A Shop for Killers

Worth watching for the characters.

Listen up, jeong jian. (*opinions are bound to be biased and subjective.)

A Shop for Killers is a character driven action thriller with a melodramatic tone. It is a non-linear narrative, focusing on a slow reveal of intentions, secrets and character. I find the premise very dark, where basically multiple groups of middle aged men, who are professional trained killers, are hunting down a seven/twenty one year old orphan girl to kill her.

I loved the part where the show heavily focuses on the characters and their backstories, immersing us in their experience, hardships and dilemmas. The pace slows down and it feels like a gloomy melodrama. I love how there are minimal cringy dialogues and scenes(except for a couple characters) and the lack of much dialogue in the flashbacks really leaves the viewers to put themselves in the characters shoes and guess what they're feeling, instead of endless monologues where the characters just put all their thoughts out and make cringe expressions. *cough* moving *cough* I LOVED the backstories of both jian and jinman and especially related to young and mute jian.

What do you do when there are trained killers after you, parked up in front of your glass wall, ready to shoot you in the head the moment you're in sight? You crawl past that wall and act surprised when they shoot you.

And what do you do if multiple drones surround your windows and shoot at you non-stop? You stand in the centre of the room, frowning and act surprised when your window is blown up.

And what the heck do you do when someone tells you that your friend who's right next to you killed your uncle and there's proof of it in the computer right next to you? You go to that computer, put your finger over the mouse and stop. Don't open that file. Instead, tell that person to leave and go help your friend up. And act surprised when that "friend" suddenly ties you up and tells you how they killed your uncle and are going to kill you next. For f*ckʼs sake, jeong jian!

I got attached to all characters except for jian. I was excited to see jian in the first couple episodes, where she's shown as this badass girl who knows how to defend herself. She even fights off some boys s*xually assaulting her friend alone. But when she has to actually defend herself, she's brainless and starts crying. It happens all the time. The "strong female lead" is Always a facade to attract viewers. With time you'll know that it is every other female lead, the one who makes the stupidest decisions, the FL that's been written, played and seen a hundred million times. Jian is no different, and finding this out was very disappointing. Poor writing.

Many plot holes and illogical things like jinman taking his shirt or whatever it was off to give it to minhye when right behind them are a bunch of clothes hanging. Jian & Co. doing stupid shit left and right, not to mention the ending where the main antagonist hasn't even been seen in a while, less alone defeated.

The antagonist is... very dark. He kind of creeps me out, which means the writing and acting was good. Something about a man who is a sadist, who likes inflicting pain on others and simply loves to kill is very disturbing to me. I hope there's a season 2.

i love the character of jinman. The only time i felt he acted out of character was when he just listened to a recording of jian and easily took his own life, which too turned out was a scheme of his. Jinman truly thinks before he moves and he moves fast. And i love him for that. All the other characters like minhye, pasin and honda were very beautifully written and acted. 10/10 for all these characters and their stories.

OST... was there any? I do remember hearing some drums so that was good.

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I remember a few months back when I was trying to find a Kdrama that had action in it without the romance something like Killers Shopping-something came up. I watched the first episode of what I thought left me uninspired so I never went back to finish. A few days ago I find myself doing the same thing: trying to find a Kdrama that had action in it without the romance and sure enough something like Killers Shopping-something came up again. So I clicked on 'A Shop For Killers' thinking that that was the drama I was trying to watch and dropped but realized it wasn't that. I think that's what I was trying to watch in the first place but clicked on the wrong drama. So now that I finally get the right drama right I started watching it. I mainly watched because I liked the male lead from Bad & Crazy. In all of my reviews I tend to cling to Korean actors who have some serious fighting skills so that's why I decided to watch this.

I'm going to solely focus on the last episode because to me, that's the nail in the coffin. The final tie up to everything that happened in the previous episodes. I'm always reviewing the last episode because I like closure. Unfortunately the last episode was the only episode that left me underwhelmed.

****************THIS IS WHERE THE SPOILER COMES IN**************************************

The focus of the entire series is wrapped around the uncle and a rogue military man. Throughout the drama we get to understand what the feud is all about. Understandably so we know why the feud is the way it is which is a relief to me. But here's where I get angry...NOTHING happens to the rogue military man and the bad guy who kept the rogue military in play. What was the point??? The episode is a hour long and what do we get? A LOT of useless dialogue. There's a lot of gun fights and fighting but without that this last episode would've failed its mission terribly. I don't think there will be a season two even though the antagonist isn't dead. It wouldn't make sense because all of the henchmen are dead. I also wasn't shocked about the last few seconds of the episode. It confirmed what I already knew.

Korean dramas always have a tendency to go south at some point. To make a drama more enjoyable I wish they would stop doing that.

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Solid action with suspense, left on a cliffhanger

Popular actor (Tale of the Nine-Tailed, Goblin) Lee Dong-wook shines in this gripping thriller drama as he smoothly transitions from a morally gray character to a man of ethics and family. He might have been killed off in the first episode, but the use of flashback sequences is enough to influence his magnetic presence on the screen. 
With multiple villains and arch rivals, A Shop for Killers begins with chaos and a slow pace but quickly piques the interest of its audience with a flashback monologue. Despite some vague sequences, loose ends or unexplained actions by the characters, this suspenseful drama is well rounded and executed when it comes to intense drama and vengeance. The dynamic uncle-niece relationship reflects a deep bond of trust and unspoken love between two lonely family members as they fight back the unscrupulous killers in their own way. Whether it’s the fight scenes or emotionally driven main characters, this thriller will keep you hooked and wanting for more even when it concludes Season 1.

My Rating : 8/10

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suprise

I’m going to be honest — at first, I only started watching A Shop for Killers because it features my favorite actor, Lee Dong Wook. He was the main reason I gave the series a try. But to my surprise, I ended up getting completely hooked by the story and the characters.

The beginning may feel a bit slow or confusing, and I almost thought it wasn’t going to be my type of show. But once the story starts to unfold, everything becomes more intense and gripping. The action scenes are well choreographed, the plot becomes clearer and more engaging, and we start to uncover all the hidden layers of this mysterious world.

What I loved most were the characters. They are truly compelling and emotionally engaging. Each one has their own background, pain, and motivations, and the way their stories connect adds a lot of depth to the series. Their relationships are touching and believable, and you quickly find yourself getting attached to them.

What’s great is that A Shop for Killers doesn’t just rely on action — it balances suspense, emotions, and character development really well. The fight scenes are intense and exciting, but they’re also supported by strong storytelling and emotional stakes. The visuals are also very well done, and the atmosphere of the show keeps you on edge in the best way.

In the end, I enjoyed this series way more than I expected. It turned out to be a unique, intense, and heartfelt experience. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fast-paced thrillers with mystery, action, and well-written characters.

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PERFECTLY EXECUTED THRILLER!

I love how the story is about things happening in a day. Jeong Jian (Kim Hyejoon), niece of Jeong Jinman (Lee dongwook), getting a call from police station informing about her uncles's death. The story then proceeds on Jian being revealed of what her uncle, Jeong Jinman, did for a living and how she has to survive all the fights caused by the consequence of Jinman's action.
Now that her protector Jinman was no more, she is being bombarded with bottles of information and is running to survive.
A survival thriller with amazing fight scenes and a fully packed cast. Both Kim Hyejoon and Lee Dongwook understood their assignment. The mix of past and present but still perfectly separating them made the series real good.
There was no beating around the bush, no romance. Just pure thriller!

Only thing i personally felt as a drawback was that, there was a lot of repeated scenes in episode 7 which was unnecessary and could have been easily incorporated in the previous episodes.

In general, personally, the series was a great watch and if given a chance to watch the series again for the first time i gladly would! :) (PS: would still rewatch nevertheless)

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A Shop For Killers was everything that I wanted and more from an action thriller. The fight sequences in this show were great and I appreciated how many different styles of fighting it showed, so the scenes never got boring. The way the show switched back and forth between timelines was very effective and I did not mind at all that they would show scenes more than once but with added context or a new perspective.

Lee Dong Wook as Jeong Jinman was definitely the highlight of the show. I had only ever seen him in Tale of the Nine-Tailed before and that show really wasn't for me, so I did not realize how captivating he could be on screen. Even though his character is pretty morally grey, I couldn't help but root for him and I really ended up loving him. The relationship he had with his niece was very complex and interesting. The scenes of her trying to hit him were very funny and some of my favorite in the whole show. While I don't feel like all of the characters worked, I did love quite a few of the side characters, especially Min-hye, who really stole the show.

The main issue that I had with the show is that it felt like half a show. I think the choice to do 8 episodes and very clearly set it up for a needed second season instead of just doing a 16 episode season was a mistake. What they showed in the finale could have been a great place to stop for a mid-season break if they wanted to split it into two parts. I was left with so many unanswered questions at the end of the finale and it felt very unsatisfying. While I didn't hate the last episode, it just felt very rushed. I will be so sad if there isn't a season 2!

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It’s Thrilling but makes me so depressed?

A REALLY GOOD THRILLER ACTION DRAMA!!✨

watching this drama gives lots and lots of tension and you just can’t stop watching. every episode ends with cliffhanger in such a good wayyy. great storyline that can be digged & developed more for the s2. feels like there are so many unanswered questions for me.

Love the uncle-niece relationship so so muchh. the kind of relationship that doesn’t talk much, but we know how they can fight their life to “protect each other” — at least for jian, it is to protect murherhelp.

and i’m heartbroken for every Jian flashback episode. I’m deeply disturbed by that scene where Jian has to hide “with her mother”. the build up for the scene was so great.

for some scenes, it can feels like a little bit dragging and repeated. super intense on some scenes but i find one or two scenes (esp flashback ones) to be a lil bit boring - cause its too dragging.

but overall, A MUST WATCH BCS WE HAVE LEE DONG WOOK😍😍😍😍

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She was the only green left but why?

Story (8): While the storyline may not be entirely original, the execution was commendable. However, I found myself grappling with certain discrepancies, particularly regarding the inconsistency in the colors. Despite the expectation of red and yellow to play pivotal roles in supposed saving the green, that did not happen. Furthermore, the unresolved fate of the main antagonist left the narrative with an open ending, lacking closure or justice.

Acting/cast (8.5): Lee Dong Wook's magnetic presence is always a highlight, serving as a major draw for me. Yet, beyond his charm, the entire cast delivered stellar performances. This marks my second encounter with Kim Hye Joon after "The Kingdom," although I admittedly couldn't recall her from there until I consulted her profile on MDL. Nonetheless, her portrayal in this series was memorable, particularly in action sequences where her performance felt natural and unforced.

Music (5): Unfortunately, I can't comment on the music as it didn't leave a lasting impression on me

Rewatch value (5): Typically, I don't find myself revisiting action series unless prompted by the release of a new season or a lapse in memory regarding the plot. While this series wasn't lacking in entertainment, it didn't offer any standout moments that would compel me to revisit it.

overall rate: I'd rate it an 8.5 out of 10. Despite the familiar plot elements, I have an inclination for this genre, and the proficient execution held my interest. Lee Dong Wook's involvement also adds to the appeal, and I'd be inclined to tune in for a potential second season, largely driven by his presence.

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