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This review may contain spoilers
The World Needs More Heroes!
I’ve watched so many action-hero movies over the years, and most of them are about as far from being realistic as you can imagine. A single guy dominating fights or single-handedly taking on twenty guys without getting so much as a scratch.
Officer Black Belt does something that most previous action films fail to do. They take on the human element, and in so doing, give us a true hero. Lee Jeong Do is a 3rd Dan in at least three forms of martial arts. He’s a young man who enjoys spending time with his friends playing video games. However, one evening, he comes across a probation officer who is struggling to apprehend a convict. Lee Jeong Do intervenes and takes the convict out.
He learns that the probation office is severely undermanned, with too many criminals to keep track of, all via ankle bracelets. Supervisor Kim Sun Min approaches Lee Jeong Do to ask him to fill in as a martial arts officer, who is paired with a probationary officer. Lee Jeong Do is taught how to track the convicts, how to call and monitor them when the power of the ankle bracelet drops below 30%.
Already impressed with Lee Jeong Do’s fighting abilities, Kim Sun Min is able to help track and capture some of the worst criminal elements, from murderers to sex criminals.
However, Lee Jeong Do isn’t just a mindless thug who runs the streets and deals out physical justice. He cares. He can’t stand to see that people’s lives are put in danger, and there are times when he’s forced to hold back his anger.
Korea has one of the worst track records when it comes to the sentencing of sexual assault criminals. One of the most heinous rapes of a young girl in recent memory saw the assailant get only six years because he was under the influence of alcohol. They even made a movie about it, called “Hope.” It’s not an easy watch at all! Frankly, I can’t think of crimes more despicable than those perpetrated on children. The movie attempts to bring more awareness to this huge problem!
After accepting the job full-time, Lee Jeong Do and Kim Sun Min are given the horrible task of monitoring Kang Gi Jeong, a notorious child rapist, with an untold number of victims, who’s suddenly been released. And Kang Gi Jeong is a huge man, which already invites trepidation and caution.
Lee Jeong Do insists that they track him, both via the monitor, and physically. Kang Gi Jeong meets up with a sadistic gang that creates and posts child exploitation videos on the dark web, and they’re willing to pay Kang Gi Jeong to do what he craves.
After ten-year-old Min Ju Lee is abducted, Lee Jeong Do tracks down Kang Gi Jeong just as he’s about to attack the little girl. Nearly dying in the attempt from a severe stab wound, Lee Jeong Do manages to save Min Ju Lee, although Kang Gi Jeong escapes.
Knowing that this sadistic monster is out there, likely finding other child victims, Lee Jeong Do is more determined than ever to find Kang Gi Jeong, especially upon learning that the little girl is too scared to even leave her home.
What makes the movie work so well, especially from an action standpoint, is that it has some realism. While Lee Jeong Do may be an expert fighter, he’s still only one man, and when confronted by multiple assailants, even he is unable to avoid getting hurt, especially when he’s fighting Kang Gi Jeong in a confined space, where his martial arts skills are limited. Kang Gi Jeong is also a convict, which means he doesn’t fight based on any rules, which makes him even more intimidating and unpredictable. In a real fight, there are no rules. You do whatever you have to do.
As with so many Korean productions, this one is not absent of touching and heartwarming scenes. Min Ju Lee’s mother thanking Lee Jeong Do at the hospital where he’s recovering is sweet, as she gives him a letter of thanks from Min Ju Lee. However, they saved the best for last, when Min Ju Lee shows up at Lee Jeong Do’s award ceremony, finally venturing outside and telling him, “You’re my hero.”
Perhaps more than ever before, the world is in desperate need of heroes. You don’t have to wear a badge or have superpowers to be one. Sometimes, it’s just the ordinary person who simply cares enough to get involved, regardless of the risks, to help someone in need. The biggest cowards are those who choose not to get involved, even when they know something is happening. Ralph Waldo Emerson stated, “A hero is no braver than the ordinary man, but he’s brave five minutes longer.”
Officer Black Belt does something that most previous action films fail to do. They take on the human element, and in so doing, give us a true hero. Lee Jeong Do is a 3rd Dan in at least three forms of martial arts. He’s a young man who enjoys spending time with his friends playing video games. However, one evening, he comes across a probation officer who is struggling to apprehend a convict. Lee Jeong Do intervenes and takes the convict out.
He learns that the probation office is severely undermanned, with too many criminals to keep track of, all via ankle bracelets. Supervisor Kim Sun Min approaches Lee Jeong Do to ask him to fill in as a martial arts officer, who is paired with a probationary officer. Lee Jeong Do is taught how to track the convicts, how to call and monitor them when the power of the ankle bracelet drops below 30%.
Already impressed with Lee Jeong Do’s fighting abilities, Kim Sun Min is able to help track and capture some of the worst criminal elements, from murderers to sex criminals.
However, Lee Jeong Do isn’t just a mindless thug who runs the streets and deals out physical justice. He cares. He can’t stand to see that people’s lives are put in danger, and there are times when he’s forced to hold back his anger.
Korea has one of the worst track records when it comes to the sentencing of sexual assault criminals. One of the most heinous rapes of a young girl in recent memory saw the assailant get only six years because he was under the influence of alcohol. They even made a movie about it, called “Hope.” It’s not an easy watch at all! Frankly, I can’t think of crimes more despicable than those perpetrated on children. The movie attempts to bring more awareness to this huge problem!
After accepting the job full-time, Lee Jeong Do and Kim Sun Min are given the horrible task of monitoring Kang Gi Jeong, a notorious child rapist, with an untold number of victims, who’s suddenly been released. And Kang Gi Jeong is a huge man, which already invites trepidation and caution.
Lee Jeong Do insists that they track him, both via the monitor, and physically. Kang Gi Jeong meets up with a sadistic gang that creates and posts child exploitation videos on the dark web, and they’re willing to pay Kang Gi Jeong to do what he craves.
After ten-year-old Min Ju Lee is abducted, Lee Jeong Do tracks down Kang Gi Jeong just as he’s about to attack the little girl. Nearly dying in the attempt from a severe stab wound, Lee Jeong Do manages to save Min Ju Lee, although Kang Gi Jeong escapes.
Knowing that this sadistic monster is out there, likely finding other child victims, Lee Jeong Do is more determined than ever to find Kang Gi Jeong, especially upon learning that the little girl is too scared to even leave her home.
What makes the movie work so well, especially from an action standpoint, is that it has some realism. While Lee Jeong Do may be an expert fighter, he’s still only one man, and when confronted by multiple assailants, even he is unable to avoid getting hurt, especially when he’s fighting Kang Gi Jeong in a confined space, where his martial arts skills are limited. Kang Gi Jeong is also a convict, which means he doesn’t fight based on any rules, which makes him even more intimidating and unpredictable. In a real fight, there are no rules. You do whatever you have to do.
As with so many Korean productions, this one is not absent of touching and heartwarming scenes. Min Ju Lee’s mother thanking Lee Jeong Do at the hospital where he’s recovering is sweet, as she gives him a letter of thanks from Min Ju Lee. However, they saved the best for last, when Min Ju Lee shows up at Lee Jeong Do’s award ceremony, finally venturing outside and telling him, “You’re my hero.”
Perhaps more than ever before, the world is in desperate need of heroes. You don’t have to wear a badge or have superpowers to be one. Sometimes, it’s just the ordinary person who simply cares enough to get involved, regardless of the risks, to help someone in need. The biggest cowards are those who choose not to get involved, even when they know something is happening. Ralph Waldo Emerson stated, “A hero is no braver than the ordinary man, but he’s brave five minutes longer.”
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