "Payback: Money and Power", again, is one of those. It offers an exciting, astute, complex and clever story about revenge against those giants, who can hardly ever successfully be confronted by legal means. Money helps… those... who want to have things turn out the way that they prefer… who can afford to have things turn out the way that they prefer... who have a strong vision, too.

The underlying premises are pretty sobering, yet well-known territory in KDrama land:
-The system (democracy and the rule of law) serves the money, not the people, because the people who fill the system with life can be bought.
-Power and money are inseparable.
-Hierarchical class thinking is far from overcome. The value of a person's wealth directly determines their value as a human being.
-Huge fortunes and legality rarely go hand in hand.
-The good news for the wealthy: money can buy you justice (and law).
-The bad news for the ordinary: Life is unfair.
-With legal means (alone) justice is not a given.

"Payback: Money and Power" bluntly takes all of these premises and blends them in a vendetta against Goliath revisited. Therefore, David first becomes a Goliath himself. In this case, David's real name is Eun Yong. He has risen from a penniless, simple young man to become the CEO of a private-equity fund who successfully speculates astronomical sums of money. Together with a team, that for him is family, too, he takes on a financial cartel in which politicians and especially the public prosecutor's office are also involved. Thus, it is not played fairly. On the contrary: it is actually life-threatening.

So, at first glance the plot doesn't seem to promise much that's new. Nevertheless, "Payback: Money and Power" offers a dense, strong story, with expressive play and impressive spirit. The presence of the mimes in front of a rough, gloomy background is haunting. To be honest, I paused for a moment - not sure whether I really want to know and see everything or rather drop. Eventually, I couldn't help it, couldn´t let go of it. I WANTED to know and see. The impression, the KDrama left with each episode, was just too powerful... And I'm thoroughly glad about it. A great story. With a considerably cunning plot development. Despite the underlying bitter seriousness an invigorating (for all the refreshing poetic freedom - e.g. not everyone is as talented, tactically adept, self-confident and yet grounded in a good balance of heart, mind and soul as Eun Yong) and encouragingly optimistic perspective.

Oh, actually, here's another premise I forgot to mention at first...
-But what a relief that the law still exists... and also those few, who stick to it, believe in its value and power, and thus keep fighting for it with wits and passion...

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